Boundary Push

"I can't sleep yet, I still have work to do..."

This article still needs to be completed. You can help us by contributing.

Boundary Push (边界推进) is an infiltration and resources-gathering mode with rewards that are reset weekly, accessed through the Time-Limited Events menu. It contains two sub-modes:

• Breakthrough (域限突破): Allows active and passive collection of base game resources. Teased as far back as May 2022, it was available at launch in CN but was only added with Aphelion in other servers.
• Phase Clash (异位冲突, also known as "Phase Breakthrough"): Added to CN in March 2025 and to Global in September 2025 to gather Remolding Pattern resources. Made less punishing in its "1.0" May update.

This mode is also known under the names Frontier Surge, which was an early English translation used only in CN, Dark Zone which is used in game files, and Tarkov Mode which is a community nickname comparing the mode with the looter shooter/extraction shooter game Escape From Tarkov. The new, more dynamic version of the mode announced during the 10th anniversary of the franchise has been explicitly compared to Escape From Tarkov by Yuzhong.

Generalities

Exploration mode.

Gameplay

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

Before starting a level, a Doll team (four Dolls in Breakthrough and five Dolls in Phase Clash) 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 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 Delve Permits and gathered 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 Delve Permits.

Reward System

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 Breakthrough, rewards can be collected passively, but they can only be collected by exploring manually in Phase Clash.

Breakthrough

Breakthrough menu.

Each game of Breakthrough 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)

Each Layer has its own reward pool to go through.

Crystal Collection

Collection menu.

Rewards from any of the pools of the currently selected Layer 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.

Phase Clash

Unlocked at Commander Level 55. Specifically yields items for Remolding Core.

Each week, three exploration areas centered around a specific phase (“Furnace Exclusion Zone” for Burn, “High Voltage Zone” for Electric, “Machine Graveyard” for Physical, “Everfrost Taiga” for Freeze, “Riptide Current” for Hydro and “Corrosive Morass” for Corrosion) are available. Using Dolls with a different phase will reduce their combat efficiency by 50%, while those in Phase Alignment will have a bonus effect. All enemy units have extra buffs. Each area contains multiple floors of increasing difficulty. Maps may contains locked doors requiring the completion of a minigame to open.

On top of normal supply box rarities, a special box camouflaged in the environment called “Mimicrate” is available in one of the areas. Mimicrates take the form of unusual items or enemies in the environments, such as a rubber ducky, stuffed bear or Mr. Pizza. The exact position of the Mimicrate can be revealed by collecting the three Epiphyllum Traces in the Deep Layer reward pool of Breakthrough. Moreover, boxes emitting a red aura contain a randomized bonus Surprise Drop, including Collapse Pieces.

Gathering rewards while exploring in Phase Clash accumulates Purification Credits, counting toward a complementary Purification Reward ladder.

Dusty Relics & Lost Dream Bosses

Dusty Relics are items that can appear as rare drops from any supply box. They are listed as mementos in the Storeroom list. Once all items from a series are collected, the Lost Dream sub-menu appears in Phase Clash and the corresponding secret boss fight can be accessed. Beating a Lost Dream boss grants minor permanent bonuses.

Almighty Master

When beaten, rewards Inscription of Victory, which grants ATK+1, DEF+1 and HP+1 to all Dolls.

Boss' Orders

A radio handset found in a Varjager camp. No matter which button you press, it only returns a busy tone. Surely an armed faction running rampant throughout the contaminated zone must have a loud and blustering mastermind behind it, but why hasn't anyone ever brought up what he looks like?

Broken Badge

A silver badge, severely weathered by the wind. The edge of an engraved design is barely visible from the fragment of it that remains. The faith of the past is buried beneath the sands, but could a new storm be brewing amidst the sand and dust?

Undying Ember

A trinket one can occasionally find in the White Zone. It's not really undying, its fuel is just special and it's protected from extinguishing. What warms the residents of the Yellow Zone can also be a source of fire for the Varjagers; who knows how many settlements it's burned down by now?

Hunter's Lance

A filthy yet sharp spear, capable of defending yourself when you're out of ammo. Nothing is ever useless in the hands of a hunter... apart from the hunter himself.

Garbled Recording

A broken recording pen. Upon repair, it plays the following audio: “...The URNC authorizes B.R.I.E.F... perform a boundary push... strategies... must not be leaked...”

Masterless Wayfinder

This device is still functioning and faithfully records its master's activities in the survey area, but there is only a pool of blood in the place where the flashing blip on its screen points to. A compass can show you the way, but it won't necessarily keep you safe.

Unknown Risk

An item that should not be here. Worse, it's been damaged and its contents are gone. Perhaps studying it isn't wise, but chance encounters go hand in hand with risk, right?

Reborn Fantasy

A crate containing several ID chips, some of them stained with blood. Whose dreams were laid low here? This hope which was won at the cost of everything fell before the clash of human hearts even before they could be tested by machines.

Frozen Incantation

Made from Collapse Crystal, they're of a make that's never been seen outside the contaminated zones and the wind blowing through its holes makes an indescribable sounds. Is it a sign of a budding civilization, or the trademark of mutant ELIDs? This is a problem.

Trace of Nature

Unlike manmade decorations from the city, this is a natural item that appears at night, but it's lost its original hue because of severe contamination. Spring in the contaminated zones is a long time off.

• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 

Genesis - A Work of Genius

When beaten, rewards Genius' Warning, which grants HP+3 to all Dolls.

Broken Circuit

A copper cable buried deep beneath the earth. How much power did it provide and whose home did it protect?

Contaminated Crystal

Once, it was a complete crystal, but now all that remains are worthless fragments. Was it a waste of natural resources or a an unexpected disaster? Only the land knows.

Long-Awaited Memory

This fairly new Griffin badge is slightly different from the one in your memories. However, you're still not sure which Griffin it belongs to.

Ambition's Foundation

This specially-made device has been proven to be able to affect Collapse Radiation intensity in its surroundings. It is the basis for the "miracles" worked by Niter and part of the ambition that spreads from the White Zone.

Fighting Beast's Ticket

This once served as currency in the dark alleys, but they ended up as waste paper as the Doll arenas were gradually wiped out. For everyone who won big on the matches, countless Dolls died in an octagonal cage.

Proof of Loss

A corner from a burnt photograph. Half a dozen short figures can be seen emerging from underground. While the people who know their identity are no longer around, the secret place they came from won't disappear easily. Will there be another person who will take a photograph like this?

• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
•