Electric Drain

Electric Drain
In-Game Information
User/s	Cole MacGrath
Mission gained	First Glimpse
Attributed to	Electromagnetism
Upgradeable	Yes
Real-World Information
Game/s	Infamous Infamous 2 Infamous: Festival of Blood

For the almost identical power in Infamous: Second Son, see Draining.

Electric Drain is a neutral power utilized by Cole MacGrath in Infamous, Infamous 2, and Festival of Blood. With it, Cole can draw pure energy from various objects, allowing him to recharge his battery cores.

Overview

Electric Drain is used by standing near a power source and pressing to drain its electricity. In addition to recharging his abilities, use of this power heals Cole's body of any injuries he has recently sustained. He can also siphon electricity from almost any object connected to a power grid (lamp posts, phone booths, televisions, etc.), though he can only draw a certain amount of electricity before it is drained. Most objects in this category will 're-charge' after a few moments.

Certain pieces of equipment are so overcharged with electricity that Cole can drain them indefinitely without them shorting out, usually in order to let Cole complete a puzzle that requires the use of a specific ability. However, in Infamous 2, if he drains electricity while his energy is full, the draining process is automatically canceled out. He can also drain small amounts of power from car batteries, though it is not enough to stop a car from working, at least not immediately, and the energy in a specific car will not recharge. Cole can also drain the neuron-electricity of most NPCs through Bio Leech, though this gives him evil karma.

Cole can also shoot a drained power source to temporarily electrify it, allowing him to drain it. This can be done on nearly any conductible surface, such as dumpsters and trash bins, making it useful when he finds himself near death with no object for him to drain nearby or if he is in a powered-down district. In addition, this can be done regardless of karma. However, it is more easier to do so with evil karma, using the Scythe Bolt.

Upgrades

Infamous

The first upgrade increases the rate at which Cole drains electricity. It can be purchased for 800 XP. The second upgrade, "Induction Yield," allows Cole to automatically regain energy while using Induction Grind. It can be purchased for 1400 XP. The third upgrade requires a rank of Hero or Infamous. It allows Cole to use the Karmic Overload ability. It lasts anywhere from 15 – 30 seconds, and Cole can only activate it when he has full good or evil karma. It can be purchased for 2000 XP.

Infamous 2

The first upgrade allows Cole to drain electricity quicker by 50%. It costs no experience points but requires completion of ten side missions. The second upgrade increases Cole's drain rate to 100%. It also costs no experience points but requires completion of thirty side missions.

Trivia

• It is the first power exhibited by Cole during his escape from Ground Zero at the beginning of Infamous. He has no control over it at that time, and he appears to feel pain from it.
• As seen with the Gigawatt Blades, approximately three battery cores are worth one gigawatt of energy. With the full amount of battery cores, this means Cole can absorb and store eight gigawatts in Infamous and 9.33 gigawatts in Infamous 2.
• In the mission "Death Toll" from Infamous 2, Cole is able to drain electricity directly from the thundering sky above him, giving him infinite power source.
• If Cole is standing in a puddle with a corpse, he can drain energy from the corpse just like the sewers' linear transformers, without having to recharge the corpse. Over time, the drained energy slowly moves to the center of the puddle, as if Cole was draining electricity from the puddle rather than the corpse. This does not award any energy by doing so.
• Cole can drain energy from the transformers in sewer missions for an infinite amount of time, making it an easy method for obtaining the "AC/DC" trophy.