Inspirations

Overview

Inspirations are single-use temporary boosts. There are several different inspiration types that provide various ability increases.

Inspiration Slots

A character starts with three inspiration slots at level one, and gradually increases to a maximum of 20 inspiration slots at level 40. The progression is below:

Level 1: 3 slots (1 row of 3 columns)
Level 2: 4 slots (1 row of 4 columns)
Level 3: 8 slots (2 rows of 4 columns)
Level 10: 10 slots (2 rows of 5 columns)
Level 25: 15 slots (3 rows of 5 columns)
Level 40: 20 slots (4 rows of 5 columns)

By default, the F1 through F5 keys on the keyboard are mapped to trigger the bottom inspirations in columns one through five, respectively. It is common to keep similar inspiration types within the same column so that a needed inspiration of a specific type may be used quickly without adjusting the position of the mouse pointer.

For example, a player may always place healing inspirations (Respite, Dramatic Improvement, and Resurgence) into the first row. In an intense battle, the player can then simply press F1 on his or her keyboard to use a healing inspiration instead of moving the mouse pointer away from the battle to the inspiration tray. If a player has more than one healing inspiration in the first row, he or she can quickly press F1 again to use another inspiration if needed.

Current Active Inspirations

Accuracy Inspirations

Insight: +7.5% ToHit, +Perception
Increases your to-hit by 7.5% and increases your perception by 125 ft for 60 seconds.

Keen Insight: +18.75% ToHit, +Perception
Increases your to-hit by 18.75% and increases your perception by 166 ft for 60 seconds.

Uncanny Insight: +37.5% ToHit, +Perception
Increases your to-hit by 37.5% and increases your perception by 250 ft for 60 seconds.

Note: The in-game text of accuracy inspirations is currently incorrect according to pohsyb.

Damage Inspirations

Enrage: +25% Damage
Increases all your damage by 25% for 60 seconds.

Focused Rage: +33% Damage
Increases all your damage by 33% for 60 seconds.

Righteous Rage: +50% Damage
Increases all your damage by 50% for 60 seconds.

Defense Inspirations

Luck: +12.5% Defense to all attacks except typeless
Increases your defense by 12.5% for 60 seconds.

Good Luck: +25% Defense to all attacks except typeless
Increases your defense by 25% for 60 seconds.

Phenomenal Luck: +33% Defense to all attacks except typeless
Increases your defense by 33% for 60 seconds.

Note: The in-game text of defense inspirations is currently incorrect according to pohsyb.

Endurance Inspirations

Catch a Breath: +25% Endurance
Recovers 1/4 of your endurance.

Take a Breather: +33% Endurance
Recovers 1/3 of your endurance.

Second Wind: +50% Endurance
Recovers 1/2 of your endurance.

Healing Inspirations

Respite: +25% Hit Points
Recovers 1/4 of your hit points.

Dramatic Improvement: +33% Hit Points
Recovers 1/3 of your hit points.

Resurgence: +50% Hit Points
Recovers 1/2 of your hit points.

Note: The magnitude of these inspirations is based on your base hit points, discounting any temporary buffs like Dull Pain.

Resist Damage Inspirations

Sturdy: +5% Damage Resistance, +Resist Teleport
Increases all your damage resistance by 5% for 60 seconds. Sturdy also protects you from enemy Teleportation.

Rugged: +10% Damage Resistance, +Resist Teleport
Increases all your damage resistance by 10% for 60 seconds. Rugged also protects you from enemy Teleportation.

Robust: +20% Damage Resistance, +Resist Teleport
Increases all your damage resistance by 20% for 60 seconds. Robust also protects you from enemy Teleportation.

Resist Effects Inspirations

Break Free: Resist Effects
Frees you from many sleep, hold, immobilization, disorient, fear, confuse, and knockback effects and boosts your resistance to repel, taunt, and placate effects for 30 seconds. This inspiration can be used even while under such effects.
-10 Magnitude protection against Hold, Sleep, Stun, and Immobilize; -5 Magnitude protection against Knockback, Knockup, Fear, and Confuse; 50% resistance to Taunt and Placate; 25% resistance to Repel

Emerge: Resist Effects
Frees you from many sleep, hold, immobilization, disorient, fear, confuse, and knockback effects and boosts your resistance to repel, taunt, and placate effects for 60 seconds. This inspiration can be used even while under such effects.
-15 Magnitude protection against Hold, Sleep, Stun, Immobilize, Fear, and Confuse; -7.5 Magnitude protection against Knockback and Knockup; 50% resistance to Taunt, Placate, and Repel

Escape: Resist Effects
Frees you from many sleep, hold, immobilization, disorient, fear, confuse, and knockback effects and boosts your resistance to repel, taunt, and placate effects for 90 seconds. This inspiration can be used even while under such effects.
-20 Magnitude protection against Hold, Sleep, Stun, Immobilize, Fear, and Confuse; -10 Magnitude protection against Knockback and Knockup; 100% resistance to Repel; 50% resistance to Taunt and Placate

Resurrection Inspirations

Awaken: Self Minor Resurrection, Disorient, -Recovery, +Experience Point Debt Protection
If you are defeated, you can wake up with 1/4 of your hit points. You will, however, be disoriented, have no endurance, and unable to recover endurance for 20 seconds, but you will be protected from experience point debt for 10 seconds.

Bounce Back: Self Minor Resurrection, Disorient, -Recovery, +Experience Point Debt Protection
If you are defeated, you can wake up with 1/2 of your hit points. You will, however, be disoriented, have no endurance, and unable to recover endurance for 10 seconds, but you will be protected from experience point debt for 15 seconds.

Restoration: Self Minor Resurrection, -Recovery, +Experience Point Debt Protection
If you are defeated, you can wake up with 3/4 of your hit points. You will, however, have no endurance and unable to recover endurance for 10 seconds, but will not be disoriented, and you will be protected from experience point debt for 20 seconds.

Special Inspirations

Ambrosia: Resist Crystal Titan Damage
You have learned the secret of the Crystal Titan and how to resist its primordial energy!

Ambrosia only drops from Greater Devoured in the Eden Trial and has no use outside of the trial.

Essence of the Earth: Resist Hamidon Damage
By consuming the Essence of the Earth, you will gain partial immunity to the unique properties of the Hamidon's Electrolytic attacks. It lasts for 60 seconds. Bam!

Essence of the Earth is dropped by Devouring Earth Monsters. Main article: Essence of the Earth

Obtaining Inspirations

For villains, remove this sentence when a hero corrects:

Shopping

You may only buy first level inspirations (first in each group of three above). Most inspirations cost 50 Infamy/Influence; Awakens cost 250. You can buy all the different types from most of your contacts. The shopkeepers in the Arena sell all first level inspirations except resurections.

A Super Group base may have an inspiration dispenser, which can sell Respites, Catch a Breaths and with an upgrade, Break Frees. This is the only way to sell inspirations. Bases can also hold inspiration storage units, where inspirations may be deposited for later use.

Note that during Task Forces or Strike Forces, you cannot buy inspirations from contacts. You may still buy them from Arena shopkeepers or retrieve them from bases.

Drops

So long as you have an empty inspiration slot, you have a chance of getting a random Inspiration after defeating an enemy. The most common are small ones. Medium ones sometimes happen, and large ones rarely. Medium and large drops are more common from defeating a boss enemy; Arch-Villain or Hero class enemies always drop large inspirations.

Siren's Call

You can trade in "Bounty" for medium-sized Inspirations. Some inspirations are only available by this method:

Strength of Will: Resist Effects
Moderately boosts your resistance to immobilization, sleep, disorient and hold effects for 180 seconds. Must be used before you are slept, held or disoriented, but can be used after being immobilized.

Special Inspirations

These inspirations are available only during special events

Winter Event

These "presents" were available during the Winter Event 2004, Winter Event 2005, and Winter Event 2006. The actual effect of using a present inspiration is not known until the present is actually used. At that point, one of the six actions listed below will happen. It should be noted that it is possible to discern the 'contents' of a present inspiration prior to it's use by placing it in a SuperGroup inspiration holder. Such containers sort these inspirations by their effects.

Present Gift of Defense
You recieved the Gift of Defense. Your defense is now greatly increased.

Present Gift of Energy
You recieved the gift of Energy. Your endurance bar will be completely filled. This is apparently supposed to affect any friendly units in a small area around you, given the animation and combat log effects, but it currently only affects the user.

Present Gift of Experience
You received the Gift of Experience. You will not accrue any experience point debt if you are defeated. This protection will last for 1 hour or until you are defeated. Note that this effect will dissapear regardless of whether or not you recieved debt for that defeat. For example, falling to another player in a PvP zone.

Present Gift of Life You received the Gift of Life and some of your health is restored. This is apparently supposed to affect any friendly units in a small area around you, given the animation and combat log effects, but it currently only affects the user.

Present Gift of Power
You received the Gift of Power and you now strike with a lot more damage.

Present Lump of Coal
You were bad this last year. You got a lump of coal and nothing else.

Other Inspirations

Obsolete Inspirations

This article or section contains information that no longer applies to the current version of City of Heroes Freedom. It is provided for historical purposes.

These inspirations have been removed from the game and replaced by newer types.

Discipline: Resist Effects
Slightly boosts your resistance to immobilization, sleep, disorient and hold effects for 120 seconds. Must be used before you are slept, held or disoriented, but can be used after being immobilized. (Replaced by Resolve.)

Iron Will: Resist Effects
Greatly boosts your resistance to immobilization, sleep, disorient and hold effects for 240 seconds. Must be used before you are slept, held or disoriented, but can be used after being immobilized. (Replaced by Sheer Willpower.)

Resolve Resist Effects
Frees you from some sleep, hold, immobilization, disorient, fear and confuse effects and slightly boosts your resistance to such effects for 30 seconds. This inspiration can be used even while under such effects. (Replaced by Break Free.)

Determination Resist Effects
Frees you from many sleep, hold, immobilization, disorient, fear and confuse effects and slightly boosts your resistance to such effects for 60 seconds. This inspiration can be used even while under such effects. (Replaced by Emerge.)

Sheer Willpower Resist Effects
Frees you from many sleep, hold, immobilization, disorient, fear and confuse effects and slightly boosts your resistance to such effects for 90 seconds. This inspiration can be used even while under such effects. (Replaced by Escape.)

Conceal: Self Stealth
Conceal grants you Stealth for 30 seconds. You can only be seen at very close range. If you attack while Concealed, you will be discovered. Conceal offer no defense bonus. (Removed from the game.)

Test-Only Inspirations

The following inspirations were planned at one point and implemented on the Test Server, but not put into the live game.

Black Market Teleporter: Teleport to Black Market
You have "acquired" a black market Transport beacon. It will allow you instant transport to the local black market outlet from any location. It is usable once every 30 minutes. (Only available in testing of the Issue 9 beta.)

Consignment House Teleporter: Teleport to Wentworth's
You have a Consignment House Transport beacon. It will allow you instant transport to any Consignment House from any location. It is usable once every 30 minutes. (Only available in testing of the Issue 9 beta.)