Editing Defense (section)

===Countering Defense===
'''Defense''' can reduce the damage output of most towers significantly.

There are a couple of towers and consumables that can melt the ''Percentage Defense'' value of enemies, allowing your towers to deal more damage. A few certain towers can also ignore defense. There are two types of defense melting towers. The first has them decrease ''Total Defense'' by a certain percentage. However, if the [[Pyromancer]], which melts defense by 50%, is decreasing defense of [[Fallen Hero]], which has 50% defense, this does not mean its defense will be lowered to 0%. Instead, it is decreased by 25% defense, as which is 50% of 50% defense. The defense removal can stack, so the [[Pyromancer]] and [[Electroshocker]] can together remove 70% ''Percentage Defense'', but two [[Pyromancer]]s cannot remove 100% ''Percentage Defense''. Instead, only 50% ''Percentage Defense'' can be melted. Additionally, defense melting from burn cannot stack with other burn towers, freeze defense melting cannot stack with other freeze towers and poison defense melting cannot stack with other poison towers.

The second type has them decrease ''Total Defense'' by a flat amount. For example, the [[DJ Booth]] at maximum power can melt 25% defense. This means that when melting defense of the [[Fallen Giant]], it will will melt its defense from 60% to 35%.

Both forms of defense melting do not interfere with each other and can stack. For example, if the [[DJ Booth]] decreases the [[Vindicator (Legacy)|Vindicator]]'s defense from 100% to 75%, the [[Pyromancer]] will reduce it from 75% to 25%, which is the same decrease (50% less defense) as if [[DJ Booth]] did not affect it. Likewise, if the [[Pyromancer]] decreases the [[Vindicator (Legacy)|Vindicator]]'s defense from 100% to 50%, the [[DJ Booth]] will still be able to decrease it by 25%, from 50% to 25%.

Most splash damage will deal full damage to enemies with defense, no matter the percentage, though not all of them do. If a tower that deals explosion damage has orange indicators appear when it deals damage, that means it should be able to bypass defense. If the tower has the regular, red indicators, this is affected by defense.

In addition, units and the [[Trapper]] ignore defense for their collision damage. However, for their other sources of damage (like ranged damage for the [[Humvee 3]], burn damage for the [[Trapper]] or melee damage for the [[Guardian Elf]]), these damage values are affected by defense. Enemies do not ignore defense by colliding with units, damage dealt to a unit with defense from collision will be reduced.

Due to a bug, poison and electric defense melting cannot melt the defense of any enemies added or updated starting from the [[v1.17.2|April Fools 2024]] update, though any of the enemies before that are still affected.

The following towers and consumables affecting defense are listed below.

{| class="empty-table pad-5" style="min-width:750px; width: 75%; text-align:center; margin:0 auto"
! class="align-center tableheader" colspan="2" |[[File:BurnIcon.png|20px|Burn|link=]]{{Color|MoltenMode|Burn}}
|-
| class="align-center" |[[File:DefaultPyromancerIcon.png|150px|link=Pyromancer]]<br/>[[Pyromancer]]
|With each tick, the [[Pyromancer]] melts ''Percentage Defense'' of all enemies on fire by 5% at Level 3-4, and by 10% at Level 5.

Can only melt 50% of ''Percentage Defense''. Defense melting cannot stack with other burn defense melting sources.
|-
| class="align-center" |[[File:DHGoldenPyroIcon.png|150px|link=Golden Pyromancer]]<br/>[[Golden Pyromancer]]
|With each tick, the [[Golden Pyromancer]] melts ''Percentage Defense'' of all enemies on fire by 5% at Level 3, and by 10% at Level 4-5.

Can only melt 50% of ''Percentage Defense''. Defense melting cannot stack with other burn defense melting sources.
|-
| class="align-center" |[[File:MoltenMonster.png|150px|link=Molten Monster]]<br/>[[Molten Monster]]
|With each tick, the [[Molten Monster]] melts ''Percentage Defense'' of all enemies on fire by 15%.

Can only melt 50% of ''Percentage Defense''. Defense melting cannot stack with other burn defense melting sources.
|-
| class="align-center" |[[File:MolotovIcon.png|150px|link=Molotov]]<br/>[[Molotov]]
|With each tick, the [[Molotov]] melts ''Percentage Defense'' of all enemies on fire by 15%.

Can only melt 50% of ''Percentage Defense''. Defense melting cannot stack with other burn defense melting sources.
|-
| class="align-center" |[[File:NapalmStrikeIcon.png|150px|link=Napalm Strike]]<br/>[[Napalm Strike]]
|With each tick, the [[Napalm Strike]] melts ''Percentage Defense'' of all enemies on fire by 15%.

Can only melt 50% of ''Percentage Defense''. Defense melting cannot stack with other burn defense melting sources.
|-
| class="align-center" |[[File:HeatwaveConsumable.png|150px|link=Heatwave]]<br/>[[Heatwave]]
|With each tick, the [[Heatwave]] melts ''Percentage Defense'' of all enemies on fire by 15%.

Can only melt 50% of ''Percentage Defense''. Defense melting cannot stack with other burn defense melting sources.
|-
! class="align-center tableheader" colspan="2" |{{Color|Frost|Freeze}}
|-
| class="align-center" |[[File:ReworkedFreezerIcon.png|150px|link=Freezer]]<br/>[[Freezer]]
|With each tick, the [[Freezer]]'s freeze melts ''Percentage Defense'' by 10% at Level 3+.

Can only melt 33% of ''Percentage Defense''. Defense melting cannot stack with other freeze defense melting sources.
|-
| class="align-center" |[[File:KRFrostBlasterIcon.png|150px|link=Frost Blaster]]<br/>[[Frost Blaster]]
|With each tick, the [[Frost Blaster]]'s freeze melts ''Percentage Defense'' by 10% at Level 2+.

Can only melt 33% of ''Percentage Defense''. Defense melting cannot stack with other freeze defense melting sources.
|-
| class="align-center" |[[File:OICECryomancerIcon.png|150px|link=Cryomancer]]<br/>[[Cryomancer]]
|With each tick, the [[Cryomancer]]'s freeze melts ''Percentage Defense'' by 10% at Level 0-4.

Can only melt 33% of ''Percentage Defense''. Defense melting cannot stack with other freeze defense melting sources.
|-
| class="align-center" |[[File:JesterIcon.png|150px|link=Jester]]<br/>[[Jester]]
|With its ice bombs, its chillness can melt ''Percentage Defense'' by 1% each tick at Level 3-4.

Can only melt 33% of ''Percentage Defense''. Defense melting cannot stack with other freeze defense melting sources.
|-
| class="align-center" |[[File:PumpkinBombConsumable.png|150px|link=Pumpkin Bomb]]<br/>[[Pumpkin Bomb]]
|The [[Pumpkin Bomb]] has a chance to melt ''Percentage Defense'' by 20%.

Can only melt 33% of ''Percentage Defense''. Defense melting cannot stack with other freeze defense melting sources.
|-
| class="align-center" |[[File:Santa'sAirStrikeConsumable.png|150px|link=Napalm Strike]]<br/>[[Santa's Air Strike]]
|With each tick, the [[Santa's Air Strike]] melts ''Percentage Defense'' of all enemies on fire by 20%.

Can only melt 33% of ''Percentage Defense''. Defense melting cannot stack with other freeze defense melting sources.
|-
! class="align-center tableheader" colspan="2" |{{Color|NuclearMode|Poison}}
|-
| class="align-center" |[[File:ToxicGunnerNewIcon.png|150px|link=Toxic Gunner]]<br/>[[Toxic Gunner]]
|With each tick, its poison melts ''Percentage Defense'' by 3% at Level 3-4.

Can only melt 50% of ''Percentage Defense''. Defense melting cannot stack with other poison defense melting sources.
|-
! class="align-center tableheader" colspan="2" |{{Color|Common|Other}}
|-
| class="align-center" |[[File:DefaultElectroshockerIcon2.png|150px|link=Electroshocker]]<br/>[[Electroshocker]]
|With each attack, the [[Electroshocker]] melts ''Percentage Defense'' of all enemies in a chain reaction by 5% at Level 0-2, by 10% at Level 3 and by 15% at Level 4-5.

Can only melt 20% of ''Percentage Defense''.
|-
| class="align-center" |[[File:DefaultDJBoothIconAug2024.png|150px|link=DJ Booth]]<br/>[[DJ Booth]]
|The [[DJ Booth]] melts ''Percentage Defense'' by a flat amount with a red track pulse hit, with base decrease being 5%, which increases by 1% for every tower in range up to 25%.

Cannot melt defense further than what its defense melt per hit is.
|}