WEAPONS

DEFORBIT: EARTH DEFENDER

DefOrbit's Campaign arsenal has six weapons with four evolution tiers (I → II → III → MAX). Classic and co-op use the Pulse Cannon, with no weapon drops or Q switching. In Campaign solo, upgrade cards evolve weapons and eligible matching drops can evolve a weapon you already carry. A different weapon drop fills or replaces your secondary slot; press Q to switch when both slots are occupied.

Pulse Cannon, Scatter Shot, and Plasma Lance are unlocked when you start Campaign. Clear Sector 1 for Homing Darts, Sector 3 for Plasma Burst, and Sector 5 for Ricochet Bolts. The optional Dual Weapon Slot costs 150 earned credits and lets you prepare a secondary weapon before launch. Stats below are base tier values before other bonuses. See How to Play for modes and progress, or Bosses for strategies.

PULSE CANNON
STARTER
Balanced auto-fire cannon

The Pulse Cannon is your reliable workhorse. It fires single accurate projectiles at a solid rate with zero spread, making it effective at any range. At Tier III it gains a second simultaneous projectile, and at MAX both projectiles pierce through multiple enemies with an extended lifetime. A safe default for any playstyle — consistent damage output throughout every wave.

TIERFIRE RATEDAMAGESPEEDCOUNTPIERCE
Pulse I818001—
Pulse II1118501—
Pulse III1118502—
Pulse MAX1219002YES
SCATTER SHOT
STARTER
Wide spread, lower damage

Scatter Shot fires a fan of projectiles simultaneously, trading single-target accuracy for wide-angle coverage. It excels at clearing dense swarms where precise aim is difficult. The spread angle widens at Tier III and the projectile count increases at every tier up to seven at MAX, which also raises damage per shot. Pair it as a secondary alongside a focused primary to cover different threat types.

TIERFIRE RATEDAMAGESPEEDSPREADCOUNT
Scatter I50.67000.23
Scatter II50.67000.25
Scatter III60.67200.355
Scatter MAX60.87500.357
PLASMA LANCE
STARTER
Slow, high single-target damage

Plasma Lance fires a single heavy bolt with the highest raw damage of any non-AoE weapon. Its low fire rate demands deliberate aim — but each hit deals four times the damage of a Pulse Cannon shot. Fire rate improves from 2.5 to 4 shots per second across tiers. At Tier III the bolt gains piercing, punching through multiple targets in a line. MAX sacrifices a small amount of damage per shot (3.5 vs 4) but compensates with the highest projectile speed and longest range in the game.

TIERFIRE RATEDAMAGESPEEDCOUNTPIERCE
Lance I2.5412001—
Lance II3.5414001—
Lance III3.5414001YES
Lance MAX43.515001YES
HOMING DARTS
CAMPAIGN UNLOCK: CLEAR SECTOR 1
Auto-targeting, low damage

Homing Darts steer toward the nearest regular enemy, helping you track fast-moving targets. They do not automatically steer toward bosses. Each dart deals low damage; Tier II adds a second simultaneous dart, and MAX fires three per shot. Turn rate increases with each tier (3 → 3.5 → 4 → 4.5 rad/s), allowing sharper turns as the weapon evolves.

TIERFIRE RATEDAMAGESPEEDCOUNTTURN RATE
Homing I60.450013
Homing II60.355023.5
Homing III7.50.360024
Homing MAX60.360034.5
PLASMA BURST
CAMPAIGN UNLOCK: CLEAR SECTOR 3
Explosive AoE projectiles

Plasma Burst fires slow-moving projectiles that explode on contact, dealing area-of-effect damage to all enemies within the blast radius. The explosion radius grows from 80 units at Tier I to 130 units at MAX — wide enough to clear entire clusters with a single well-placed shot. At Tier III a second projectile fires per burst with a slight spread. Despite its low fire rate, the AoE potential makes it devastating in dense waves and against grouped enemies near Earth.

TIERFIRE RATEDAMAGESPEEDCOUNTBLAST RADIUS
Burst I32400180
Burst II3.534001100
Burst III3.534202100
Burst MAX444202130
RICOCHET BOLTS
CAMPAIGN UNLOCK: CLEAR SECTOR 5
Bounces between enemies

Ricochet Bolts are the hardest weapon to unlock and the most rewarding to use in tight situations. Each bolt bounces between nearby enemies after its first impact, chaining damage across the whole group. Bounces increase from 2 at Tier I to 5 at MAX. At Tier III a second bolt fires per shot, and the projectile lifetime extends to give bolts more time to find their next target. Ricochet Bolts are at their strongest when enemies are clustered — every bounce hits a fresh target for free.

TIERFIRE RATEDAMAGESPEEDCOUNTBOUNCES
Ricochet I40.890012
Ricochet II50.895013
Ricochet III5195023
Ricochet MAX61100025