Adrenaline

Adrenaline is a power-up system that is part of UT2003, UT2004, Unreal Championship, and Unreal Championship 2.

UT2003, UT2004, and UC

Adrenaline can be collected by picking up adrenaline pills scattered throughout the arenas, or by achieving certain goals, such as killing opponents and capturing flags. It was originally thought of to allow breaking through stalemates in team-based games.

In UT2003 pills give the player 3 Adrenaline points, whereas in UT2004 they give the player 2. Adrenaline doesn't feature in Onslaught and Assault. Because Adrenaline adds a certain amount of randomness it is often manually disabled in competitive games. A notable exception is TAM, where adrenaline is a key part of the strategy.

Once 100 Adrenaline points have been collected, the player can start an "adrenaline rush" by quickly executing a sequence of movement keys. This rush will give the player an advantage, but only for a limited amount of time. If the player carries the flag or bomb in the relevant gametypes, the amount is shortened.

Gathering

Below is a list of methods of gathering adrenaline, and the associated amount gathered.

• Get pill: 2 (in UT2004, 3 in UT2003)
• Frag in DM/TDM: 5
• Frag in CTF/BR/DDOM: 2
• First blood: 10
• Spree: 10
• Ending enemy's spree: 10
• Multi Kill: 10
• Death: 0
• Suicide: -2
• Frag Flag/Bomb carrier: 10
• Return Flag/Bomb: 5
• Capture Flag/Bomb: 25

Combos

Below is a list of combos showing the key sequence needed, an estimate of the amount of time the rush lasts in seconds, and the result of the combo. "Pint-sized!" and "Camouflaged!" are additional combos than become available through official mutators included in an Epic bonus pack.

• ↑ ↑ ↑ ↑ Speed - (18) - Move faster, jump higher, drawing yellow tracks with your feet. In UT2004 this combo lasts half as long as most. It drains even faster if you are carrying the flag in a CTF or VCTF game.
• ↓ ↓ ↓ ↓ Booster - (27) - (Re)generate health up to 199%, then shield up to 150%, by 5 points per second or so. The player will emit green crosses.
• → → ← ← Invisibility (27) - Turn invisible, albeit it with some shimmering effect
• ↑ ↑ ↓ ↓ Berserk (27) - Increases rate of fire and knockback, including that of the Shield Gun, allowing its user to jump much higher with it. Three orange lines revolve around the player.
• ← ← ← ← Pint-sized! (27) - Become half as big; disables crouching.
• → → → → Camouflaged! (40.5) - Projects a, usually very conspicuous, holographic object around the player. The object depends on the static meshes used in the map.

Trivia

UT2003

• Unreal Tournament 2003 had an adrenaline combo Superjump! that was added to compensate the loss of the Jump Boots in UT2003. For unknown reasons this combo didn't make it to the full release.
• The unused announcement Berserker! might have been planned to be announced after excessive use of the Berserk! combo.

UT2004

The adrenaline system in Unreal Tournament 2004 was originally intended to be a lot more complex, quite like the one of Unreal Championship 2. The unused announcements still remain in the game and reveals the combos that were planned but never made it:

• Confusion - unknown, maybe confuses enemies by showing multiple players instead of one.
• Holograph - probably was replaced by the Camouflaged combo.
• Invulnerable - makes the user invulnerable, like Invulnerability in UT3.
• Low Grav - should work somewhat like the Nimble combo in UC2, just simply makes the user low gravity.
• Retribution - kills or damages the user's killer after death. Probably like the Vengeance relic of ChaosUT2.
• Silencer - makes the user absolutely silent and harder to detect - weapons and footsteps can't be heard.
• Whirlwind - unknown, maybe summons a destructive whirlwind that works like the Gravity Vortex of ChaosUT2.
• Loaded - the user regenerates ammo.
• Lock on - makes all user's weapons homing.
• Vampire - health taken is transferred to the user. Replaced by a mutator.
• Instagib (questionable) - gives you the Super Shock Rifle for a small amount of time.
• Burn out (questionable) - unknown, maybe makes you incendiary or works like the Vengeance relic.
• Lock and load (questionable) - unknown.
• Pile up (questionable) - unknown, maybe summons some team mates to the same area.
• Rage (questionable) - unknown.
• Sudden death (questionable) - unknown, maybe makes all the players low on health.
• Totalled (questionable) - unknown.

Unreal Championship 2

The Adrenaline system was rethought for Unreal Championship 2, and plays a much more important role in combat situations, because it can be constantly used. The majority of adrenaline abilities are only using 50% of your adrenaline bar, while the bar refills itself automatically. Adrenaline pick ups are shared in the same proportion as ammunition, while one pick up fills 10% of the adrenaline bar. There is also a Super Adrenaline power up, which gives you instantly 100%. Killing opponents, capturing the flag in CTF games, delivering the ball in Overdose or rejecting shots also scores you some extra adrenaline. Adrenaline abilities can easily be activated by a small ingame menu.

The different characters have different kinds of abilities available to them, partly dependent on the character's race. Every character has six abilities in total, two default abilities, three abilities depending on the race and one character specific special ability. Race abilities mostly include one defensive, one healing and a hunting ability. There 38 adrenaline abilities in total:

Default Abilities

All characters have the possibility of using Speed and Nimble.

• Nimble (50%) - Increases agility, gives possibility of quad jumping and reduces effects of gravity.
• Speed (50%) - Provides a much-needed burst of speed for medium and heavy characters.
• Speed (100%) - Additional burst of speed, when you need it most. Used by light characters and lasts longer than its 50% counterpart.

Nakhti Abilities

There are three default abilities for Nakhti characters. (An exception is Necris Selket, who is a Necris/Nakhti-hybrid).

• Heal (50%) - Partially recovery from your injuries, works basically like a health pack. (Also used by Juggernauts and Humans.)
• Repulse (50%) - Magnetic field, that pushes away explosive projectiles.
• Warrior Spirit (50%) - Increased rate of fire and speed, includes special blue viewing mode which helps you seeing other players by brightening them. Also invisible players can be seen.

Special Nakhti Abilities

• Discharge (50%) - Creates a purple charge, which injures nearby foes. Smaller range than Energy Burst, but lasts longer. Discharge can only be used by non playable bot characters. (used by Hyena, Memphis)
• EMP (50%) - Electromagnetic pulse, that detonates explosive projectiles and hurts Liandri Bot characters. (used by Sobek, Apophis)
• Energy Burst (50%) - Deadly eruption of energy, that injures nearby opponents. Very deadly in combination with UDamage. (used by Anubis, Merc Anubis, Mirage)
• Energy Shield (50%) - Reduces damage from energy weapons. Energy Shield can only be used by non playable bot characters. (used by Darius, Nepthys)
• Flash (50%) - Blinds nearby enemies for a few precious moments. (used by Selket, Necris Selket, Ra)

Human Abilities

There are three default abilities for human characters.

• Heal (50%) - See Nakhti Abilities.
• Homing (100%) - Projectiles home towards locked targes.
• Iron Spirit (50%) - Encases your body in solid armor and reduces all damage by half.

Special Human Abilities

• Ice Burst (100%) - Freezes nearby enemies. (used by Sapphire)
• Sentinel (100%) - Launches two small orbs, that fire upon enemies. (used by Malcolm)

Necris Abilities

There are three default abilities for Necris characters.

• Ethereal (50%) - Gives you Invisibility, but adds a slighty more visible fake of yourself, which is out of position.
• Vampire (50%) - Heal yourself by damaging other opponents.
• Wraith (50%) - Makes you a ghost. Enemies can't lock on to you, special grey viewing mode helps you seeing other players by brightening them. Also invisible players can be seen.

Special Necris Abilities

They don't work on other Necris characters.

• Fear (50%) - Fires a homing orb, that slows down enemies, impairs their view and disables their adrenaline. (used by Brock, Calypso)
• Siphon (50%) - Homing nanoblack orbs, that drain health and then return it to you. You cannot have more than one Siphon active at once. If you, or anyone else kills a Siphon victim before the Siphon's normal duration has expired, the caster will still receive any health drained before the victims death. Siphon will add health to both segments of your health bar, not just the first. When returning to it's caster, the nanoblack orb can pass through walls and other obstructions, and there is no limit to the distance it can travel across an arena. UDamage does not increse the amount of health stolen by Siphon. (used by Lauren, Lilith)
• Vampire Cloud (50%) - This is released over one point of the map, steals the health of your enemies. (used by Judas)

Juggernaut Abilities

There are three default abilities for Juggernauts.

• Berserk (100%) - Increases speed and rate of fire, adds special red viewing mode which helps you seeing other players by brightening them. Also invisible players can be seen.
• Heal (50%) - See Nakhti Abilities.
• Unstoppable (100%) - Makes you invulnerable, but you slowly lose health.

Special Juggernaut Abilities

• Concussion (50%) - Dazes and disorients your enemies. (used by Arclite)
• Earthquake (100%) - Damages enemies around with every step. (used by Jackhammer)
• Smash (50%) - Special explosive pound, that hurts nearby enemies. (used by Gorge)

Skaarj Abilities

There are three default abilities for Skaarj characters.

• Blade Shield (50%) - A shield of blades, that destroys explosive projectiles.
• Predator (50%) - Enhanced speed and damage for melee weapons, special green viewing mode which helps you seeing other players by brightening them. Also invisible players can be seen.
• Regenerate (100%) - Slowly increases your health to the maximum.

Special Skaarj Abilities

• Blade Burst (100%) - Deadly orbiting blades injure nearby opponents. (used by Szalor, Kraag)
• Poison Cloud (50%) - A Bio Mist Cloud (similar to the Bio Rifle's) appears around the player. Enemies slowly lose health, are slowed down and their view is impaired. Skaarj are immune to this power. (used by Garek, Korig)
• Primal Scream (50%) - Disables the adrenaline of nearby enemies. (used by Torgr)

Liandri Abilities

Liandri robots are equipped with three default abilities.

• Cannibalize (50%) - Makes ammunition out of your robot body by the cost of some health.
• Radar (50%) - A detection software shows the position of every player, even through walls. Also invisible players can be seen.
• Upgrade (100%) - Summons robots to repair your chassis. Works slowly like Regenerate.

Special Liandri Abilities

• Head Turret (50%) - Activates visor-mounted automated defenses, that fire small laser rounds at your opponents. (used by Devastation)
• Self-Destruct (100%) - Overheats your core, causing massive meltdown. A countdown will be heard and this ability causes suicide. Can also be triggered during the countdown, if another player kills you, which will not be counted as a suicide then. (used by Raptor, Syzygy)
• Teleport (100%) - See Raiden's Abilities. (used by Corrosion)

Raiden's Special Abilities

Raiden has the abilities of the Nakhti, but with the Stun Trap instead of Repulse.

• Stun Trap (50%) - Creates a electrical trap to stun an unwary enemy. The trap will be released over one point of the map.
• Teleport (100%) - Teleports you to one of the map's respawn locations. If you're locking on to a opponent, it will teleport you behind him. You can even telefrag an enemy, if he's next to a wall. (also used by Corrosion)

See Also

• Berserk, appears as a power-up in UT3.