Power Icons Legend

Overview

This page is intended to provide a key for the symbols used inside the City of Heroes power icons.

Buff Symbols

The symbol of a buffing power is usually represented by an arc at the top of the icon or an triangle pointing up. For example, File:Accuracy Boost.png are the buff symbols for accuracy, damage and defense. Other buff icons are used somewhat interchangeably such as, used to represent an increase in endurance and/or recovery rate; and used to represent an increase in hit points and/or regeneration rate. The following icons are all the buff icons currently used in the game and their approximate meaning: debt protection, defense and to hit buff (an excellent example of a compound symbol), endurance discount, buff to hit points and endurance, jump increase, multiple attribute boost, power boost, especially to the secondary effects of powers, range boost, recharge speed increase, revive, and for run speed increase. A few commonly used icons don't follow this convention. Examples are for mez resistance and defense, exchange-type buff powers and which is usually a hit point boost that fades over time.

Control Symbols

The symbol of a controlling power is different depending on the type of control used. The different types of status effects are: confuse, disorient (or stun), fear, hold, immoblilize, knock up, knockback, knockdown, phase shift, placate, sleep, slow movement, slow recharge and taunt. There are also a few special status effects such as forced flight induced by Telekinesis, forced teleportation from Wormhole and force back from Force Bubble.

For example, confuse is , disorient is , fear is , hold is , immobilize is , knock up is , knockback is , phase shift is , placate is , sleep is , slow movement is , slow recharge is , slow movement and slow recharge is (excellent example of a compound symbol) and taunt is

Note: There is no symbol at this time for knockdown but a symbol with the off-balance figure shown in the knockback and knock up icons plus a triangle pointing down would be consistent with the other symbols.

Debuff Symbols

The symbol of a debuffing power is usually represented by an arc at the bottom of the icon or an triangle pointing down. For example, are the debuff icons for to-hit (or accuracy), damage and defense. Other know icons are: endurance or recovery debuff, hit point or regeneration debuff, perception debuff and which is used for resistance debuff, but is identical to the icon used for defense debuff.

Defense Symbols

The symbol of a defense power is usually represented by a shield. The different types of defense are melee, range, area of effect and general defense. For example, is area of effect defense. The general defense symbol is Melee and ranged defense symbols are and

Morph Symbols

The symbol of a morph power is the top half of a human outline appearing to grow or shrink to a larger or smaller outline. The symbol should be used exclusively for shape-changing powers such as a Kheldian's nova or dwarf forms. It would also be appropriate for Stone Armor's Granite Armor. For example,

Melee Symbols

The symbol of a melee power is usually represented by a circle or group of circles with three peaks. The size of the circle or circles is representative of the amount of damage a power does. For example, is light or minor damage over time, minor damage, moderate damage, heavy damage and superior or extreme damage. The icon is used for both melee and ranged powers interchangeably. Certain powers such as assassin's strike have additional symbols associated with them. More examples are & to signify weapons formed of the classic four elements (earth, fire and ice powers currently) and for chain-type powers.

Stealth Symbols

The symbol of a stealth power is usually a human-shaped form outlined by an aura or a human shaped aura.

For example, hide invisibility phase shift and stealth

Comments

There are many internal inconsistencies within the game that makes some of this page guesswork rather than fact. If the power rings and the power symbols were consistent within the game, it would be easy to identify what a power does just by it's icon.