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!

Game Mechanics: Mods (Offensive/Defensive)

Welcome, and thanks for checking in, Agent.

This is a summary of Portal Mods that are used to defend a Portal against attack by enemy Agents. They include Portal Shields, Turrets, and Force Amps.

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. The only Offensive/Defensive Portal Mods with multiple rarities are Portal Shields, which may be found in Common, Rare, and Very Rare grades. The particulars of each will be described below. Turrets and Force Amps are only available in Rare grades. 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.

With that being said, let's look into the specifics of each Portal Mod.

First, let's examine the most commonly used type of Mod, the Portal Shields. They are used to reduce incoming damage from enemy XMPs, which allows Resonators to last longer when being attacked. In addition, they make it more difficult to destroy other Portal Mods. Shields (and other Mods) have an innate "Stickiness" value that causes them to be easier or more difficult to destroy, based on their rarity. The higher the Stickiness, the harder it is to destroy the Portal Shield.

As with other Portal Mods with multiple Rarities, Portal Shields that are of the Common rarity are green. They provide a Mitigation of 30 (reducing incoming damage by 30%). However, they possess a Stickiness of 0, meaning that they will be destroyed after only a few hits from XMPs, and almost immediately from Ultra Strikes.

A Common Portal Shield is shown below.

Next is a Portal Shield of the Rare rarity. Rare Portal Shields are purple, and provide a Portal with a Mitigation of 40 (reducing incoming damage by 40%). They also have a Stickiness value of 15, meaning that they possess some resistance to Ultra Strikes, and decent resistance to XMPs.

Next, a Portal Shield of the Very Rare rarity is pink in color. As the 2nd most powerful of the four Portal Shields, Very Rare Portal Shields provide a respectable Mitigation of 60 (reducing incoming damage by 60%). They also possess a Stickiness value of 40, making them difficult to remove with XMPs, and somewhat challenging with Ultra Strikes.

The last type of Portal Shield is the AXA Shield. These highly resilient shields provide a massive Mitigation of 70 (reducing incoming damage by 70%). While this is not much more than the Very Rare Portal Shield, the difference is that AXA Shields possess an unparalleled Stickiness of 70, making them nearly impossible to remove with regular XMPs, and very difficult with Ultra Strikes. These shields are the epitome of a well-defended portal.

Moving on, let's look into the two types of offensive Portal Mods.

First, we come to Force Amps. Force Amps are a relatively simple Portal Mod. They exist only of the Rare variety, and double the damage dealt by a Portal's attacks against attacking enemy Agents.

 

A Force Amp is a powerful Mod to have on a well-defended Portal, because it causes an Agent to lose twice as much XM every time they attack the Portal, which can make it very costly to their reserves if they wish to continue attacking the Portal.

  

The other of the offensive Portal Mods is the Turret. The advantage of a Turret is that it makes a Portal guaranteed to attack an enemy Agent when they attempt to Hack or Attack the portal with XMPs.

Using a Turret is wise when equipping a Portal with a Force Amp because it allows the Force Amp to be effective more often. It is, of course, also possible to take the chance of the Portal not attacking every time, but dealing significantly more damage by placing multiple Force Amps without a Turret. Both are viable options, but the final decision is up the the Agent.

Since the update to Shielding strength, even placing two Common Portal Shields on a Portal can make a large difference in its survivability, and with the relative frequency with which they can be acquired, it is an inexpensive way to ensure Portal longevity. Remember that because Portal Shields also protect other Mods from being destroyed, it is important to use them frequently. For example, a Portal armed with a Turret and 3 Force Amps would certainly deal a great deal of damage to enemy Agents, but after only a small number of XMPs, they would be destroyed. Thus, it is up to the Agent to find a balance of Mods that they believe to be the most effective. 

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!