Being a hero in Paragon City is hardly thankless. Beyond the recognition of peers and the gratitude of civilians, heroes may be given several types of rewards for their valiant efforts to thwart the forces of evil. These include Inspirations, Enhancements, Influence, Prestige, and Salvage.

Inspirations

The most common rewards are Inspirations. These are one-shot boosts or buffs (power ups) that help a hero in battle. Inspirations can represent dramatic moments in combat – a hero finding his "second wind" (Endurance) or a hero "spotting an enemy’s weakness" (Accuracy) - that help turn the tide in battle. Inspirations can be earned by defeating enemies in combat, or by purchasing them from Contacts.

There are eight (8) general types of Inspirations, each of which have different beneficial effects. There are three power levels (minor, medium, and great) for each type.

The types include: Luck (boosts defense), Respite (recovers hit points), Catch a Breath (recovers Endurance), Enrage (boosts damage), Insight (boosts accuracy), Break Free (prevents or counters immobilizing or disorienting attacks), Awaken (self-resurrects with some hit points but no Endurance; also called rez), and Sturdy (boosts Damage Resistance). See below for effects.

A hero’s available Inspirations are displayed in an Inventory Tray located above the Power Tray. After an Inspiration is used, it is gone forever and disappears from the Inventory Tray.

Use an Inspiration by clicking its icon in the Inventory Tray. You can also use the bottom row of Inspirations by hitting the corresponding function key, starting with F1. To keep your Inspirations organized, you can click-and-drag them to different slots in your Inventory Tray. Click the arrow icon on the Inspirations Tray to display additional rows of slots, or click it again to collapse the window to show only the bottom (hot-keyed) row.

There is also one special inspiration, called Ambrosia, used only for the Eden Trial. Special "gift" inspirations with a random ability (including temporary immunity from experience debt) have also been available upon occasion.

PLAYER TIP: Don’t be afraid to use Inspirations. They drop frequently, and many new heroes horde them, waiting for the “perfect moment.”

Enhancements

Inspirations, though, come and go. The rewards that grant permanent boosts to powers are called Enhancements. Through Enhancements, two players could have the exact same power, but both powers might in fact differ a lot in capability. One person could invest in Range Enhancements to become a distance specialist, another into damage in order to become the "knock out" artist.

Players gain Enhancements in two main ways. First, they can purchase them with Influence from Contacts. The types of Enhancements a player can buy depend upon the profession of the Contact. A scientist Contact will tend to have Science Enhancements. Second, a player can receive an Enhancement from a fallen foe. In this case, the Enhancement category depends upon the type of villain. For example, the mystic Circle of Thorns foes will have Magic Enhancements.

PLAYER TIP: When selling Enhancements, if you sell them to an Origin appropriate store you will get much more Influence.

When a player gains an Enhancement, it is stored in an Inventory Tray. If the inventory becomes full, the word “Enhancement” turns red. If a player right-clicks on an Enhancement, he or she can select Info, to learn more about it, or Delete Enhancement to clear up space in the inventory. Enhancements in inventory can be sold in stores or traded to other players.

Every power initially has one slot, to which an Enhancement can be added (or “slotted”). As a hero gains Security Levels, he or she will gain additional slots that can be added to his or her powers. A power can eventually have as many as six slots – and thus six Enhancements.

Enhancements, when slotted, augment an aspect of a power (range, damage, duration, etc.). Once placed into a power’s slot, the Enhancement is locked in. It cannot be moved to another power, but it can be discarded in favor of a new Enhancement.

Managing Enhancements

To manage your Enhancements, first open the Enhancements Tray by clicking the Enhancements option found on your Powers Tray. When this tray is displayed, click "Manage" to open the Enhancement screen. This screen shows you how your powers are slotted, and allows you to assign new Enhancements.

In order to see which aspects of a power can be augmented, first select Manage from the Enhancement Inventory Tray, mouse over the power in the Enhancement screen, and a list will appear in the description window.

For example, Arctic Sun’s Fire Blast can be augmented with the following Enhancements: Reduce Endurance Cost, Enhance Range, Enhance Recharge Speed, Enhance Damage, Enhance Accuracy.

Simply drag an Enhancement into a permitted slot on a power to equip it. Permitted slots are highlighted green. Plan carefully because once you place an Enhancement in a slot, it's locked and cannot be removed without destroying it. (To discard an unwanted Enhancement, click and drag it to the trashcan at the lower-left corner of the Enhancement screen.)

When a power has multiple slots, it can be boosted several times with the same Enhancement. Having multiple Enhancements of the same type allows the bonuses to stack (although there is a point of diminishing returns).

For example, Arctic Sun’s Fire Blast has three slots – Accuracy, Accuracy, and Damage.

There are twenty-six (26) different types of Enhancements available, although each power can only be modified by select range of Enhancements.

There are three broad categories of Enhancements:

• Training (or generic) Enhancements range from levels 1-50, and provide the smallest bonus but are usable by all character types. All Training Enhancements have names that indicate their function (Accuracy, Damage, Endurance Reduction, etc.), a silver border, and a color-coded logo.
• Dual Origin Enhancements normally range from levels 15-50, and provide a greater bonus, but are only usable by the designated Origin types (such as Natural/Mutation, or Magic/Science, etc.). Dual Origin (or DO) Enhancements have flavorful names, a split border (each half representing one Origin), and are color-coded in the same manner as Training Enhancements.
• Single Origin Enhancements normally range from levels 25-50, and provide the greatest bonus, but you can only use ones appropriate to your Origin. Single Origin (or SO) Enhancements have flavorful names, a color-coded logo, and a border that reflects their origin.
• A fourth type of rare Enhancement exists that can affect more than one aspect of a power.

NOTE: Enhancements do not automatically increase in power as your hero increases in Security Level. Each Enhancement has a level, and a hero cannot use an Enhancement that is much higher, or lower, than his or her Security Level. Once the disparity between your character’s Security Level and the Enhancement level is too severe, the Enhancement will no longer provide a bonus and must be replaced with a higher level Enhancement. However, having an Enhancement slightly above your level gives a slightly greater bonus than normal, while one of a lower level gives a slightly reduced bonus. The level of the Enhancement changes color based on its level in relation to you (green is above your level, white is equal to your level, yellow is below your level, and red is too low or too high for your character to use).

You can also combine two Enhancements of the same type (even if they are of different levels). Through combination, a player can raise the higher of the two Enhancements by one effective level (the Enhancement gains a + sign), to a maximum of two effective levels (a ++ sign). However, when attempting to combine Enhancements there is a chance of failure based on the difference in levels. If a combination fails, the lower level Enhancement is lost.

Following is a list of the different types available. Remember that although the names change for Dual Origin and Single Origin Enhancements, the colors stay the same no matter the Origin type. For example, the Accuracy Training Enhancement is yellow, as are Bioluminescent Filter (the Dual Origin Science/Technology Accuracy Enhancement) and Insight of Grey (the Single Origin Magic Accuracy Enhancement). Note that some Enhancements can be used with a broad range of different powers, while others are highly specific, applying only to very few powers.

Enhancement Types

Accuracy
Interrupt Time
Damage
Damage Resistance
Defense Buff
Defense Debuff
Disorient (Stun)
Endurance Modification
Endurance Reduction
Fear
Fly
Heal
Hold
Immobilize
Intangible
Jump
Knockback
Range
Recharge
Run
Sleep
Slow (Snare)
Taunt
To Hit Buff
To Hit Debuff

Influence

Players may also receive Influence as a reward. The more a player accomplishes in the City, the more sway he has with various personages in the city. With Influence, a player can purchase much needed Enhancements or Inspirations. A hero can also use his Influence to change some, or even all, of his costume.

Prestige

Prestige is a measure of a player’s Super Group’s reputation. The more Prestige earned, the more likely the Super Group is known and recognized by other. Prestige is used to buy a Super Group’s Base, and outfit it accordingly.

Like Influence, Prestige is earned by defeating enemies. Prestige can only be earned by a player in Super Group mode, however. All players in a Super Group (whether Security Level 1 or 50) earn Prestige. Prestige goes directly to the Super Group; it is not something a player keeps. If the player leaves the Super Group, the Prestige stays with the Super Group. Similarly, if a Super Group disbands, all the earned Prestige is lost.

At low levels, players in Super Group mode earn both Influence and Prestige unrestricted. At higher levels, starting at level 25, characters in Super Group mode earn less and less Influence (and conversely more and more Prestige) until by level 34 they are only earning Prestige if in Super Group mode.

Salvage

Salvage is a reward for Super Groups, earned by defeating powerful enemies (usually lieutenants and bosses). Salvage, like Prestige, is gained when a player is in Super Group mode. It can also be gained as a mission reward outside of a Super Group. Salvage is used to build special Base items.

Players unlock “recipes” for new and improved Base items by completing certain missions or earning Super Group badges. Salvage is used to fulfill the requirements of  these recipes. To build items, players need to add a Workshop room to their Base, and ensure they have one or more appropriate worktables. The Workshop allows players to turn Salvage into usable components.

Different types of Salvage are found by defeating different types of enemies. Salvage can be traded between players. Players have a large inventory for Salvage, and are able to hold 20 pieces of each item, or 99 pieces of each component