Defection is an Endless Mission type introduced in Update 19.12 (2017-03-02) for the The Pacifism Defect event. This game mode tasks players with escorting small squads of Kavor Defectors to an extraction point while defending against the Infested.

Originally introduced under the name "Evacuation", this mission type was renamed as part of Update 21.0 (2017-06-29), and is now the source for  Harrow's Systems component. All three Defection nodes are Dark Sectors.

Mechanics

Players start near a shuttle bay room, which the Kavor defectors must reach in order to escape the ship. The mission begins and timers for periodic events begin to elapse once a player hacks the door leading out of the shuttle bay.

Kavor defectors will spawn in 4-man squads (3-man squads for solo play) 30 seconds after the mission officially begins, and every 40 seconds after the previous group is rescued, though this countdown can be set to zero instantly if one player activates a rush panel indicated by an orange icon. These Kavor defectors will then head towards the nearest Med Booster, a structure that will heal nearby Kavor defectors with a green beam. Med Boosters start at 50% power (60% power for solo play) and will consume power as they heal Kavor defectors, with more survivors resulting in faster energy drain. To keep the Med Boosters powered, players can acquire Power Cells dropped by Mutalist Osprey Carriers, which they can carry to a Med Booster to recharge its power by 20% (40% for solo play) per Power Cell. Players must issue a Move Out command on the Kavor defectors to make them proceed to the shuttle bay for extraction.

After two squads of survivors have been evacuated, the player's extraction point will be opened up, and the second Med Booster will spawn in a different location of the map (B). After two more squads have been evacuated, a third Med Booster will spawn along with opening up more of the map (C). From this point on, points B and C will both begin hosting a squad of Kavor defectors, with them both pathing to A's Med Booster, and then to their evac location. (In solo play, squads will still spawn one at a time, but spawns will alternate between points B and C.)

Kavor defectors will slowly take damage over time from the Infested spores in the air while they are not within range of a powered Med Booster. Downed Kavor defectors will enter bleedout, and will turn into Carrion Chargers unless revived by players or a powered Med Booster; a Kavor defector who has been revived once will turn instantly if their health is depleted a second time. (In Arbitration Defection, players are not given a chance to revive downed defectors before they turn.) If 10 Kavor defectors are killed, the Lotus will abort all further evacuation efforts; no more Kavor defectors will spawn, any Kavor defectors still alive on the map will not count toward the player's totals if they reach the shuttle, and the players will have five minutes to extract.

While 10 Kavor defectors have not yet been killed, players may choose to extract individually at any time once two squads of defectors have been evacuated. Any player entering the extraction zone will trigger a countdown timer, at the end of which all players in the extraction zone will be extracted while remaining players continue playing and can extract later any time they choose.

Periodic Events

Several events are slated to occur during specific segments of each 8-squad cycle. These events also have fail-safe timers that force them to trigger at specific times after the time at which the shuttle bay door was hacked open, which is referred to in this section as time [T], if players are not rescuing squads fast enough to trigger the events normally.

1. Manic Attack: Once the 3rd squad of the first cycle has arrived at point A, General Sargas Ruk displays his disdain for the traitorous defectors and dispatches a Grineer Manic. Killing the Manic will make it drop two Large Power Cells; these cells, identifiable by their white energy glow, can instantly restore a Med Booster to 100% power.
   • The game first checks for fulfillment of the Manic spawn condition at time [T + 6 minutes] and will force the first Manic spawn at time [T + 11 minutes] if the condition has not been met by then.
   • For subsequent cycles, Manics will spawn again, in greater numbers than in the first cycle, once the 3rd squad of that cycle has arrived at point A and 10 minutes have passed since the last Manic spawn (confirmation needed).
2. Infested Spawn Pods: Once 4 squads have been rescued, Infested spawn pods will appear all over the map, including near squad spawns and around the Med Boosters, which will burst open when players or defectors are in close proximity. Small pods will spawn Maggots while large ones will spawn heavy Infested enemies (usually Ancients).
   • The game first checks for fulfillment of the pod spawn condition at time [T + 11 minutes] and will force initial pod spawns at time [T + 16 minutes] if the condition has not been met by then.
   • Destroyed pods will grow back every few minutes, ready to spawn new enemies.
3. Red Veil Attack: Once the 8th squad of the first cycle has arrived at point B or C, the Red Veil reveals their intention to seize the Grineer defectors for study and demands the Tenno to not interfere, spawning three Operatives or Fanatics at the defector extraction point in the shuttle bay. They are essentially the same units encountered during the Chains of Harrow Quest. They will primarily target the Kavor defectors during the mission and scale in level as the mission progresses (confirmation needed). This will occur regardless of player standing towards that Syndicate; killing them will not lower Standing towards them either.
   • The game first checks for fulfillment of the Red Veil spawn condition at time [T + 16 minutes] and will force the first Red Veil attack at time [T + 21 minutes] if the condition has not been met by then.
   • In cycles after the first, Red Veil enemies will spawn again, in greater numbers than in the first cycle, once the 8th squad of that cycle has arrived at point B or C and 20 minutes have passed since the last Red Veil attack (confirmation needed).

Locations

Rewards

Rescuing a squad of Kavor defectors grants up to 1600 base objective affinity to all players based on mission level and the number of squad members which were not killed. In addition, reviving a downed defector grants 50 base objective affinity to the reviving player. (Actual affinity gains will be greater due to objective affinity being boosted by Dark Sector "kill" affinity bonuses in addition to any active universal affinity multipliers.)

Besides the bonus amounts of resources, affinity, and mods from the increase in enemies compared to normal missions, certain rewards can be awarded as the mission progresses. Mission rewards will vary depending on mission tier (based on starting enemy level, and listed in the above table), and mission rotation, based on the number of squads evacuated.

• Drop Rotation is AABC (rewards cycle every 8 squads):
  • Rotation A: 2, 4 squads; 10, 12 squads; etc.
  • Rotation B: 6 squads; 14 squads; etc.
  • Rotation C: 8 squads; 16 squads; etc.

• Dark Sector

• Tier 1
• Tier 2
• Tier 3

A		B		C
x2000 Credit Cache	13.92%	Lith A6	10%	Harrow Systems Blueprint	15%
x2000 Credit Cache	13.92%	Lith G13	10%	Quickening	15%
x2000 Credit Cache	13.92%	Lith M9	10%	Lith A6	10%
x2000 Credit Cache	13.92%	Lith N16	10%	Lith G13	10%
Endo x100	13.92%	Lith P9	10%	Lith M9	10%
Endo x100	13.92%	Lith W4	10%	Lith N16	10%
Endo x100	13.92%	Lith X1	10%	Lith P9	10%
Smite Orokin	2.58%	Bane of Orokin	8%	Lith W4	10%
		Cleanse Orokin	8%	Lith X1	10%
		Expel Orokin	8%
		Harrow Systems Blueprint	6%

Locations:

• Memphis, Phobos

Drop tables outdated? Readers can update Module:DropTables/data and cross reference with official drop tables on https://www.warframe.com/droptables.

A		B		C
x2500 Credit Cache	16.24%	Meso A7	10%	Harrow Systems Blueprint	15%
x2500 Credit Cache	16.24%	Meso E6	10%	Enduring Strike	15%
x2500 Credit Cache	16.24%	Meso F5	10%	Neo A13	10%
Endo x150	16.24%	Meso G8	10%	Neo G8	10%
Endo x150	16.24%	Meso N17	10%	Neo L4	10%
Endo x150	16.24%	Meso T7	10%	Neo P7	10%
Expel Orokin	2.58%	Meso V10	10%	Neo Q1	10%
		Bane of Orokin	8%	Neo W2	10%
		Cleanse Orokin	8%	Neo Z11	10%
		Smite Orokin	8%
		Harrow Systems Blueprint	6%

Locations:

• Caracol, Saturn

Drop tables outdated? Readers can update Module:DropTables/data and cross reference with official drop tables on https://www.warframe.com/droptables.

A		B		C
x3000 Credit Cache	24.35%	Neo A13	10%	Harrow Systems Blueprint	15%
x3000 Credit Cache	24.35%	Neo G8	10%	Life Strike	15%
x3000 Credit Cache	24.35%	Neo L4	10%	Axi A19	10%
Endo x250	24.35%	Neo P7	10%	Axi G14	10%
Expel Orokin	2.58%	Neo Q1	10%	Axi H8	10%
		Neo W2	10%	Axi O6	10%
		Neo Z11	10%	Axi S16	10%
		Bane of Orokin	8%	Axi S17	10%
		Cleanse Orokin	8%	Axi T12	10%
		Smite Orokin	8%
		Harrow Systems Blueprint	6%

Locations:

• Yursa, Neptune

Drop tables outdated? Readers can update Module:DropTables/data and cross reference with official drop tables on https://www.warframe.com/droptables.

Tips

• Destroying containers and opening lockers can drop additional power cells, including Large ones.
•  Trinity's  Blessing affects defectors, making her a mobile healing beacon. A maximum efficiency and energy capacity build can make for a better experience in the later stages of a defection run. Note that while  Blessing is active, casting it again will not heal or refresh the ability on defectors. If one wishes to keep refilling the defector's health without much wait, a low duration build can be useful.
  • Trinity's  Well of Life can also be used to create a temporary healing beacon. Given the enemy density in Infested tilesets, a resourceful Trinity can create healing beacons along the defectors' path.
•  Loki's  Switch Teleport affects individual defectors, and can be used to cover ground very quickly given a clear line of sight. Loki can also save defectors who are stuck in the environment. The augment  Safeguard Switch seems to protect defectors from damage, but not from health drain.
  • Loki's  Decoy can be used to distract the Infested from defectors, provided it is within their vicinity. This can prove useful in a mid-tier scaled stretch of a defection run, if things go south.
  • Loki's  Radial Disarm with the  Irradiating Disarm augment applies  Radiation procs to enemies, which can create breathing room if need be, though it is risky. Use with caution when surrounded by Infested, as they may still target the defectors if close enough.
•  Nova's  Wormhole can be used to speed up travel for groups of defectors, but can be tricky to use. In some cases, defectors may get stuck in environment terrain and must be freed again with additional portals. Note that certain rooms have 'checkpoints' which defectors will go to, even if teleported beyond them.
  • A slow Nova build can be quite useful for keeping Infested off the defectors.
•  Mirage's  Eclipse with the  Total Eclipse augment can help defectors survive longer defection runs. An extended duration and range build is recommended to ensure a whole cluster of defectors gets the bonus per individual cast.
•  Oberon's  Renewal can give defectors very high health regeneration, allowing them to out-heal most of health drain. This can also allow them to out-heal other damage sources such as toxin clouds, etc.
  • Oberon's  Hallowed Ground can be a good way of spreading  Radiation procs. This disables auras from Ancient Healers, Ancient Disruptors, and Toxic Ancients while also diluting the aggro of enemies which in turn reduces the effective threat level of the defectors.
•  Equinox's  Mend & Maim is a powerful damage dealer and crowd control against Infested, and provides a great amount of healing for whole clusters of defectors. Coupled with  Pacify & Provoke's damage reduction potential, she can allow defectors to outlive even Syndicate attacks. This is extremely useful against melee enemies.
•  Frost's  Snow Globe can be used to protect the area over healing stations. With the added benefit of slowing down Infested that may enter, it makes them easier targets for yourself and allies to attack.
•  Khora's  Venari can be used to heal defectors, following them until they reach the evacuation area, regardless of the distance between Khora and the Venari.
  •  Strangledome is an excellent way of dealing with the Infested. 
  •  Khora's movement speed boost passive is useful for traversing to and from objectives.
•  Limbo's  Banish affects defectors for the duration, and defectors in the Rift won't be damaged from enemies not in the Rift. As defectors can't be healed by Med Boosters in the Rift, it may be necessary to remove them from the Rift by casting Banish on them while you're in the Rift yourself. Other ways of healing, like Limbo's  Rift Haven augment or Vazarin's Protective Sling, are possible.
  • Defectors in the Rift will still take damage over time from the air.
  • A variant of this usage (banishing all nearby enemies into the Rift, but not defectors) will also work.
  • As of Update 31.2 (2022-03-16) the Rift Haven augment heals 25% of banished allies maximum health per second, easily outhealing any passive damage the Kavor take.
•  Garuda's  Blood Altar can quickly heal defectors by leveraging Infested in their path.
  • Blood Altar can be used to temporarily disable manics and Red Veil operatives, preventing them from killing Defectors.
  •  Seeking Talons is a powerful damage dealer and crowd control against Infested.
•  Nezha's  Warding Halo with the  Safeguard augment can help protect defectors from enemy damage and status effect, such as Ancients' knockdown attack. Additionally, it continuously staggers and damages nearby enemies.
  • Health drain from the air still passes completely through this shield.
  • Warding Halo must be cast on each defector separately. Therefore, it must be used at least 3 times per squad, making this strategy highly dependent on energy. Due to this, increased Ability Efficiency and Ability Strength is recommended. Ability Strength influences the durability of the shield, as well as periodical damage it deals to nearby enemies.
  •  Divine Spears can be used as crowd control
•  Gara's  Splinter Storm is able to be cast on Defectors. Combined with  Mending Splinters, it offers extremely potent damage reduction and modest health regeneration, with the bonus of being able to be boosted to deal significant AoE damage to any infested approaching the Defectors.
  • Defectors are valid beneficiaries of  Mass Vitrify, allowing Gara to refresh  Splinter Storm buffs on Defectors.
    • A recommended strategy is to refresh  Splinter Storm with  Mass Vitrify at med-stations, trigger the Defectors to move on to their next point, then wait for them to leave Vitrify's walls before triggering it to explode with  Shattered Lash, ensuring that the bonus damage is added to their AoE ticks.
•  Vazarin's  Protective Sling will both heal and provide brief immunity to defectors.
•  Wisp's  Reservoirs can apply all their effects on defectors; Vitality to increase their max health and health regeneration, Haste to increase their movement speed, and Shock to apply  Electricity procs against nearby attackers.
•  Harrow's  Penance will heal defectors regardless of range.
•  Sevagoth's  Gloom is an ideal mobile ability to bring, as it not only heals Defectors as they shoot down incoming enemies, but also greatly slows enemies down within the aura's range and thus multiply Defector survivability.
• Stims,  Volt's  Speed,  Nova's  Escape Velocity,  Wisp's  Reservoirs Haste Mote, and  Zephyr's  Jet Stream can increase the Defector's movement speed.

Notes

• A squad of defectors will count as "rescued" and contribute progress toward mission rewards if at least one defector in the squad reaches the shuttle; however, all defectors in the squad must be dead or rescued before the objective will update.
• Infested will only target squads of defectors which are in the general vicinity of players, ignoring any defectors located elsewhere on the ship.
• Sortie Defection tasks players with rescuing 5 squads, then proceeding to extraction within 5 minutes of objective completion. The mission will end in failure if 6 defectors die before the fifth squad is rescued.
  • Point B is unlocked at 1 squad rescued while point C becomes available at 2 squads rescued.
  • Non-endless extraction rules (timer starts with at least half the squad at extraction and all players extract simultaneously) apply to this Defection variant.
• In the Heads-Up Display, each living Kavor defector is represented in the objective interface by a blue icon which will turn red if the defector is downed. Additionally, the blue waypoint on each defector will flash red if their health is low.
• The doors to points B and C, which look like unused doors (i.e. doors which do not lead to a room) before they are unlocked by mission progression, can be distinguished from unused doors by the presence of an inactive console on the right side.

Trivia

• The Shuttle Bay room used as the evacuation point is the same room used on Capture missions as the target's escape room.
• The special Infested Carrion Chargers that spawn from pods produced by dead defectors have their own codex entry that requires 3 scans.

Media

WARFRAME - Defection Mission Strategy Guide 2019 (Solo Focused)

Newer, updated guide as of 2019

WARFRAME - Defection Mission Strategy (For Farming Solo and in Squads)

This is an old guide, while the strategies explained are still relevant, it features Focus 1.0 and the  Synoid Simulor before it was reworked

Patch History