The Defender is a combat Officer focused on survivability. It improves defensive statistics but does not replace technologies or the actual number of units.
What does each level provide?
Defender scales by level: +10% defense and shield per level. The relevant defensive combat statistics mechanic reads this bonus when the server calculates the corresponding action or account state.
What does this bonus combine with?
The Defender strengthens the defensive side of battle resolution alongside combat technologies, avatar bonuses and other combat modifiers. The final result can therefore depend on the Officer level together with technologies, buildings, active events and the current universe settings.
What does this Officer not change?
It does not increase attack, change post-battle defense repair factors or create additional defensive units. This distinction matters because similar-looking statistics in Inter-War do not necessarily use the same modifier.
How are new levels purchased?
Buying another level costs Dark Matter. The general formula is (current level + 1) × (2000 × Officer factor). The factor, requirements and maximum level come from the active universe catalog.
When is the bonus most noticeable?
It is most useful for accounts built around strong planetary or fleet defense where survivability matters more than shorter travel time. Do not assume one universal maximum level: worlds can use different configuration, so the Officers panel is the current source of truth for cost and level cap.
Does the Defender increase post-battle defense repair?
No. The Defender bonus applies to defense and shield statistics used during combat. The post-battle defense-repair factor is a separate universe parameter. A higher Defender level can therefore improve survivability during combat, but it should not be interpreted as extra automatic repair after the battle ends.
Related FAQ: How does the General, fleet-speed and attack bonus work? · How does the Admiral, fleet speed and extra slot work?