Earth Defenders

 is the fourty-sixth offline mission and the fourty-ninth online mission in Earth Defense Force 2025 and the fourty-eighth offline mission and the fifty-first online mission in Earth Defense Force 4.1: The Shadow of New Despair.

Objective
2025: We have confirmed that the aliens are continuing to move. We'll mobilize and engage them in the mountains. The Ravagers have dropped Shield Bearers who are moving to defend the ginat insects. That will make the insects very dangerous. Good luck.

4.1: We have confirmed that the aliens are continuing to move, so we'll mobilize and engage them in the mountains. The Ravagers have dropped Shield Bearers, who are moving to defend the ginat insects. That will make the going much more treacherous. Good luck!

Storyline
Storm Team is in a mountain region filled with giant insects and Shield Bearers, when HQ orders all units to attack. Some of the new recruits who haven't seen Shield Bearers note that there's a "dome of light" and it deflects bullets. Thanks to their inadequate training HQ is forced to explain how the Shield Bearers work again.

When most of insects are dead a new Shield Bearer with ants appears. And after that Hornets and then more ants with shields. The mission ends when all enemies are destroyed.

4.1 Changes
The mission has more enemies. There is a Shield Bearer that can create a dome large enough to cover half of the map.

The Ranger team was replaced with more Wing Divers and the other team got one more person. At the beginning of the mission a Fencer team appears under the closest Shield Bearer and gets chewed up by the ants so they call backup on the radio. If they don't die they just sit there doing nothing unless something comes to them

When a new wave appears the Tactics Officer warns against the new Shield Bearers. HQ also has also more dialogue encouraging the soldiers to go inside the domes even though it's dangerous.

2025

 * A team of 4 Rangers with Sniper Rifles appears near the players when they spawn.
 * A team of 4 Wing Divers with Lances appears near the players when they spawn.

4.1

 * A team of 5 Wing Divers with LAZRs appears near the players when they spawn.
 * A team of 5 Wing Divers with Lances appears near the players when they spawn.


 * A team of 5 Fencers with Blasthole Spears appears a few seconds after the mission starts. They cannot be recruited.

4.1
Bring weapons that can deal with swarms of insects with enough range to hit Hornets. Also bring a high damage weapon against the Shield Bearers.

The insects are not aggressive until provoked (the Fencer team will provoke the first group immediately) and the groups are far away from each other so it's best if you attack them separately so they won't overwhelm you. Fighting the bugs near the Shield Bearers can be annoying so try to lure them away.