Like other MMORPGs, City of Heroes/Villains has various items that are rewarded within the game. However, many of these items are described as intangible or other-worldly; such as "inspirations" (temporary powerups) or "influence" (used instead of money), which are abstract ideas in the real world. "Enhancements"¡ªslottable attribute boosts¡ªalso cover a range of ideas and items from magic enchantments to technological gadgets to training techniques. With the release of Issue 6, players began to accumulate "Salvage" from enemies while in "Supergroup mode" as well as "prestige," used to improve the bases added for Supergroups at the same time. The release of Issue 9 brought the "Invention" system to the game, using new salvage items and "recipes" to create Enhancements and new costume items. Inventions provide much better benefits over Enhancements, and even allow a player to achieve set bonuses. These bonuses can be anything from 5% recharge boosts, or 10% more regeneration. Some inventions also grant new costume pieces that cannot be gained otherwise.
In addition to these, there are also collectable "badges" for players to obtain. Gained for performing various actions in game such as moving over specific places in each zone, defeating certain numbers of enemies, healing allies, and taking damage, many serve no functional purpose for players. However, some few, called "Accolades" give players access to temporary powers and permanent bonuses to health and endurance (the game's equivalent to mana or magic points) and are gained by collecting other badges.