Tips on how to solo defense missions in the Plains of Eidolon and Orb Vallis?

[MqToasty 17]

So I play solo exclusively, and the only time my defense targets can survive in the open world zones of Earth and Venus is if I get really, really lucky.  It seems like a single enemy squad only needs 5 seconds to kill the targets from full-health, and I just cannot get around the field fast enough to kill them before they do.  This is not a problem in Deimos/Cambian Drift, only Earth and Venus.

Any tips?

[(PSN)Dr_Bruiser 187]

3 minutes ago, MqToasty said:

So I play solo exclusively, and the only time my defense targets can survive in the open world zones of Earth and Venus is if I get really, really lucky.  It seems like a single enemy squad only needs 5 seconds to kill the targets from full-health, and I just cannot get around the field fast enough to kill them before they do.  This is not a problem in Deimos/Cambian Drift, only Earth and Venus.

Any tips?

Which defense missions are giving you trouble?  I can only think of the armored vault segment in POE and the Coildrive mission in Fortuna.  

For both of those, a Snowglobe Frost or a Slow-Nova would probably do the trick.  

If a different bounty segment, let us know which one in particular is giving you trouble.

[Cpl_Facehugger 7,850]

Bring a warframe that's got good defensive powers and cast them on the defense target. I used gara for this for a long time, since her 2 can be cast on some defense targets to give them huge DR and her 4 can be cast to protect all the other ones.

Nowadays I use Oberon Prime, since renewal heals defense targets now and with my build the heal is enough to keep them alive unless I get distracted and let the enemy wail on them for awhile.

[GrazeZeroLow 607]

1 minute ago, MqToasty said:

So I play solo exclusively, and the only time my defense targets can survive in the open world zones of Earth and Venus is if I get really, really lucky.  It seems like a single enemy squad only needs 5 seconds to kill the targets from full-health, and I just cannot get around the field fast enough to kill them before they do.  This is not a problem in Deimos/Cambian Drift, only Earth and Venus.

Any tips?

Cetus, Earth - Make sure to destroy the turrets and hack consoles that control the drop pods (if any). If you have a good sniper rifle, destroy the ships on approach.

OV, Venus - Similar tactics. Destroy the sticks that call down the drop pods, and pop the ships on approach.

In general, you'll what some crowd control. Either from your warframe or building a specter (Nidus, Octavia, Khora). Bring a sidearm and a melee weapon that kills fast. Kavats and the new infested kavat/kubrows are murderous.

Above all, keep moving! Standing still forces a loss.

[(NSW)Formez 9]

A limbo can also help for cc

[MqToasty 17]

Thanks everyone!  I'll give those frames a try.  The Valkyr I'm using is great for keeping myself alive, but probably not ideal for defense missions...

[(XBOX)Rez090 614]

Mesa

[Nick-ka-ka 242]

Generally speaking, unless you are using overwhelming force to keep the enemies at bay [Mesa/Nova], the best idea would to bring a defensive frame that can protect the objective. Below are some suggestions for defensive frames to bring.

Frost
The usual go-to for defense missions, Frost's Snowglobe is the ideal option. You can cover multiple points, enemies can't shoot in, but you can shoot out. It does have some issued dealing with larger enemies, especially on Orb Vallis, but it is extremely strong overall. The rest of his kit will also slow down the enemies' offense, allowing you to gun them down quickly.

Gara
Providing both survival and defensive, Gara is an excellent alternative to Frost. Her Splinter Storm gives her excellent damage resistances, enhancing survivability. Spectrorage and Mass Vitrify are excellent defensive tools to keep the enemy at bay. Unlike Snowglobe, the wall from Mass Vitrify will not be completely nullified once it has taken enough damage, but will rather break in that particular area. It does not cover above you, and has difficulty protecting you fully on hills. 

Limbo
Another potential alternative to Frost and Gara is Limbo, who works one two different planes of reality. His Cataclysm will render everything within the bubble intangible until the enemy actually enters the orb. However, unless Snowglobe and Mass Vitrify, it does eventually collapse; meaning you must recast it somewhat frequently. Those within the void can also be frozen in time, allowing them to be dealt with quickly.

These two below are honorable mentions, and while they do not have full area-of-effect coverage, still have great defensive abilities.
Volt
Volt brings speed to the table, along with the crowd control effects of jolt, shocking the enemies with a potent stun. His Electric Shield will only cover a small rectangle, but it does stop incoming fire, and gives any weapon fire from you or allies additional electric damage. You can also place down multiple shields to cover a wider range. His Speed can also allow you to deal with attackers swiftly, giving a boost to movement speed and attack speed on melee weapons.

Atlas
Where Volt brings speed, Atlas brings heft. This punch-happy frame will be more than happy to knock out anyone that comes near the objective. He does have a barricade of stone that can completely block off certain parts of objectives [consoles/thermia canisters], making it difficult for the enemy to even get onto the point. And he is also capable of summoning two stone goons at any point, bringing additional manpower to any gunfight.

Edited September 21, 2020 by Nick-ka-ka

[(PSN)Sswoop- 4]

I always use a high power and high duration vauban. For any defense target I just throw down 4 flechette orbs around it, spaced evenly to cover each direction, but not too far apart. Then take care to manually destroy all turrets or the alert sticks on orb vallis

[(PSN)AbBaNdOn_ 748]

You either bring a Defensive/CC frame.

Or you have Defensive/CC spectres.    

---------------------------------------------

I like gara for spectrorage (which is like the most under appreciated skill in the game according to helminth data.  Nobody even trys to use anything other than splinter lol)

Wisp for Lantern.

Nova for slow

[(PSN)DiligentDiamond 14]

Zephyr with some range mods is a better limbo in that u can snipe out from her anti range deflection bubble, and then tornado if it gets really hairy. I'm also using the volt helmith ability on my 2 now for more range dmg w/shock trooper augment.

Edited September 22, 2020 by (PS4)DiligentDiamond