Understand Defensive Fire
Useful when…
- Building temporary maximum Shields through enemy kills.
- Adding a survival-oriented Plexus effect.
Effect and stacking
At rank 0, each enemy killed grants +1.5% Maximum Shields for 10 seconds, up to 10 stacks. Rank 3 raises the per-kill bonus to +6%, and rank 5 to +9%; the ten-stack maximum and 10-second duration remain stated conditions. The maximum possible listed stack count is therefore reached only after enough qualifying kills within the effect window.
Plexus fit and ranking
This standard Plexus mod has Vazarin polarity, maximum rank 5, and base drain 6. Listed fusion costs include 30 Endo and 1,449 Credits from rank 0 to 1, 120 Endo and 5,796 Credits from rank 2 to 3, and 480 Endo and 23,184 Credits from rank 4 to 5. Ranking increases the shield bonus per kill, while the supplied text leaves duration and stack limit unchanged.
Other Plexus effects
Crimson Fugue increases turret damage per enemy destroyed, stacking up to five times for 8 seconds. Scourging Warheads gives Ordnance a chance to ignore enemy Shields, while Waveband Disruptor gives Turret Critical Hits a chance to ignore Shields. These are offensive effects with different triggers and do not replace Defensive Fire's maximum Shields increase.
Limitations and tradeoffs
- The bonus lasts 10 seconds and depends on kills to build stacks.
- It uses 6 base drain in the standard Plexus slot.
Common mistakes to avoid
- Assuming the maximum ten stacks apply from a single kill.
- Expecting the 10-second effect to persist without further qualifying kills.