Talents (本能玉 Hon'nō, Instincts) are an upgrade mechanic implemented in the Version 8.0 Update. Once unlocked by clearing Into the Future Chapter 3, this mechanic allows players to unlock and develop a selection of (normally) five or six upgrades for certain True Form cats that are level 30 or above. As a companion mechanic to Talents, Talent Orbs were introduced in Version 9.7 and grant units equipped with them increased offensive and/or defensive power against a trait of choice. An expansion to Talents - classified as Ultra Talents - was added in Version 12.1, allowing certain Uber Rare Cats to unlock one to three additional Talents and equip a second Talent Orb when they are upgraded to level 60 or above.

NP Coin

"Exchange unneeded Cat Units for NP, then use your collected NP to unlock or upgrade new abilities (Talents) for a cat's True Form. Each True Form has a different set of Talents that can be unlocked." - In-game description

Unlocking Talents requires NP, which can be obtained by exchanging Cats or Talent Orbs in Storage after Into the Future Chapter 3 has been completed. The amount of NP awarded is dependent on the item's rarity, with rarer items being worth more NP. However, merging D-grade Talent Orbs into a higher grade always results in a significant loss in NP value.

The amount of NP earned for each unit/Orb is as below:

Unit RarityNP ValueNormal1 (default)
2 (Cat Capsules+)Special1Rare5Super Rare15Uber Rare50Legend Rare150Orb GradeNP ValueMerge Change*D1-C1-1B20 (-2)A7+1 (-5)S25+4 (-11)

* First number represents NP value lost (or gained) by merging from the previous grade, number in parenthesis represents total value loss by merging from D grade.
To use NP, visit the Upgrade Menu, then select a True Formed Cat with Talents and choose which one you would like to unlock or upgrade. Almost all Cats have five or more different Talents to unlock, some of which can be further developed up to nine (or in Catasaurus' case, four) times.

Each unit's Talents are only available if the unit is in its True Form or Ultra Form and a specific stage or chapter has been cleared.

Category of Cats/Cat UnitRequirement for TalentsHoly Valkyrie CatClear Valkyrie Cat's TrialAwakened Bahamut CatClear Bahamut Cat's TrialCat God the GoldenClear all Zombie Outbreaks in Cats of the Cosmos Chapter 3MetafilibusterClear the Filibuster Invasion OutbreakOtherClear Into the Future Chapter 3

Theoretically, any target trait or effect/ability in the game can become a Talent for units in future updates. However, the abilities listed and described below are exclusive to Talents (L represents a value equal to the level of the Talent, X represents a value which differs between units with the same Talent):

Resistances

• Resist Weaken: Reduces the duration of Weaken effects by (10+6L)%.

• Resist Freeze: Reduces the duration of Freeze effects by (10+6L)%.

• Resist Slow: Reduces the duration of Slow effects by (10+6L)%.

• Resist Knockback: Reduces the push distance of Knockback effects by 5L%. Does not affect the duration of Knockbacks. Only 2 units have different growth: Juliet the Maiko's push distance reduction is (20+3L)%, while King Gamereon's push distance reduction is (10+6L)%.

• Resist Wave: Reduces the damage of wave attacks by 5L%. Only 1 unit has different growth: Cameraman Cat's wave damage reduction is (20+3L)%.

• Resist Surge: Reduces the damage of surge attacks by 5L%.

• Warp Resistant: Currently unused, presumably reduces the push/pull distance and/or duration of Warp effects.

• Resist Curse: Reduces the duration of Curse effects by (10+6L)%.

• Resist Toxic: Reduces the damage of Toxic effects by 5L%.

Buffs

• Defense Buff: Increases the unit's health by 2L%. Purchasable Special Cats and Holy Valkyrie Cat have different growth: their health increase is 8L%.

• Attack Buff: Increases the unit's attack power by 2L%. Purchasable Special Cats and Holy Valkyrie Cat have different growth: their attack power increase is 8L%.

• Move Speed Up: Increases the unit's movement speed by L. Only 1 unit has different growth: Crazed Catgirl Yuki's movement speed increase is 2L.

• Improved Knockback: Currently unused, presumably increases the unit's number and/or push distance of knockbacks from damage.

• Cost Down: Reduces the unit's cost by XL. The value fluctuates with Empire of Cats Chapters (Chapter 2 as default: Reduced by 1/3rd in Chapter 1, Increased by 1/3rd in Chapter 3).

• Recover Speed Up: Reduces the unit's recharge time by XLf. Only 3 units have different growth: Skelecat and Cataur's recharge time reduction is (X2+XL)f, while PPT46's recharge time reduction is (X2.5+XL)f.

• Attack Frequency Up: Reduces the unit's time between attacks by XLf. Does not affect the length of the unit's attack animation or backswing. Currently exclusive to Ultra Talents.

Upgrade costs for all Talents are broken down into four cost brackets. The first encompasses Talent-exclusive status effect resistances and stat buffs, in addition to upgrading effects or abilities that the unit in question already has. The second encompasses new effects/abilities which can then be upgraded for greater effect. The third (currently only used for Special and Uber Rare Cats) encompasses new and upgradable effects which also unlock a new target trait. Lastly, the fourth encompasses new target traits, as well as effects and abilities that can't be upgraded. A few special exceptions exist, and are listed underneath the following table.

In addition, NP costs are affected by unit rarity, with Rare Cats being the least expensive to unlock Talents, followed by Special/Super Rare and Uber Super Rare Cats. NP costs for Ultra Talents - exclusive to Uber Super Rare Cats - are even more expensive.

The amount of NP required for each type of Talent, at each rarity is as listed below:

Special CatsRare CatsSuper Rare CatsUber Super Rare CatsUltra Talents

StepNP CostsResistance/Buff, Preexisting Effect/Ability UpgradeNew Effect/Ability (Upgradable)New
Effect + Target (Upgradable)New Target/
Effect/Ability (No Upgrade)Unlock10507575Level 210-Level 310-Level 410-Level 510-Level 61520-Level 71520-Level 81520-Level 91520-Level 101520-Total12516521575

StepNP CostsResistance/Buff, Preexisting Effect/Ability UpgradeNew Effect/Ability (Upgradable)New Target/
Effect/Ability (No Upgrade)Unlock52550Level 25-Level 35-Level 45-Level 55-Level 610-Level 710-Level 810-Level 910-Level 1010-Total75 (25)19550

StepNP CostsResistance/Buff, Preexisting Effect/Ability UpgradeNew Effect/Ability (Upgradable)2New Target/
Effect/Ability (No Upgrade)Unlock105075Level 210-Level 310-Level 410-Level 510-Level 615-Level 715-Level 815-Level 915-Level 1015-Total12516575

StepNP CostsResistance/Buff, Preexisting Effect/Ability UpgradeNew Effect/Ability (Upgradable)New
Effect + Target (Upgradable)3New Target/
Effect/Ability (No Upgrade)Unlock1575100100Level 215-Level 315-Level 415-Level 515-Level 62025-Level 72025-Level 82025-Level 92025-Level 102025-Total175235285100

StepNP CostsResistance/Buff, Preexisting Effect/Ability UpgradeNew Effect/Ability (Upgradable)New Target/
Effect/Ability (No Upgrade)Unlock20100150Level 22015-Level 32015-Level 42015-Level 52015-Level 625-Level 725-Level 825-Level 925-Level 1025-Total225285150

1 Only applies to Catasaurus' Critical Talent, which caps at Level 5. Number in parenthesis shows total cost of a five Level Talent.
2 Also applies to The Kitty of Liberty's Knockback (Alien) Talent.
3 Does not apply to Paladin Cat's Freeze (Metal) Talent, which is priced the same as an upgradable new ability with no new target.

See each unit's article for more information.

Note that some Talents have different names than the abilities they unlock. Most are relatively the same, but Attack Up, which is different from Attack Buff, actually gives the unit Strengthen. Ultra Talents are listed in bold.

For a list of all units with Ultra Talents, click here.

Special

Rare

Super Rare

Uber Rare

• Talents only take effect for a unit's True/Ultra Forms. Ergo, if you unlock Immortal Nobunaga's Survives Talent then switch his form to Oda Nobunaga or Wargod Nobunaga, he will not survive lethal strikes, while as Phantasmal Nobunaga he still can.

• Talents and their levels are not capped or disabled by the Aku Altar, so their boosts and effects still apply.

• Talents which add a new target trait do not overwrite a unit's existing target trait(s) - i.e., a Catophone with Target Alien unlocked can still use its Slow ability on Angels.

• The best units to exchange for NP are those who are only used for debuffing, like Bishop Cat, Shaman Cat and Psychocat, as their base stats are generally too low for them to benefit much from + levels. Keep in mind however that this comes at the cost of not raising User Rank.

• One of the more efficient methods of accumulating NP is to exchange duplicate Li'l Cats obtained from Lucky Ticket events, which can be farmed rather quickly and easily by the time you start considering Talents.

• As of Version 11.1's introduction of Cat Capsules+ unlocked after Cats of the Cosmos Chapter 3, farming regular Ticket events becomes more viable as each Normal Cat can now sell for 2 NP instead of just 1 NP. In fact, saving duplicate Normal Cats for this doubled NP gain is a good idea, even with how late in the game Cat Capsules+ is available.

• All Resist Talents stack with Resist Ability Orbs, resulting in full immunity with both an A-Rank (Slow, Curse) or S-Rank (Wave, Knockback, Toxic) Resist Orb and a level 10 Resist Talent.

• While Defense Buffs and Attack Buffs are no doubt useful to have, their impact is not worth the NP invested in most cases. Prioritize upgrading your units to the highest level possible and unlocking useful new abilities or buffs such as Move/Recover Speed Up before spending NP on Defense/Attack Buffs. An exception to this are the purchasable Special Cats, as not only do their Talents improve health/attack by 80% instead of 20%, but the stat-oriented ones practically require investment in their Defense and/or Attack Buffs before their other Talents.

  • Similarly, one should seriously consider whether upgrading Resistances is worth doing, as it costs as much or more NP to raise a Resistance to Level 10 than it does to unlock an Immunity for a unit of the same rarity or one rarity higher. Notably, Resist Weaken Level 10 does not prevent being perma-weakened by Winged Pigge, Resist Slow Level 10 does not prevent being perma-slowed by Croakley, Resist Curse Level 10 does not prevent being perma-cursed by a plurality of Relic enemies (not to mention most units with Resist Curse would die in one or two hits to a Relic enemy anyways,) and Resist Wave/Surge/Toxic Level 10 are nigh-universally insufficient at making units viable against enemies with these capabilities. Combining these Talents with the matching Style customization is recommended, though even with the maximum 85% effect reduction (excluding Toxic) many enemies will still have 100% or higher effect uptime.

• Talents that give units a chance to knockback enemies range from double-edged swords, providing a form of crowd control that can get your units killed in stages with strong backliners, to downright counterproductive, most notably in Chill Cat's case. Likewise, upgrading Move Speed Up on already fast units allows for easier rushing and more lenient timings, but also carries the risk of making them clip right into dangerous enemies' attacks.

  • This is similarly true of Talents that grant units immunity to knockback and warp, as they have the potential to help against certain enemies with these abilities, but will make the unit more vulnerable against other such enemies. If the cat unit in question has low health or many knockbacks (such as Hyper Mr.), then unlocking these immunities is unlikely to positively affect their performance.

• The Talents button

• NP in a teaser for Version 8.0

• Another teaser revealing the Japanese name of the Talent mechanic and its function

• Unused NP stamp reward (EN)

• Unused NP stamp reward (JP)

• Though not stated anywhere in-game, NP is shown to be an acronym for "Nyanko Points" in some unused files, as seen in the gallery above.

• On the posters announcing the release of Talents in both BCEN and BCJP, an icon can be seen under God-Emperor Megidora's right wing with the text 攻撃力ダウン耐性 (Resist Weaken) written on it, likely being a leftover placeholder for until the actual Resist icon images were made.

• Excluding Warp, Warp Resistant and Improved Knockback - which appear in the Filter but are unused - the following effects/abilities have yet to appear as Talents: Attacks Only, Insanely Tough, Insane Damage, Base Destroyer, Metal, Wave Shield, Single Attack, Area Attack, Long Distance and Omni Strike. For most of these effects and abilities, the reason is self-evident.

  • Similarly, the collaboration-exclusive Witch Killer and EVA Angel Killer abilities - which are used but don't appear in the Filter - have not appeared as Talents and almost certainly never will.

• The first (and currently only) units to have six Talents were Subterra Sentinels, which received Talents in Version 11.3; and B.C.S. Lionheart and NEK-02 Air Citadel, which were retroactively given Soulstrike Talents in the same update.

  • The first unit to receive only three Talents was Master of the Pacific in Version 12.5.

• When viewing a unit's abilities and targets, those unlocked through Talents will have differently colored borders around them depending on whether they can still be leveled up: red-and-orange if upgrades are still available, golden if otherwise.

• There are a multitude of typos and inconsistencies in Talent names and descriptions.

  • While most Effect + Target Trait Talents are simply named "X Trait" (X being the effect in question,) Liberty Cat's Knockback (Alien) and Master of the Pacific's Dodge Attack (All) Talents are written with parenthesis and Li'l Eraser's Dodge Attack [Zombie] Talent is written with square brackets.

  • While most non-buff, non-upgrade Talents are described as "Gain the "X" ability." (including effects), the following Talents are described as "Unlocks the "X" ability.": Dodge Attack, Shield Piercing, Savage Blow, Mini-Wave, Mini-Surge, Surge Attack, Resist Surge, and Resist Toxic. Curse, Colossus Slayer and Behemoth Slayer Talents are similarly described with 'Unlocks', but have no quotation marks around the ability name. Lastly, 'Unlocks' with quotation marks is used for all Effect + Target Talents.

  • While most buff Talents are described as "Unit's X will increase/decrease. Level up to further increase/decrease X!", Recover Speed Up is described as "Unit's recovery time will [sic] shortened. Level up for even faster recovery!" and Attack Frequency Up is described as "Unit's attack frequency is increased. After lvl. up, attacks become even more frequent."

  • The following Talents are named and/or described differently to the effect/ability they unlock:

Talent Name/Desc.Actual NameStrongStrong AgainstTough VsResistantDodge1, Immune2Dodge Attack3Attack Up4StrengthenSurvives4SurviveMoney UpExtra MoneySurge AttackSurge AttacksCurse ImmunityImmune to CurseResist SurgeResist Surge AttackResist ToxicResistant to Toxic

1 Talent is named correctly but described incorrectly.
2 Talent is named correctly but described incorrectly in this way only for Li'l Eraser Cat.
3 Talent is named and described correctly only for Master of the Pacific.
4 Talent is named incorrectly but described correctly.