Wyr – the system through which they plug special abilities into people, items and abilities – is, according to him, “the heart of the game”. Players can collect wyr, which are like an evolution of City of Villains enhancements, through quests, monster bashing, trading, etc.

Rather than simple buffs, wyr are give and take and the major way players customize their items and selves in the game. For example, one wyr added fire damage to a sword (and some cool flames), but decreased its cold damage. They’re tradeoffs. What’s more, when combined with special other wyrs, they can combine to form a special ability. In the example we saw, Val Zeair’s strength and Val Zeair’s luck combined to not only enhance the sword, but also provide the player with a special bonus to their jumping ability. Players are not expressly told which wyr combine in ways like this, Whatley considers part of the process of discovery.