Defence Nodes

Defence Nodes are a core part of Expedition Mode. Once a run reaches one, players have to clear 10 standard waves of enemies drawn from that map's enemy pool before progressing further. During the fight, Units can develop resistance to 2 random Elements, adding a layer of variance to how the wave plays out.

Players are able to move their Units mid-fight using a special button in the Unit's menu, letting them reposition as the wave composition shifts. Losing at a Defence Node is unrecoverable, since it fails the entire Expedition once enemies reach the payload directly at the end of the track.

Clearing a Defence Node guarantees Player EXP and Payload EXP, plus a random roll of 3 to 5 units of a material drawn from a shared pool. That pool includes a map-specific resource such as Cursed Timber, Lush Dirt or Aqua Shard depending on the Story stage in play, alongside Equipment Scrap, Fuel Cell and Expedition Coin.

The reward pattern at Defence Nodes closely mirrors Assault Nodes, so both node types serve as steady, moderate sources of materials throughout a run.

Since Defence Nodes run 10 full waves, positioning Units for sustained damage output matters more than burst power, and using the mid-fight Unit movement option to react to which Elements the current wave is resisting can prevent a slow grind from turning into a loss.

Because a loss here ends the entire Expedition, it's worth going into a Defence Node with a stable, well-rounded team rather than a glass cannon setup that risks folding partway through 10 waves.