There are many different mission types in Warframe. Of the most farmed, Endless mission variants are often at the top of the list. But, these endless missions are not going to be easy. And of the harder variants, Defection Missions are unquestionably one of the more annoying for new players to understand. in Warframe.
The Defection mission type, as the name suggests, revolves around a group of defectors that you must protect. These are the Kavor Defectors, a splinter faction of the Grineer that wishes to aid in taking down their former allies. You as the Operator will have to keep this group of Kavor alive for the duration of the mission, while also juggling a bunch of power cells to keep three different towers active. Think of the mission like a more complex Excavation. Because aside from the endless horde of infested enemies attacking you, the atmosphere is also toxic.
Med Towers
The Med Tower in the mission area needs to be kept online to counteract the toxic environment of the map. Lugging power cells to the tower takes a lot of time, so groups should split up and keep the fuel coming. These Med Towers are the primary thing keeping the Kavor Defectors alive, so your group must maintain them. There are two types of Power Cells scattered around. The normal Blue Power Cells restore 20% power to the Med Tower they are attached to. The rarer White Power Cells restore a given Med Tower to 100%.
Keep a lookout for the Mutalist Osprey Carriers, those are the units that drop Power Cells.
General Tips
Some players prefer to take on Defection Missions solo, and that’s certainly an option with a speedy and high-DPS build. However, due to the number of mechanics in these missions, a good group is often best for newer players. Frame and weapon choice is another potential sticking point for some players. Oberon is a decent pick for these Defection Missions, due to his healing and crowd control abilities. Trinity is another good option for emergency healing Defectors with Bless.
The enemies mainly target and follow the player, so having a good tank frame like Rhino being supported by an Oberon is great for these missions. Arca Plasmor is a good weapon choice among many. Any AoE clearing weapons and abilities are good for keeping enemies off of the Defector groups.
Once you hack your way into the map, The first Kavor group will spawn after about 30 seconds. Begin moving them toward the Med Tower and have someone in your group essentially dedicated to farming Power Cells and bringing them back to the tower.
You can actually spawn multiple groups of Defectors by interacting with the console near their spawn point. Be careful though if you spawn too many and the Med Tower can’t keep up, you’re going to fail.
The missions works on a rotation structure, with each two groups of survivors are considered a rotation. After two rotations, players can claim a reward. The rotations follow an A, A, B, C pattern for rewards.
You can find Defection missions at these nodes on the Star Chart:
- Memphis on Phobos
- Caracol on Saturn
- Yursa on Neptune
