Astoltia Defense Force
Astoltia Defense Force (also known as ADF) is a multiplayer mode where players defend a barrier (or multiple barriers) from hordes of monsters with a time limit. Players who are victorious will earn a chance at weapon drops, as well as materials that allow you to craft weapons of your choosing, making this a very lucrative mode to obtain stronger weapons.
Requirements
- Obtained Verinard Castle Town's Key Emblem
- Level 90+
- Version 4 Registered
- All main armor slots (head, chest, legs, hands, feet) must be filled
- Max HP must be at least 450
How to Start
Speak with General M inside the tavern in Verinard Castle Town to get started. You'll be given a quick rundown how the mode works.
How it Works
Battles in Astoltia Defense Force use 8 players split into two parties. When speaking to General M, you can choose Head Out to randomly match with other players (this can be done alone or in a party), or have 2 nearby parties of 4 queue together to go inside.
Once inside a battle, you will begin at the starting point near the map's barrier. A time limit at the top of the screen will begin counting down, and enemies will begin to spawn around the map and make their way towards the barrier to try and deal damage to it. Supplies will also periodically spawn around the map, which will be explained in detail later. These items must be picked up to use, and you cannot bring other items from outside.
As time passes, more and more monsters will begin to spawn, specifically monsters that target only the barrier. Monsters called Dark Bells and Dark Magic Bells will periodically spawn as well, and must be taken out as soon as possible, lest they use their Bell's Ring ability, calling in even more monsters. The army's general usually stands stationary on the opposite side of the map, and moves in towards the barrier once enough time has passed.
The enemy general monster has very high HP, so it's sometimes difficult to defeat them. They can be slowed or stopped with certain items, and dealing enough damage can stun them temporarily.
Monster spawn times are fixed per map, so remembering these can be useful in being proactive in defeating certain enemies.
If at least one player survives until the time limit runs out, OR if the enemy general is defeated, the battle is victorious. You will receive materials and Defense Medals, as well as a shot at a chest with a weapon of the current highest level weapons. You may also earn achievements. The upper limit for materials is quite high and hard to reach (29999 for Spoils and 9999 for other materials), but you can only hold a maximum of 999 Defense Medals, so be sure to spend them before hitting this, or else you'll lose them.
If everyone dies or if the enemies successfully deplete the barrier's HP, the battle is considered a loss and you earn nothing.
Armies & Schedule
Astoltia Defense Force has several different armies that dictate which monsters you'll be fighting and which map you'll be playing on. The current army rotates every hour, and there are instances where All Armies is an option, allowing you to choose which army you want to fight against. The current army schedule can be viewed in game with Misc. > Play Guide > Content Forecast > Astoltia Defense Force.
Below is a list of every army, what map they are fought on, the time limit, and what materials they give for weapon creation.
| Army | General | Map | Time Limit | Materials | Difficulty | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crimson Fangs | Red Crush General Boga | Lion Gate | 10 min. | Defense Spoils (1) | ★ | |
| Violet Machina | Purple Ruin General Shuba | ★ | ||||
| Azure Conjurers | Green Wreck General Brago | ★ | ||||
| Blue Bones | Blue Bones General Dezos/Mazze | Tsusukul Village | Defense Spoils (2) | ★★ | ||
| Silver Shells | Silver Raze General Dabam | Choppi Wilderness | ★★★ | |||
| Misty Marines | Blue Wave General Nebudo | Julet Town | ★★ | |||
| Ashen Dragons | Ash Thunder General Barke | Mount Gatara | Defense Spoils (3) | ★★★ | ||
| Rainbow Blobs | Rainbow Death General Glozz | Tsusukul Village | 8 min. | ★★★ | ||
| Fragrant Beauties | Ink Angel General Fia | Julet Town | ★★★ | |||
| White Wings | White Cloud General Yanubi | Choppi Wilderness | Flying Claws | ★★★ | ||
| Rotting Woods | Green Curse General Zutan | Mount Gatara | Sacred Leaf | ★★★★ | ||
| Fresh Produce | Fresh Produce General Cornelia | Melsandy Village | Abundant Seed | ★★★★ | ||
| Alien Invaders | Giga Lil' Gray | Lion Gate | 10 min. | All materials | ★ | Only selectable during an "All Armies" hour. |
Support Supplies
In Astoltia Defense Force, you will be given a fixed set of items to use in a single battle. You will also see announcements periodically from Minister P about supplies being dropped somewhere on the map that can be picked up. Some monsters, such as the Bell monsters, drop items when they are defeated.
Items glow with a blue light, so they're easy to spot. Keep in mind that only one person may pick up an item, and some items are quite powerful, so knowing the best time to use them can be crucial to victory. If you're unsure what an item does or the best time to use it, hold off on picking it up so a more experienced player can.
Below is a list of each item and its effects.
| Name | Effect | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Recovery Drink | Restores HP of nearby allies by 50%. | You'll begin battle with 1. |
| Magical Drink | Restores MP of nearby allies by 50%. | You'll begin battle with 1. |
| Resurrection Drink | Revives nearby allies without fail with 50% HP. | You'll begin battle with 1. |
| Oomph Book | Grants nearby allies a damage boost effect. | |
| Buff Book | Grants nearby allies a damage reduction effect. | |
| Accel Book | Grants nearby allies a movement speed boost effect. | |
| Thunk Book | Grants nearby allies an effect that boosts Weight. | |
| Bill of Binding | Stuns nearby enemies without fail. | |
| Bill of Baiting | Summons a Baitstone at your location, angering enemies to attack it. Effect ends when it runs of out HP. | |
| Cannonball | Ammo used for cannons. Deals about 4000 damage to enemies it hits. | |
| Super Shell | Ammo used for cannons. Deals about 6000 damage to enemies it hits. | |
| Stunning Shell | Ammo used for cannons. Deals damage and stuns any enemies it hits for a short while. | |
| Retry Stone | Upon death, will automatically be consumed after 20 seconds if not revived and spawn you back at the starting point. | You'll begin battle with 3. |
| Wing of Return | Warps you back to the starting point. | You'll begin with 1 on some maps. |
Cannons
Several maps have cannons placed around them that can blast enemies in a specified area. Their targeting circle will always be displayed in green on the ground. To use a cannon, you must first have a cannonball or shell item in your inventory and be close to the cannon. Then select the item from your inventory and then select the cannon as your target. After a few seconds, the cannon will fire and deal damage to any enemies inside its targeting circle.
Knowing the best time to use cannons is important, so only pick up ammunition if you know what you're doing.
Like the barrier, each cannon has its own HP value and monsters will attack them. If their HP hits 0, they will be destroyed and unusable for the rest of the battle.
Achievements
After victory in a battle, you may earn achievements based on some factors. Earning achievements can earn you accolades, special cosmetic items, and can upgrade your Class Rank that will confer stat bonuses during Astoltia Defense Force. Note that defending an army means you let the timer run out without the barrier being destroyed, and defeating an army means you successfully defeated the army's general before the timer runs out. You can view your achievements by speaking to General M and selecting View Achievements.
| Achievement | Reward | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Defend <army> as <vocation> | - | One achievement per vocation. |
| Defend <army> 3 Times | - | |
| Defend <army> 5 Times | Cosmetic Item (depends on army) | Applicable to Crimson Fangs, Violet Machina, Azure Conjurers and Blue Bones only. |
| Defeat <army> | Accolade | |
| Defeat <army> 3 Times | - | |
| Defeat <army> 5 Times | - | |
| Party Defeats <non-general boss> | Cosmetic Item (depends on army) | Applicable to Crimson Fangs, Violet Machina and Azure Conjurers only. |
| Defend <army> with Unharmed Barrier | Cosmetic Item (depends on army) | Applicable to Crimson Fangs, Violet Machina, Azure Conjurers, Blue Bones, Silver Shells, Misty Marines, Ashen Dragons and Rainbow Blobs only. |
| Successfully Defended 5 Times | Defense Force Pants | |
| Successfully Defended 10 Times | - | |
| Successfully Defended 15 Times | Defense Force Shirt | |
| Successfully Defended 20 Times | - | |
| Successfully Defended 30 Times | - | |
| Successfully Defeated 5 Times | ||
| Successfully Defeated 10 Times | ||
| Successfully Defeated 15 Times | ||
| Successfully Defeated 20 Times | ||
| Successfully Defeated 30 Times | ||
| Party Defeated Miracle Box | Defense Force Pouch | A Miracle Box is a rare enemy that may appear during a Defense Force battle. |
| Defend and Use <item> | - | 13 achievements total (one for each type of item, excluding Retry Stones). |
Class
Earning enough achievements will increase your Defense Force Class. Think of this as like an army ranking. Increasing your class rank will grant various stat bonuses while battling in Defense Force, and may even change your Defense Force outfit's appearance slightly. You can view your current class rank by speaking with General M and selecting View Class List.
| Rank | Achievements Needed | Privileges Granted | Outfit Changes | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Damage Dealt | Damage Taken | Movement Speed | |||
| Novice | 0 | ||||
| Newbie | 3 | +1% | |||
| PVT | 6 | ||||
| PFC | 13 | +2% | |||
| SPC | 19 | ||||
| CPL | 26 | -1% | Shoulderpad/bootstraps turn green color | ||
| SGT | 34 | +1% | +2% | ||
| SFC | 42 | ||||
| CPT | 50 | -1% | +2% | ||
| BG | 60 | +1% | -1% | Shoulderpad/bootstraps turn blue color | |
| MG | 70 | ||||
| GEN | 80 | +1% | +2% | Shoulderpad/bootstraps turn red color | |
| GA | 100 | Shoulderpad/bootstraps turn purple color | |||
| General X | 120 | Shoulderpad/bootstraps turn gold color | |||
| General Y | 150 | Outfit gains a waistband | |||
| General Z | 185 | Outfit gains a scarf | |||
Reward Exchange
By speaking with Reward Exchange Y, you can exchange earned Defense Medals and materials to craft weapons and shields. Weapons and shields from level 42 up until the highest level are available to craft.
Each weapon/shield takes a different amount of Defense Spoils and/or other materials to craft, but will always cost 50 Defense Medals each time.
When a piece of equipment is created, it will have 3 random alchemy effects attached to it, and these effects may come with minus effects. As with gear that drop from white treasure chests, this equipment cannot be sold or traded. If you don't need it, just throw it away.
Supply Minister
Speaking with Supply Minister P will allow you to exchange your Defense Medals and materials for a variety of other items, including cosmetics.
| Item | Materials Needed | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| EXP Scripture | Defense Spoils (1) x 10 | |
| EXP Scripture | Defense Spoils (2) x 10 | |
| EXP Scripture | Defense Spoils (3) x 10 | |
| EXP Scripture | Flying Claws x 10 | |
| EXP Scripture | Sacred Leaf x10 | |
| EXP Scripture | Abundant Seed x10 | |
| Experience Scroll | Defense Medals x15 | Can exchange for any vocation's experience scroll. |
| Crush General's Hammer | Defense Spoils (1) x100 | Can also be earned via achievement. |
| Violet Greatsword | Defense Spoils (1) x100 | Can also be earned via achievement. |
| Wreck General's Wings | Defense Spoils (1) x100 | Can also be earned via achievement. |
| Corpse General's Axe | Defense Spoils (2) x100 | Can also be earned via achievement. |
| Dabam Spider Legs | Defense Spoils (2) x100 | Can also be earned via achievement. |
| Wave General's Rod | Defense Spoils (2) x100 | Can also be earned via achievement. |
| Thunder General's Stache | Defense Spoils (3) x100 | Can also be earned via achievement. |
| Death General's Light | Defense Spoils (3) x100 | Can also be earned via achievement. |
Advanced Tips
Astoltia Defense Force may seem overwhelming to a new player, but you'll get used to it in time. That said, it's good to know some tips that experienced players use to make the experience easier.
- Movement speed is very important in ADF. If you can score feet equipment with Movement Speed alchemy effects on it, it will be quite useful.
- To get around quickly, many players use a trick that involves using the skill Sobering Slap on another player far away from them. Using a skill like this that forces you to run up to another player will cause your character to move faster than normal speed.
- During the All Armies hour, many players will opt to choose the easiest armies for the most optimal gain on materials and Defense Medals. Alien Invaders is generally the most popular pick, as the army general is quite easy to defeat with the current level of player power.
- Accessories such as Mechanical Eye are also very useful. Since there are many enemies, the accessory will rapidly raise your tension.
