Boundary Push

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Main menu.

Exploration menu.

Boundary Push (边界推进, also called Dark Zone in game files) is an infiltration mode with rewards that are reset weekly, accessed through the Time-Limited Events menu. Teased as far back as May 2022, it was available at launch in CN but was only added with Aphelion in other servers.

Rewards

Rewards are split between three pools: Basic Supply Box, Standard Supply Box and Deluxe Supply Box.

Supply Boxes corresponding to each pool can be found during exploration, granting one of the resources available from the corresponding pool. Basic and Standard Supply Boxes are automatically opened, but Deluxe Supply Boxes located in boss areas take some time to open.

In Crystal Collection, rewards are pulled from any of the pools of the currently selected Layer at the end of each collection cycle.

Menus

Each game in Boundary Push grants progress towards Collection Points and a corresponding increase in Depth level, which unlocks more Crystal Collection slots.

Three layers of increasing difficulties are playable and can be changed at any time:

• Surface Layer (recommended Doll level 20, 80 Basic Supply Boxes, 60 Standard Supply Box and 8 Deluxe Supply Box)
• Intermediate Layer (recommended Doll level 40, Basic Supply Boxes, Standard Supply Box and Deluxe Supply Box)
• Deep Layer (recommended Doll level 60, Basic Supply Boxes, Standard Supply Box and Deluxe Supply Box)

Crystal Collection

Collection menu.

Rewards can be gathered passively by assigning Dolls that are level 20 at minimum to a collection slot. Assigning a Doll doesn't prevent her use in the rest of the game. A total of 10 collection slots can be unlocked by reaching Depth 11.

Strategy

Unlocked after playing three times.

Strategy Nodes are unlocked with the Electro Crystals gathered in the weekly rewards.

An option allows to reset all selected strategies while reimbursing all Electro Crystals to respec.

Bounties

Unlocked after playing five times.

Bounties are Elimination-type Breakthroughs where the goal is to reach and kill a specific boss, granting extra rewards. They're also reset each week.

Breakthrough

Gameplay

Each game in Boundary Push is referred to as a Breakthrough, a Survey or an Exploration.

Before starting a level, a four-Dolls team is selected. The weapon type of the Doll influences her abilities during exploration, especially after unlocking certain Strategy Nodes. RFs have the largest attack range but a corresponding Alert Range, while BLDs have the smallest Alert Range and ignore cover. SMGs can be improved to ignore cover and MGs to have area attack to take out multiple enemies covering each other.

The map to be played will be selected at random.

Any of the four Dolls can be selected as the leader during exploration and moved with the WASD keys or the on-screen joystick on mobile. Each map is composed of subsections which contain enemies and supply boxes. Entering a subsection costs 10 File:Item Delve Permit.png Delve Permits, which limits the number of areas the player can explore in one game. The amount of Delve Permits and the detailed map can be seen by clicking on the minimap. Players start with 80 Delve Permits by default, but this number can be enhanced with strategies. A very generous timer limits explorations to 3:30 hours. Arrows on the map point to the next section.

In Elimination maps, the goal is to reach and defeat the boss of the map while moving strategically to avoid the detection range of enemies and minimize the amount of combat with opportunity attacks. Entering a detection range starts a detection timer, which is faster for enemies with reduced detection ranges, elites and bosses. If the lead Doll is detected, a Reactive Engagement is triggered. When the lead Doll is on a high ground, she's concealed from the detection range of enemies. When enemies are on a high ground, they won't detect the Doll on the lower level unless their Alert Value has increased.

When a target is in range of the lead Doll, the attack screen can be brought up with Q. A list of valid targets will then appear (unless Quick Aim has been activated in the options). The outcome of an attack depends on the environment:

• If the enemy is not in cover, it will be "assassinated" and no combat will occur.
  • Attacking will produce a circular Alert Range around the Doll raising the Alert Value of enemies within. Alert Value returns to normal after some time. Enemies with elevated Alert Value will have an increased detection range and will move towards the lead Doll (but enemies cannot use ladders).
  • Explosives can be targeted to take out multiple enemies at once and destroy fragile obstacles, but will trigger detection rules and leave an area causing fire damage to the lead Doll. MGs can be enhanced to produce the same effect.
  • Elites and bosses have too much HP to be assassinated directly in practice, but can be wounded and killed by explosives.
• If the enemy wasn't killed by an attack, either because it had too much HP or was in cover, an Initiative Engagement will start, which transitions into a standard battle.
• If the enemy was in the visual range of another enemy, a Stress Response will occur and a Reactive Engagement will start.

The two types of engagements are:

• Initiative Engagement: the enemy suffers damage before the battle starts.
• Reactive Engagement: the lead Doll suffers damage before the battle starts.

Any time a standard battle is triggered, the sub-area of the map becomes the classic battlefield of the game and any enemy that wasn't previously assassinated takes part in combat. Depending on the current Crisis Level, a certain amount of reinforcements will appear. Reinforcements will be skipped and the combat end if all enemies on the map are eliminated before the end of the player's turn. During boss fights, the combat will end when the boss is destroyed.

Crisis Level increases each time a battle is triggered. It causes more reinforcements to arrive during battle and increases detection speed.

Exploration ends when the player selects the Evacuate button under the minimap, quits while in battle without a respawn point active, or have spent all their File:Item Delve Permit.png Delve Permits andgathered all supply boxes on the map. The Dolls used in the mission will rest and be unusable for 15 hours.

Structures

• Oil drums and dyna boxes: explosives generating a damage zone when attacked. The dyna box can also be manually activated on a timer. Can be used to destroy obstacles and hurt enemies. Initially, the explosion will also hurt the Dolls, but strategies can be unlocked to protect them from explosion damage and even increase explosion radius.
• Ladders: used to climb up and down to vantage points. Building points to spawn new ladders appear after unlocking the corresponding strategy.
• Deadwood: bushes concealing all units moving through them. After unlocking specific strategies, new deadwood patches can be deployed and enemies moving through them can be displayed.
• Stone Shells: solid obstacles that are initially indestructible except with explosives. With new strategies, shotguns, then other Doll types become able to destroy them and scan for supply boxes hidden inside.
• Reboot Station: basically save points. Heals Dolls when passing nearby and will be used as a respawn point if the Dolls are defeated or escape combat.
• Relay Points: Same as Reboot Station, plus map-wide teleportation points for fast backtrack through the map menu once unlocked.
• Relocation Points: unlocked with strategies. Color-coded one-use teleport points within the same area.
• High-speed Tracks: teleportation pads used to reach a new map. Watch your remaining number of File:Item Delve Permit.png Delve Permits.