Defiance Newbie FAQ

Defiance Newbie FAQ by Hurikane211 and Kemba

Greetings fellow Ark Hunters! So I’ve been playing since just after launch, and I’ve decided to cobble together a condensed list of FAQ’s to help new players out. Most, if not all of this information (and then some) can be found on the wiki, so be sure to check it out! Play the tutorial before reading, this is extra information that they fail to mention. I’m playing on the 360, so some information may be a little different. This post if far from comprehensive but it’s all I can come up with right now, feel free to suggest additions, and I’ll edit the post to include them. Also, up vote for visibility please!

Q: Does the race/background I pick matter?

A: Very minimally. As far as I know, it only changes your starting costume and weapon. You will find more weapons almost immediately.

Q: What are bits?

A: Bits are the in game cash shop currency. They are basically equivalent to Microsoft Points. Most of the cash shop items are cosmetic only, and really have no effect on the game. Lockboxes are the exception as they contain random weapons and mods. I also highly recommend shelling out some money to increase your inventory slots, they fill up quick.

Q: So, I should buy a bunch of tier 1 lock boxes because they’re cheap, right?

A: If you’re just starting out, maybe one or two, but generally no. The developers have told us that Tier 4 boxes have much better high level and rarity weaponry. (At the time of writing, Oranges seem to be dropping more frequently from level 3 boxes, however.)

Q: Weapon rarity?

A: The names of weapons are in various different colors. The order, in increasing rarity, is as follows: White, Green, Blue, Purple, Orange.

Q: Ok, so I have some rare-ish guns now. I should do pvp to show of my skillzors, yeah?

A: Absolutely not. I don’t recommend entering pvp until your Ego level is at least 200.

Q: What is the difference between minor and major Ark Falls?

A: The biggest difference is the difficulty involved. In a major ark fall, several smaller battles must be completed before the “final boss” of the AF. The difficulty of the enemies you encounter ramps up for each player in the area, and big AF’s tend to attract 100+ players. The rewards are slightly better for a major AF but in the beginning, it’s best to stick to the minor ones. I recommend waiting until you have at least 100 ego before entering your first major fall. Any less and you’ll probably just be in the way.

Q: How do self revives work?

A: There is a small icon on your hud of a man in a grey box. This is your self revive timer, when it is full, you can self revive again. Some weapons have effects which help restore this timer.

Q: So I’m fighting some hell bugs and then OHGODIMONFIREITBURNSAHHHHHH!

A: Not quite a question there, rookie. But you’ll want to roll that off. This also helps break those mud cocoon things the archers/pods fire at you.

Q: How do I delete items?
A: In your inventory, make sure it isn’t equipped on any of your load-outs, and press “Y”.

Q: How do I sell items?
A: Like above, at a vendor make sure the item in question isn’t equipped, go to the “sell tab” and press A to sell it.

Q: How do I salvage items?
A: Go to the “Salvage” matrix, select the weapon you want to salvage and click “Breakdown to resources. (make sure the weapon is not equipped.)

Q: I can’t see my friends when I join a group. Why?
A: Press right on the D-pad, and find your friend’s name in “Group”. Then select “Go to friend”. This will not work if they are in a solo instance.

Q: My friend sent me an invite, but I didn’t receive it!
A: This is most likely due to a desync somewhere. Try relogging into the game.

Q: I can’t trade an item. Why?
A: Unequip it from all of your loadouts and try again.

Q: I can’t add mod slots to a weapon. Why?
A: Make sure you have the weapon unequipped.

Q: How do I cue up for shadow wars/Co-op/Competitive?
A: One of two ways. Press > on D-pad, and go to matchmaking. Alternatively, press start and hold LT, then select “Matchmaking”. Go from there.

Q: Is loot individual or shared?
A: Loot is individual. You will see your own drops, and others will see theirs. Don’t feel bad about picking up that orange!

Q: I can’t find any more main missions. Why?
A: Assuming you haven’t finished the game, this happens now and then after a story quest. Drive around and do pursuits or side quests for a while, and you’ll be contacted by radio, and given coordinates for your next quest start.

Q: How do I leave a group/clan?
A: Press Right on the D-pad, select group or clan, whichever corresponds to your situation, and continue pressing right until you see the “Leave” option.

Q: I did a mission/Arkfall but didn’t get any loot. (also happens with lockboxs)
A: Open your menu and go to the Defiance in-game store. Your item will appear in the “Claim item” tab.

Q: Where do I get orange rarity items?
A: As in any other RPG, drops are a random chance. The best bet is to go for lockboxes – Tier 2 seems to be the cheapest, for what you get. Good luck, be patient.

Q: What’s the rarity color code?
A: White – Common. Green – Uncommon. Blue – Rare. Purple – Ultra Rare. Orange – Legendary.

Q: How do I remove a mod from a gun?
A: Much in the same way that you applied the mod via the Matrix. Note that if you remove a mod, the mod will be destroyed.

Q: Is there item storage?
A: No, there is no player storage (Banks, etc.) in Defiance as of yet.

Q: “I can’t see my stats on the Defiance website’s player Hub.”
A: As of yet, the player hub stat tracker isn’t working.

Q: “How do I open the trade window?”
A: Press Right on the D-pad while near someone you want to trade with, and select “Trade invite”.

Q: I found a bug/glitch! how do i report it!?
A: You can easily handel reporting bugs/glitches in the game without having to even leave the game! Here is an easy step by step guide to reporting bugs/glitches!

Other things:

Vendors are your friend! Always check back to see what the new deals and sales are. I’ve gotten some of my best middle tier gear that way.

When participating in Ark Falls, try to know where the closest ammo box is. It may be up the road, but the vehicles are fast. You will almost always run out of ammo at least once during an Ark Fall, so don’t be that guy who tries to melee the crystal.

Gear that drops is different for every player, and no one can pick up what you see, so don’t risk going down for a crappy grenade mod. It will be there when the skitters are gone.

Boost is A on the Xbox, Shift on the PC and X on the PS3.

Now get out there and make some scrip!

Edit: Here is some added information provided by your fellow Ark Hunters!

“You can unlock all four of the powers but can only equip one at a time. This also gives you access to perks that you wouldn’t normally have access to. (Assuming you steer clear of “Increases your (Individual power such as cloak) by X amount perks.) For example you can pick Increase item drop by 3% if enemy is killed by an explosive, as long as you unlock the top right power, then unlock the perk. And despite not having that power in use, you can still use the perk if you have it equipped.” – TimeLordPony

“There are Co-op missions that are instanced like other MMOs. You have to go through a queue to get to them. Command for the 360, off the top of my head: Dpad Left: Quick Menu Matchmaking Coop Mission It should list all the available Coop missions that you have as well as Quick Join. If you don’t see any there, do some missions and level up, Coop Missions open up as you progress.” – Desdomen

(On items not appearing if inventory is full) “If you go to the store tab, all items that wont fit in the backpack go down to the bottom in a claim items section… you can get them there. I learned this from defeating instances and Items disappearing only to end up there!” – Alexiib