Revision as of 18:01, 5 September 2007

< The Players' Guide to the Cities

Experience

Whenever you defeat an enemy or complete a mission, you receive experience points. The greater the deed and the more difficult the challenge, the greater the experience you receive. Acquiring experience points will grant you access to higher levels and more powers.

Upon reaching level 10, you will begin to accumulate experience debt when defeated. While in debt, all experience gained normally will be split evenly between paying off debt and accumulating experience toward your next level.

While exemplared or malefactored experience gain is treated differently. As an exemplar or malefactor, the experience you would normally gain is converted to other forms:

• If you have debt to pay off, the amount of experience you would normally gain is all applied to your debt rather than being split 50/50.
• Need to check to see if XP is converted to inf or prestige when out of debt. Was thinking that was how it worked, but it's been a while since I've paid attention.

For more information, refer to the following:

• Experience
• Debt

Influence/Infamy

As with experience, upon defeating an opponent or completing a task, heroes are rewarded with influence and villains are rewarded with infamy (both are commonly abbreviated as "inf".) The more difficult the task, the higher the reward received will be. Influence functions similarly to a form of currency in that it may be used to acquire enhancements, inspirations, recipes, and salvage either through trade with other players or by "purchasing" them from stores, contacts, or auctions and may be used to pay for services such as modifying costumes or adjusting notoriety.

Beginning at level 25, the amount of inf earned while in super group mode is reduced in exchange for earning super group prestige. The amount of inf earned gradually tapers off until eventually reaching 0 at level 34. Exiting super group mode at these higher levels allows you to resume earning full influence rewards at the cost of prestige.

For more information, see the following articles:

• Influence
• Infamy

Prestige

With membership in a super group you gain the ability to earn prestige. Prestige is a measure of your group's reputation. The more prestige earned, the more likely it is that your super group is well-known and recognized by others.

Prestige is used to gain access to larger plots, rooms, and items for your base. You cannot use prestige to buy items that require influence or infamy for purchase.

Prestige is similar to inf in that you earn it by defeating foes. However, there are a few differences. First, you only earn prestige when you are in super group mode. (Your group can't become famous if you're not out there representing them.) Even the lowest-level members of a super group can earn prestige for their group. There is also a trade-off. As you get higher in level, you earn more prestige, but this increase in prestige earned comes at the cost of inf gained. At times you may want to adventure out of super group mode in order to gain inf while at other times you may want to enter super group mode to gain prestige for your group.

Another key difference between inf and prestige is that prestige does not belong to you-—it belongs to your super group. If you leave a super group, the prestige you earned stays with that group; you cannot transfer prestige to another super group. If the super group disbands completely, all the prestige it earned is lost.

It is possible to convert inf to prestige in lumps of 1,000,000 inf/2,000 prestige by speaking to Super Group Registrars.

For additional info, please refer to the following:

• Prestige

Inspirations

Inspirations are also possible rewards for victory in battle and can be traded among allies or acquired with inf from a contact's store. These are one-time-use power-ups to help you in battle. They have different beneficial effects depending on their type. Your available inspirations are displayed in your Inspirations Window located above the Tray Window. After you use an inspiration, it is gone forever and disappears from your inventory.

There are eight different types of inspirations, each of which comes in three power levels. The higher the level of the opponent from whom you won the inspiration, the more a dropped inspiration powerful is likely to be.

For more information, please see the following articles:

• Inspirations
• Inspirations Window

Enhancements

Enhancements may be received as a reward when you win a battle. They may also be traded with other players or acquired with inf.

Enhancements increase the effectiveness of your powers. Most are not permanent (invention origin enhancements being an exception), but they do have the potential to last for several levels before needing to be replaced.

You receive new enhancement slots at every level without a new power slot. It is up to you to decide which of your powers will receive the new enhancement slots. The more enhancement slots you attach to a power, the more aspects of that power that can be enhanced. To place an enhancement, just click-and-drag it to a slot in the appropriate power on your Enhancement Management Screen. Once an enhancement is placed in a slot, it is locked there. It cannot be moved, but it can be discarded. (To discard an enhancement — an action usually performed when that enhancement is no longer effective — from the Enhancement Management Screen, click and drag it with your mouse to the trashcan at the lower left corner of the screen.)

In addition to the enhancements you assign to powers, you have an inventory of 10 slots in your Enhancements Window in which you can carry unassigned enhancements. Enhancements in inventory that you have no use for may be turned in at a store, in exchange for inf.

For more information, refer to the following:

• Enhancements

Types of Enhancements

There are twenty-six different types of enhancements (not counting invention origin enhancements). They have various names, depending on their origins, but each type is color-coded. The twenty-six types are listed below, with a corresponding colored emblem. Unless otherwise noted, the type of the enhancement indicates the kind of power that it improves. Note that some enhancements can be used with a broad range of different powers, while others are highly specific, applying only to a very few powers.

	Accuracy	Increases the accuracy of an attack power.
	Confusion Duration	Increases the duration of a confuse power.
	Damage	Increases the damage of an attack power.
	Defense Buffs Damage Resistance	Increases the effectiveness of a defense buff power. Increases the damage resistance of a power.
	Defense Debuffs	Increases the effectiveness of a defense debuff power.
	Endurance Discount	Decreases the endurance cost of a power.
	Fear Duration	Increases the duration of a fear power.
	Flight Speed	Increases the speed of a flight power.
	Heal	Increases the effectiveness of a healing power.
	Hold Duration	Increases the duration of a hold power.
	Immobilization Duration	Increases the duration of an immobilization power.
	Intangibility Duration	Increases the duration of an intangibility power.
	Interrupt Time	Decreases the duration of a power's interrupt window.
	Jump	Increases the height and distance of jump power.
	Knockback Distance	Increases the knockback distance of a power.
	Range Increase	Increases the range of a power.
	Recharge Time	Decreases the recharge time of a power.
	Endurance Modification	Increases the endurance drain or recovery of a power.
	Run Speed	Increases the run speed of a power.
	Sleep Duration	Increases the duration of a sleep power.
	Slow	Increases the effectiveness of a slow power.
	Stun Duration	Increases the duration of a disorient power.
	Taunt Duration	Increases the duration of a taunt power.
	ToHit Buff	Increases the effectiveness of a tohit buff power.
	ToHit Debuff	Increases the effectiveness of a tohit debuff power.

Enhancement Origins

Each enhancement’s outer ring defines its origin(s). There are thirteen possible types of outer rings — generic (training), five single-origins, five dual-origins, invention origin, and one ring for special enhancements that is shared by Hydra origin, Crystal Titan origin, Hamidon and synthetic Hamidon origin enhancements.

Ring	Enhancement Origin	Useable By
	Training Origin	Everyone
32px	Magic/Mutation Dual Origin	Characters with magic or mutation origin
32px	Mutation/Science Dual Origin	Characters with mutation or science origin
	Natural/Magic Dual Origin	Characters with natural or magic origin
	Natural/Technology Dual Origin	Characters with natural or technology origin
	Science/Technology Dual Origin	Characters with science or technology origin
	Magic Single Origin	Characters with magic origin
32px	Mutation Single Origin	Characters with mutation origin
	Natural Single Origin	Characters with natural origin
32px	Science Single Origin	Characters with science origin
	Technology Single Origin	Characters with technology origin
	Hydra, Crystal Titan, Hamidon, or Synthetic Hamidon Origin	Everyone
	Invention Origin	Everyone

If you want to purchase as few enhancements from stores or auctions as possible, try to find an enemy that’s close to your origin in concept. For example, a mystical group of villains like the Circle of Thorns is more likely to yield magic enhancements, and less likely to yield technology enhancements. If you are acquiring enhancements at a store, keep in mind that different stores cater to specific origins. Make sure you find a store that matches your needs.

Enhancement Strengths

All enhancements have levels. For all but invention origin enhancements, you can only use enhancements of a level relatively close to your own level of experience. If a non-invention enhancement is more than three levels higher than you are, you will not be able to equip it until you advance. Likewise, if you are more than three levels higher than a non-invention enhancement, it becomes useless, and should be upgraded, replaced or discarded.

In the case of invention origin enhancements, you can only equip enhancements that are no higher that three levels above your own. Equipped invention origin enhancements will never deteriorate or become useless, but higher level invention origin enhancements will be more effective than lower level ones.

All enhancements are also subject to the effects of enhancement diversification (commonly referred to as ED.) ED limits the effectiveness of multiple ehancements of the same type slotted in one power. Essentially, the more enhancements of the same type you slot in one power, the less effective each newly-slotted enhancement becomes.

For more information, refer to the following:

• Enhancements
• Invention Origin Enhancements
• Enhancement Diversification

Non-Invention Origin Enhancements

The strengths of these enhancements are distinguished by the type of enhancement, origin of the enhancement, and level of the enhancement relative to your own.

Each type of enhancement is assigned to an enhancement schedule

The least powerful enhancements are training, or generic origin (TO) enhancements. Characters of any origin can use them. Because they are the least effective enhancements, these are cheapest to purchase from stores.

Dual-origin (DO) enhancements are more powerful than training enhancements. Any usable DO enhancement will be more powerful than any TO enhancement of the same type. Enhancements in this origin category can each be used by characters of two specific origins. There are five DO pairings: mutation/magic, mutation/science, science/technology, technology/natural and natural/magic. DO enhancements are more expensive than TO enhancements of the same type.

Single-origin (SO) enhancements are even more powerful than the DO enhancements. Any usable SO enhancement will be more powerful than any DO enhancement of the same type. There are SO enhancements for each of the five origins. If you are purchasing enhancements, these are, of course, the most expensive.

Hydra origin and Crystal Titan origin enhancements enhance multiple aspects of a power at a strength somewhere in between that of DO and SO enhancements. For example, a Hydra Neutron Exposure enhancement will enhance both the damage and range of a ranged attack power at greater than the strength of a damage DO and range DO of the same enhancement level, but at less than the strength of a damage SO and a range SO of the same level. What makes Hydra and Crystal Titan enhancements potentially more powerful than SO enhancements is if multiple Hydra or Crystal Titan enhancements are slotted in a power, the cumulative effect of the enhancements may be able to outpace the enhancement values you would get trying to enhance all of the same aspects of the power in the same number of slots with SOs. This may free up extra slots to further enhance your powers. Hydra or Crystal Titan enhancements are buyable only through auction. Hydra enhancements may be obtained as a reward for successfully completing the Abandoned Sewer Trial. Crystal Titan enhancements may be obtained by finishing the Eden Trial. (Unfortunately, at this time, Hydra and Crystal Titan enhancements are not available to villains.)

Hamidon (HO) and synthetic Hamidon origin (SHO) enhancements enhance multiple aspects of a power at the same strength as SO enhancements. For example, a HO Centriole Exposure enhancement will enhance both the damage and range of a ranged attack power at the same strength as a damage SO and range SO of the same enhancement level. What makes HO enhancements more powerful than SO enhancements is that what may take up two or three slots with SOs can be done with one slot using the right HO. This frees up extra slots to further enhance your powers. HOs are buyable only through auction and might cost anywhere from several hundred thousand inf to tens of millions of inf each. HOs may be obtained as rewards for successfully completing a Hamidon raid. SHOs may be obtained by finishing either the Statesman Task Force or Lord Recluse Strike Force.

Enhancements of a particular type and origin that are higher than your own level have a greater effect on your powers than enhancements of the same type and origin that are at your own level or lower.

For more information, refer to the following:

• Enhancements
• Hydra Origin Enhancements
• Crystal Titan Origin Enhancements
• Hamidon Origin Enhancements
• Enhancement Aspects and Schedules

Invention Origin Enhancements

Invention origin enhancements (IOs) fall into two basic categories: common enhancements and set enhancements.

Common IOs function similarly to TOs, DOs, and SOs in that they each enhance one aspect of a power when equipped. However, as with all IOs, the strength of common IOs is not based on the enhancement's level relative to your own but is based on the absolute level of the enhancement. Common IOs start out at level 10 slightly stronger than TOs of the type and gradual scale upwards in strength. The strength of IOs surpasses the strength of even-leveled DOs of the same type at level 14 and surpass the strength of even-leveled SOs of the same type at level 27.

Individual set IOs may enhance one aspect of a power or multiple aspects of a power. In cases where they enhance only one aspect, they function identically to common IOs. When enhancing multiple aspects of a power, the more aspects the enhancement affects, the lower the value of the enhancement. Where IOs find their true strength is in the slotting of multiple enhancements from the same set in the same power. By slotting multiple enhancements from the same set, bonus effects such as regeneration increases, resistance against specific damage types, or stealth can be added to the affects a power normally exhibits. The larger the number of enhancements from a set you have in a power, the more bonus effects you gain.

In the later stages of the game, even without taking set bonuses into account, large numbers of set IOs in a power can surpass even the enhancement effects of slotting multiple HOs in a power.

IOs can not be bought or sold at stores, but may be available for purchase through auctions. Any IO may be crafted at an invention worktable if you have the correct recipe and the required salavage and inf.

For more information, refer to the following:

• Invention Origin Enhancements
• Invention Origin Enhancement Scaling
• Invention Origin Enhancement Sets

Combining Enhancements

You can combine similar non-invention origin enhancements to increase their effective level. To be combined, enhancements must be identical in effect type and in origin type. They do not have to be identical in level, but the closer the level the more likely the combination will be successful. You may attempt to combine an enhancement with one from inventory, or with one that has been assigned to the same power. When two compatible enhancements are slotted to be combined, the game will figure the odds of a successful combination based on the difference in level between them (the closer the better). If the combination is successful, the higher-level enhancement will be improved by one level. Regardless of a successful or failed combination attempt, the lower-level enhancement will be lost for good. If an enhancement has been improved twice — that is, it is operating two levels above its original level — it cannot be improved further. However, it can be used to improve a still-higher enhancement.

For further information, see the following:

• Enhancement Combination Screen

Salvage

Recipes

< The Players' Guide to the Cities