Biomods

"The canisters will transfer seed populations of nanites into subregions of your body. You will need to configure each subpopulation for a specific skill. For instance, the actin drivers in your legs can either increase your speed or quiet your footsteps — not both."

- Dr. Leila Nassif

Biomods are the augmentations that Alex Denton can implant in Deus Ex: Invisible War. They are a sophisticated type of nano-augmentation as they are a more refined form of those seen in Deus Ex.

Since a biomodification is the process of modifying a biological organism using either genetic or mechanical means, all kinds of augmentations like mechanical augmentation or physiopharmaceutical augmentation are included, but speaking specifically in term of nano-augmentation, biomods are modular nanotechnology implants using nanites, that involves changing the body physically at a biomolecular level.

Available biomods
Biomods also differ in the manner of their operations:


 * Activated biomods must be manually activated by the player to function. These biomods will constantly drain the player's bioenergy while in use, and cannot function if there is insufficient bionenergy.
 * Passive biomods do not require bioenergy to function and their effects are always present or are automatically used in appropriate situations.
 * Drone biomods give ability to assemble a drone, that passively orbits the player. Energy is consumed only by assembly process or when the drone is performing its primary task.

Biomods are installed from the biomod canisters. These canisters can also be used to upgrade the existing biomod architecture, with Level 3 being the maximum.

There are two types of canisters - piezochem (created by ApostleCorp) and black-market (created by Omar). They can co-exist on different locations, but are not compatible. There are no downsides to using black-market biomods as they are functionally identical to piezochem except for the effects (and the color of the biomod icon), although it could be argued that some of the black-market mods are perhaps a bit more ethically questionable.

Pre-installed
Light: Light is a wide, short-range flashlight. This is useful for lighting this game's dark areas. This biomod does not use up bioenergy unlike its Deus Ex counterpart.

Eyes
Regeneration: This biomod heals damage sustained by the player, at any time as long as the player has enough energy. This biomod reduces the need for medkits and food, and its healing ability improves with each upgrade.

Vision Enhancement: This gives the player night vision, and highlights any organics beings. When upgraded to Level 2, the player can see organic enemies through walls, but not electronic devices or bots. When upgraded to Level 3, the player can see all targets, items and interactive objects through walls.

Spy Drone: A hovering robot that allows the player to scan areas they cannot reach themselves. It can also release an EMP blast to disable electronic devices. When upgraded to Level 2, its EMP attack improves, its energy drain decreases, and the drone can transmit sound. When upgraded to Level 3, the energy drain decreases even further, and its EMP blast becomes so powerful, that it can interfere with nervous systems, knocking organic enemies unconscious. This is a black-market biomod technology.

Cranial
Cloak: This makes you invisible to organic enemies, but not to electronic devices and bots. When you use a weapon, you become visible to the enemy. Each upgrade reduces energy drain.

Hazard Drone: This biomod protects its user from many background hazards such as toxin, flame and radiation, as well as offering limited protection against some combat damage such as explosives or Mag Rail shots. Upgrading this biomod enhances the Drone's protection level and reduces the energy drain.

Neural Interface: This biomod allows the user to hack electronic devices, including computers and ATMs. This hacking power improves with each upgrade; at Level 2, the user can hack cameras, and at Level 3, the user can hack turrets. This is a black-market biomod technology.

Skeletal
Aggressive Defense Drone: Creates an orbiting drone, which autonomously detects and detonates incoming rockets and grenades in midair. The distance between user and explosive increases with each upgrade.

Thermal Masking: This biomod makes you invisible to bots and electronic devices, but not organic enemies. The invisibility effect lasts as long as you don't use a weapon. The energy drain decreases with each upgrade.

Electrostatic Discharge: This biomod charges melee weapons with an EMP field. This weapon's EMP effect increases with each upgrade, and at Level 3, it gains the ability to scramble bots. At level 3, the player can hit laser emitters to disable the lasers without resorting to Multitools or other means. This is a black-market biomod technology.

Arms
Strength Enhancement: This is a remake of the Deus Ex augmentation Microfibrial Muscle. This biomod increases the player's strength, allowing them to carry heavy objects. With each level, you gain a slot in your inventory and your strength increases, allowing you to carry heavier objects and deal more melee damage.

Biotox Attack Drone: Creates a drone capable of firing non-fatal bio-toxin darts at enemies, knocking them unconscious. Each upgrade reduces assembly and operation energy drain.

Bot Domination: Provides ability to take control of a robot in a very close proximity for a limited period of time. After time runs out or connection breaks, the target is rendered disabled. With each upgrade, its energy drain decreases, while length of dominations and bot size capability increase (Spider bots at level 1, CC-75's at level 2, and RB-76's at level 3). This is a black-market biomod technology.

Legs
Move Silent: This biomod muffles walking steps at Level 1, walking and jogging steps at Level 2 and all steps at Level 3. It also reduces fall damage. The fall buffer increases with each upgrade.

Speed Enhancement: This biomod increases the player's speed, jumping distance and reduces all fall damage. All these effects improve with each upgrade.

Health Leech Drone: Creates a drone, that heals the user by absorbing organic tissue. (Still-)breathing organisms provide more healing. Each upgrade increases its efficiency. At maximum level, it will absorb smaller entities (pigeons, cats, mice) living and awake. Health Leech kills and absorbs its targets directly, thus NPCs might not find this to be socially acceptable and turn hostile. This is a black-market biomod technology.

Behind the scenes
A couple biomods that were mentioned in previews, but didn't make the final cut: Phases your body and allows you to walk through laser beams, but energy weapons do double damage to you.
 * Prismatic Resonator

''Remember Gunther asking for one of these so he could kill by thought? Well, if you deal with the black market you can have one in your eye.''
 * Skull Gun