Game Mechanics: Mods (Hacking/Linking)

Welcome, and thanks for checking in, Agent.

This is a summary of Portal Mods that are used to make a Portal faster or more plentiful in terms of hacking, or increase linking range. These Mods include the Heat Sink, Multi-Hack, and Link Amp.

It is important to note that because these Mods do not possess high Stickiness values, they are very easy to destroy unless Portal Shields are applied to the same Portal on which they are deployed.

First of all, Portal Mods are classified by type and rarity. Some Mods have multiple rarities while others do not, but the base rule is that a higher rarity Mod has a more powerful effect than a Mod of a lower rarity. All Hacking and Linking Mods come in multiple rarities and all may be found in Common, Rare, and Very Rare grades (except Link Amps, which are Rare or Very Rare only). The particulars of each will be described below. Note that all mods require XM to be deployed, and that a Mod of a higher rarity requires a significantly larger amount of XM. Furthermore, a single Agent may only place 2 Mods on a Portal. An Agent receives +125 AP for Deploying any Mod.

With that said, let's move into the specifics of each Mod.

The first type of Hacking Mod is the Heat Sink. They provide Cooldown Reduction, reducing the time between Hacks on a Portal, allowing an Agent to hack them more often. All Heat sinks also have the added effect of bringing any type of cooldown or burnout that a Portal is on and removing it for the Agent that deployed the Heat Sink. In other words, if Agent A Hacks the portal, the Portal goes on 5-min. cooldown. If Agent A then deploys a Heat Sink, the cooldown is immediately brought to 0, and the Portal can be hacked again. Furthermore, if the Portal is on 4-hour burnout and Agent A deploys a Heat Sink, the Portal is immediately brought out of burnout, and can be fully hacked again! This can be extremely useful when attempting to acquire multiple Portal Keys or farm a single high-level Portal for maximum Hacking, especially when used in conjunction with . Note, however, that all Heat Sinks deployed AFTER THE FIRST have EXTREMELY diminishing returns if multiple Heat Sinks are placed on the same portal (approximately 75% reduced effect). This means that the highest-rarity Heat Sink should be placed first.

A Common Heat Sink is shown below. 

A Common Heat Sink provides a Cooldown Reduction of 20%, meaning that a Portal's cooldown will be reduced to 4 minutes.

Next is a Rare Heat Sink.

A Rare Heat Sink provides a Cooldown Reduction of 50%, meaning that a Portal's cooldown will be reduced to 2 minutes, 30 seconds.

Finally we have the Very Rare Heat Sink.

A Very Rare Heat Sink provides a Cooldown Reduction of 70%, meaning that a Portal's cooldown will be reduced to 1 minute, 30 seconds.

The other type of Hacking Mod is the Multi-Hack. They provide Burnout Insulation, meaning that they increase the number of times a Portal can be Hacked before it is placed on 4-hour Burnout. In addition, if a Portal is currently on Burnout and an Agent deploys a Multi-Hack, the Portal can then be hacked an additional number of times equal to the Burnout Insulation provided by the Multi-Hack. In combination with a Heat Sink, a Multi-Hack can allow an Agent to acquire a large number of items or Portal Keys very quickly. As with Heat Sinks, Multi-Hacks have EXTREMELY diminishing returns if multiple are placed on the same portal (approximately 75% reduced effect). This means that the highest-rarity Multi-Hack should be placed first.

A Common Multi-Hack is shown below.

A Common Multi-Hack provides Burnout Insulation of +4, meaning that a Portal can be Hacked 4 additional times before going into Burnout.

Next is the Rare Multi-Hack.

A Rare Multi-Hack provides Burnout Insulation of +8, meaning that a Portal can be Hacked 8 additional times before going into Burnout.

Last is the Very Rare Multi-Hack.

A Very Rare Multi-Hack provides Burnout Insulation of +12, meaning that a Portal can be Hacked a whopping 12 additional times before going into Burnout.

Next up, we have the Link Amp. The Link Amp is the greatest and most holy of all Mods, and far is His reach, for HE EXTENDS! #heextends A Link Amp is used to extend the Range of a Portal's Links, allowing it to be Linked to Portals that are very far away, which is vital in the creation of Mega- and Giga-Fields. Unlike Heat Sinks and Multi-Hacks, Link Amps DO NOT have diminished effects when multiple are applied to the same Portal. It is important to not that for 99% of normal gameplay, Link Amps are unnecessary. Most Portals in general play are not linked to locations that are far enough away to merit use of a Link Amp, and thus it is considered a wasted Mod slot to use them. However, it is wise to save a small number of Link Amps (4-8), just in case they are needed.

The first rarity of Link Amp is the Rare Link Amp (usually referred to as His Holiness the "Link Amp").

Link Amps double the effective Linking Range of a Portal.

The other and incomparably most holy rarity of Link Amp is the Very Rare Link Amp known as His Majesty the Unrivaled Extender.

Very Rare Link Amps multiply by 7 the effective Linking Range of a Portal.

This concludes the discussion of the basic game mechanics of Offensive/Defensive Mods that are available for use in Ingress. Check back to this page as often as needed to answer any questions about these Mods, or feel free to email me at eliteferrex@gmail.com, or shoot me a message in game at @EliteFerrex with any questions. I hope this information serves you well.

Good luck out there--it's time to move, Agent!