Special Enhancements

Special Enhancements are usable by all character archetypes and origins, but are only obtainable by completing some very difficult-to-accomplish tasks. Currently, Special Enhancements include Hamidon Enhancements, Crystal Titan Enhancements, and Hydra Enhancements.

Overview

Special Enhancements provide benefits much like Single-Origin Enhancements, but provide benefits to more than one aspect at a time. For example, a Special Enhancement may affect both the damage and accuracy of a power, whereas all other Enhancement types would affect either one or the other.

A Special Enhancement may be added to a power if any portion of the enhancement can apply to the power. However, any aspects which do not apply to the power will be ignored. For example, a Damage/Accuracy Special Enhancement may be added to Envenom, but because Envenom does no damage, the damage portion of the enhancement will be ignored. The accuracy portion, however, will function perfectly.

Hamidon Enhancements vs. other Special Enhancements

When City of Heroes was first released, the maximum level was 40. In Issue 1, the level cap was raised to 50, where it was originally intended to be, and the Hamidon raid was also raised to 50. However, the Abandoned Sewers Trial (introduced in Issue 1) and the Eden Trial (introduced in Issue 2) remained at level 40.

Because the Abandoned Sewers Trial and the Eden trial were the source of Hydra and Titan enhancements, respectively, and because these Special Enhancements respect the character's level just like normal enhancements, the Hydra and Titan enhancements become useless by the time a character reached level 50. The Hamidon enhancements do not, since the Hamidon raid is now designed for level 50 characters.

Additionally, Hamidon enhancements offer a higher bonus than the Hydra or Titan enhancements do. Each aspect of a +0 Hamidon enhancement offers the same bonus as a +0 SO. Hydra and Titan enhancements offer a bonus that is between a -2 and a -3 SO. (Just like normal enhancements, a difference in level between the character and the Special Enhancement, or stacking Special Enhancements, will affect the exact bonus conferred to the character's power.)

Multiple Types Exploit

It is possible to achieve enhancement values unintended by the developers by exploiting the way in which the powers system handles enhancements, and the way in which Special Enhancements are permitted to be added to a given power. For more information, see Hamidon Origin Enhancements#Multiple Types Exploit. Although the exploit and quote from Castle normally pertain to Hamidon enhancements, the exploit may occur with any of these Special Enhancements.

Invention Enhancements

Main article: Invention Origin Enhancements

Invention enhancements may also be called "special enhancements", but they are special in a different way than the enhancements discussed here. These Special Enhancements are obtained through trials or raids, respect the difference between your level and the level of the enhancement, and each aspect always has the same value (dependent on its Enhancement Schedule) regardless of how many aspects are present. Invention enhancements are crafted and always maintain the same bonus regardless of your level. Invention Sets may have multiple aspects, but the bonus for each aspect decreases for each aspect present.

Comparison

Below is a listing of each Special Enhancement matching with their effects. Notes about the multiple types exploit (see above) are omitted. In the table below, the "Hold" icon () stands in for: Confuse, Stun, Fear, Hold, Immobilize, Intangibility, and Sleep. The "Run Speed" icon () stands in for: Flight Speed, Jump Speed, and Run Speed.

Hydra Enhancement	Titan Enhancement	Hamidon Enhancement	Effects
Anti Proton Exposure	Zeolite Shard	Enzyme Exposure	endrdx thtdeb defdeb
Delta Particle Exposure	Gypsum Shard	Lysosome Exposure	acc thtdeb defdeb
Electron Exposure	Peridont Shard	Ribosome Exposure	endrdx res
Gluon Exposure	Amethyst Shard	Peroxisome Exposure	dam mez
Graviton Exposure	Calcite Shard	Endoplasm Exposure	acc mez
Neutrino Exposure	Diamond Shard	Nucleolus Exposure	acc dam
Neutron Exposure	Quartz Shard	Centriole Exposure	dam rng
Positron Exposure	Kyanite Shard	Golgi Exposure	endrdx heal
Proton Exposure	Tanzanite Shard	Cytoskeleton Exposure	endrdx thtbuf defbuf
Quark Particle Exposure	Citrine Shard	Membrane Exposure	rech thtbuf defbuf
Theta Exposure	Selenite Shard	Microfilament Exposure	endrdx spd

Other than enhancement value (Hamidon enhancements provide a larger bonus than the other two) and level when the enhancement is usable (Hydra and Titan enhancements are generally level 40, while Hamidon enhancements are generally level 50), all three types of Special Enhancement are identical.