Being a hero in Paragon City is hardly thankless; heroes receive many rewards during their eternal struggle against the forces of evil.

The most common rewards are Inspirations. These are momentary boosts to heroes' Accuracy, Damage, Defense, Endurance and Hit Points. Inspirations are dramatic moments in combat - a "second wind" (Endurance) or "spot a weakness" (Accuracy) - that help turn the tide in battle. Heroes depend on these battle boosts; without a good supply, there's a chance they may fail. The only way, however, to gain Inspirations is to defeat Paragon City's many foes. As a hero gains Security Levels, he'll face more difficult enemies. To compensate, the Inspiration inventory grows, too. So players will be able to stock up Inspirations for those truly epic conflicts.

Inspirations, though, come and go. The permanent boosts all heroes seek are called Enhancements (once known as Specializations). Every power comes with a certain number of inventory slots. Enhancements can be put into these slots to augment an aspect of a power - range, damage, duration, etc. A player needs to pay close attention to how he equips his Enhancements; they are permanent once placed into a power slot. Much like the Inspiration inventory, heroes gain Enhancement slots automatically as they level up so that they can keep up with their many foes. In addition, a player gains the ability to add bonus Enhancement slots to their favored powers every other Security Level. Through Enhancements, two players could have the exact same power, but both powers might in fact differ a lot in capability. One person could invest in Range Enhancements to become a distance specialist, another into damage in order to become the "knock out" artist.

A hero, though, needs to make sure his Enhancements keep pace with his Security Level. Enhancements each come with an associated level; players cannot use Enhancements that are more than a few levels above them. As a hero gains power, his Security Level will outstrip his previous Enhancements. That's when a player needs to gain a new Enhancement and combine it with his current one. Through combination, a player can raise the higher of the two Enhancements by one level. This process isn't automatic; there is a chance of failure that is affected by how much each Enhancement differs in Security Level.

When you start out you get basic training enhancements. However at later levels these become a lot weaker and you can then start using Duel Origin Enhancements (useable by only two origin types) and Single Origin Enhancements (useable by only one origin type). These Enhancement categories and their limitations are as follows:

Cybernetics (Technology)
The hero has gained a state of the art device from one of the world's leading biotech corporations.

Otherwordly Entity (Magic)
The arcane hero has established a relationship with one of the powerful other dimensional entities that hold sway in today's world.

Secondary Mutation (Mutant)
The mutant's genetics have altered his powers in a new way.

Training (Natural)
The hero has trained with a famous mentor - a great detective, a renowned martial artists, a retired super hero, etc.

Focusing Device (Mutant, Magic)
The hero has gained some sort of object that he can channel his power through - such as a crystal, a visor, an amulet, etc.

Gadget (Technology, Natural)
The hero has access to a jury rigged device to help him in his quest for justice.

Genetic Alteration (Mutant, Science)
The hero has undergone gene therapy of some sort that has added to his powers' capabilities.

Invention (Science, Technology)
The hero has created a polysyllabic device that no one can pronounce, but no one can deny its effectiveness.

Relic (Natural, Magic)
The hero possesses a powerful magical item created by one of the world's famed mages.

As suggested in each description, Enhancements are subdivided into particular types. The Accident Enhancement, for instance, features the following types: Bite, Immersion, Exposure, Injection, Transfusion, Transplant, Ingestion, Alteration, Adaptation and Bombardment. Any of these types is capable of affecting any particular aspect of a power. But these types are further subdivided into subtypes. For instance, in the Accident category, there's Beta waves - and Beta Waves are either an Injection or an Immersion. Beta Waves always buff a player's Damage in a particular way. A player can combine an Injection and an Immersion Beta Wave Enhancement like normal - with a chance of failure. If successful, the higher of the two Enhancements is boosted. But if a player is combining two Beta Wave Immersions, the player receives the chance to combine as a bonus. So players always want to search for Enhancements that match the types of those he already has.

Players receive Enhancements in two main ways. First, they can purchase them with Influence from Contacts. The sorts of Enhancements a player can earn depend upon the profession of the Contact. A scientist Contact will tend to have Cybernetics, Accident, Gadget or Invention Enhancements. Second, a player can receive an Enhancement from a fallen foe. In this case, the Enhancement category depends upon the type of villain. For example, the mystic Circle of Thorns foes will have Relic and Otherworldy Entity Enhancements.

The last reward is Influence. The more a player accomplishes in the City, the more sway he has with various personages in the city. With Influence, a player can purchase much needed Enhancements. A hero can also use his Influence to change some, or even all, of his costume. And Super Groups use their Influence with the city in order to have a vault that stores their excess Inspirations and Enhancements.

So come to Paragon City - be a hero - and reap the rewards!