Currently, the base Ion9 is still a bit weedy. Dvalin fixes this by automatically enhancing it (one of three random enhancements) on giving it to the player......but that's a bit problematic:

Quest items should be adequate rewards without requiring enhancement, and if the weapon is always enhanced, it should just have that damage (Edit: IE, the lowest constant enhancement) to start out with. Yes, it would make it extremely powerful when fully enhanced by the player....but as a lategame quest weapon, this is an endgame gun. Thus, this probably isn't much of an issue.

nms 8 Oct 2015:

Of course, how much damage it does doesn't even affect how fast it damages internals. (Though I think it should; see Rebalance compartments by making WMD into a damage bonus.) I'm not sure if it affects ion effect rates either. So unless those things are changed, it might actually be more effective to strip the enhancement with a defective ROM and make it +fast.

And also see: End discrimination against kinetic and ion enhancers

johnbwatson 8 Oct 2015:

It is, of course, possible to use a defective weapon ROM to kill the enhancement and then replace it with a new one. I think that a weapon that would be too powerful with +fast could do to retain that option, making enhancing it more difficult.

the_shrike 9 Oct 2015:

Yes.....but if you want to block enhancements, block enhancements. Don't make the gun too weak, then buff it up to adequate levels. It's poor balancing.

megas 9 Oct 2015:

There is no other way to block enhancements, except for +hp% (via maxHPBonus) after the item spawns. The only way to block enhancements (e.g., +Fast on the Ion9) is to put an enhancement on the item.

Another way to block enhancements should be another ticket if that feature is desired.

As for Ion9, Shrike has a point because you cannot power-up the Ion9 to overkill levels like other weapons because it already has high +hp% to give it competitive (rather than overkill) level of damage. After checking the numbers, unenhanced Ion9 has low ion DPS for its level (low enough that it could be a strong level 8), much like TeV9 has low particle DPS for level 6.

the_shrike 10 Oct 2015:

Indeed. It's a pretty weedy gun.

In terms of blocking enhancements, that could be a useful tool to have added to the game at some point.

george moromisato 22 Oct 2019:

In 1.9 Alpha 2 I increased damage by 50% and removed enhancement.