PERMANENT BOOSTS are non-equippable items or other things that give characters, units, buildings or the player him-/herself a permanent boost or improvement of some kind. Permanent boosts also include different kinds of non-character cards in non-traditional card games (such as Fireball and other spells in Hearthstone).
Common characteristics:
Give permanent boosts or benefits
Are not permanently consumed/depleted after use
Are not attached/equipped to characters, units or buildings
Examples:
Upgradeable car sections (e.g. Engine in CSR Racing)
Permanent abilities used by the player himself (NOT by characters) (e.g. Artillery in Boom Beach)
Researchable technologies and enhancements (Research in Game of War: Fire Age)
Permanent passive "skill-like" boosts acquired by the player himself (NOT by characters) (e.g. Masteries in Marvel Contest of Champions)
NOTE
A single entity in a game can be classified as only one of the following: EQUIPMENT, PERMANENT BOOST, CONSUMABLE BOOST, CONSUMABLE MATERIAL! For example, if an item grants benefits ONLY if it's attached to a character, it is counted as EQUIPMENT, even if it’s consumed when used.
If an item doesn’t give any gameplay bonuses, i.e. it has only decorative purpose, it is not counted as any of the above