Over Energy

Over Energy is a concept in The 3rd Birthday. It refers to Aya's capacity to modify her DNA with fragments, known as OE chips, which are obtained from soldiers or the Twisted when overdiving or performing overdive kills, respectively. These chips consist of one to three units of over energy, which correspond to abilities. By placing these abilities on her DNA board, Aya can make use of them in the field.

All OE slots on a DNA board can be levelled up to a maximum of OE level 25; the OE levels are capped by Aya's experience level, and OE abilities can only be raised to OE level 25 when Aya is at least level 53 or so. However, if OE slots with the same ability are adjacent to one another, they will link together and the ability level will be the sum of the two slots (still capped at 25).

If a DNA board has multiple copies of the same ability that aren't linked together, the lower level ones are ignored.

Over Energy types

There are a total of twenty-four Over Energy abilities, divided into six groups.

Passive (blue)

Energy Defense – Provides a constant boost to Aya's damage resistance. Useful on lower difficulties, but quickly becomes negligible on the higher difficulties, even at OE level 25.

Barrier – Every time Aya takes a hit, there is a chance that she will become invincible for a short period of time. A higher OE level increases the probability of activation.

Pre-Raise – Aya can revive after being killed once per chapter playthrough. The higher the OE level is, the more HP she will revive with. At OE level 25, Aya revives at full health.

Power Surge – After killing an enemy, there is a chance of Aya's weapons being powered up for a short period of time. A higher OE level increases the probability of activation.

Critical Shot – There is a chance of unleashing an Energy Shot when firing with a handgun equipped. A higher OE level will increase the probability of firing an Energy Shot.

Odds Up – Increases the quality of gained OE chips.

Liberation (purple)

Energy Shot – Significantly increases the overall power of Aya's Energy Shots while in Liberation.

Regeneration – Grants a gradual regeneration of health while Aya is in Liberation. A higher OE level will increase the rate of regeneration.

Inferno – During Liberation, Aya can sacrifice the body she is in to deal damage to all enemies within the area. Higher OE levels will increase the damage dealt.

Crossfire (green)

Boost Fire – Crossfires become more powerful. Higher OE levels will increase the power bonus granted.

Cross Healing – Sometimes during Crossfire, Aya and soldiers who participate in it may have their health partially replenished. A higher OE level will increase the chances of activation and the amount of health recovered.

Rapid Link – Reduces the amount of time required to fill the Crossfire bar.

Overdive (orange)

Healing – Overdiving into a target may sometimes recover some of Aya's health. A higher OE level will increase the chances of triggering.

Antibody – Aya's damage resistance may be increased temporarily when using Overdive.

Restock – Ammo may sometimes be replenished during an Overdive. A higher OE level will increase the chance of restocking as well as the amount of ammo gained.

Impact Wave – Sometimes when Overdiving into a target, Aya will unleash a round of shock waves.

Overdive Kill (yellow)

Kill Boost - Increases power of Overdive Kill.

Haste – After using an Overdive Kill, Aya may be able to move more quickly. Higher OE levels will increase the chance of triggering Haste.

Malignant (red)

Slow - Reduces Aya's movement speed.

Slow Recharge – Increases the time it takes to reload weapons.

Lowered Evasion - Reduces the number dodge rolls Aya can do consecutively.

Odds Down – Reduces chance of getting OE chips.

Illness – Reduces Aya's rate of health regeneration.

Disease – Decreases the rate of which the Liberation gauge is filled.

Synthesis

By combining OE abilities, it is possible to generate others. As a rule, for any two non-malignant abilities, there are four possible outcomes of merging them. Note that it makes no difference which ability is the one already on the DNA board and which is being added; the possibilites depend only on what the two abilities are. An important special case is that if two of the same ability are combined, there will never be any mutation – the result is only ever that ability. Otherwise, the four possible outcomes are:

• The ability already on the board
• The ability being added to it
• A mutation to another ability
• A malignant mutation

The first two will be labelled as "A – Normal" or "B – Benign", depending on what the resulting ability is. The third is "C – Mutated"; however, note that a few OE combinations actually produce a "mutation" that is one of the two abilities being combined. If a malignant mutation appears, the caption is "D – Malignant". The existence of later labels overrides earlier ones, i.e. if there is a malignant result as well as a mutated result, "D – Malignant" will be shown rather than "C – Mutated".

In the following table, the upper right half contains Mutated outcomes, and the lower left, Malignant outcomes. Note that a "?" indicates that the outcome in question is not yet known.*

–

?

?

?

–

?

?

–

–

?

?

–

?

?

?

–

?

?

–

?

–

?

?

?

–

?

?

?

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

Combining malignant OEs with anything is more complicated, as in addition to the usual possibility of one of the OEs being combined, they can have more than one each of malignant or mutated outcomes. In fact, some of the mutant outcomes are classed as A – Normal or B – Benign rather than C – Mutated.