To figure out how to beat Feral Relic Defense Line Wild Assault, you need to master the 30-second coin economy and prioritize targets carrying Contamination Collars. In this grueling 4-player PvE survival mode—which officially launched as "WA DEFENSE" on May 28, 2026, after a highly anticipated limited-time beta—your squad drops into the Research Ruins to defend the Beast Bone Core. You are tasked with surviving six escalating waves of mutated beast tides. If a collared enemy touches your core, you have exactly six seconds to eliminate them before the entire defense line collapses.
Combat Cat Studio didn't design this mode for casual run-and-gun gameplay. It requires tight Vanguard synergy, aggressive economy management, and a deep understanding of Module Attribute Tempering. Reddit threads and community forums are littered with players wiping on Wave 4 because they ignored the sniper-form wolves or starved their own upgrade economy. This guide breaks down the optimal meta, wave pacing, and economic strategies to keep your core intact.
The Fundamentals: How to Beat Feral Relic Defense Line Wild Assault
The most common mistake new players make in WA Defense is treating it like a standard team deathmatch. The PvE mode is fundamentally an economy and zoning check.
Every mutated beast you kill drops glowing coins, but these coins do not auto-collect. They disappear after exactly 30 seconds. If your team is comfortably sitting back and sniping from the Beast Bone Core, you are bleeding money. You must push forward, clear the horde, and manually run over the drops before they despawn. These coins translate into Guardian Points, which are the lifeblood of your mid-match progression.
Between waves, you spend Guardian Points on Module Attribute Tempering. This system allows you to reroll your stats across four quality tiers: White, Green, Blue, and Purple. If you miss the early-wave coin drops, you will be stuck with White-tier modules when the Behemoth Tanks roll out in Wave 5, effectively guaranteeing a team wipe.
Top Team Compositions for WA Defense
Your Valiant selection dictates your success. You cannot stack four Assault classes and expect to survive the late-game beast tides. A balanced composition of frontline sustain, area-of-effect (AoE) zoning, and high-mobility support is non-negotiable.
The Frontline Anchor: Norman (Tiger - Assault) Norman is the undisputed king of holding choke points in the Research Ruins. His passive ability heals him slightly every time he gets a kill, making him incredibly self-sufficient during the weaker early waves. When things get desperate, popping his "Instinct Awakening" signature skill boosts his health and provides a healing-over-time effect, allowing him to body-block elites from reaching the core.
The Zoner: Marquez (Skunk - Expert) Because enemies follow fixed paths toward the core, Marquez's gas-related skillsets are devastatingly effective. Laying down toxic clouds at the spawn doors strips armor off the mutated hordes before they even reach your frontline.
The Medic: Hongying (Rabbit - Support) Hongying's high mobility and jumping ability allow her to traverse the multi-level architecture of the Research Ruins instantly. When a teammate goes down across the map trying to collect despawning coins, she is the only Support Valiant fast enough to reach them, provide emergency treatment, and retreat to safety.
The Tank Buster: Ryan (Bull - Assault) Ryan's passive makes him immune to bullet damage from the back and sides. While this is great in PvP, in PvE it allows him to dive deep into the beast tide, pop his "Suppression" ultimate (a shotgun and riot shield combo), and physically push Behemoth Tanks away from the Beast Bone Core.
Wave-by-Wave Walkthrough: How to Beat Feral Relic Defense Line Wild Assault
Surviving the six waves requires anticipating the threat escalation rather than simply reacting to it.
Waves 1 & 2: The Economy Phase The mutated hordes in the first two waves are fragile and deal minimal damage. Do not use your ultimate abilities here. Push as far up to the enemy spawn points as safely possible. Your only goal is to kill them quickly and collect 100% of the dropped coins. Designate your fastest Valiant (usually Hongying or Akai Hime) as the primary coin runner.
Wave 3: The Contamination Collars Wave 3 introduces elite enemies carrying Contamination Collars. The game's fail-state is tied directly to these items. If an elite carrying a collar breaches the Beast Bone Core area, a 6-second countdown begins. If the enemy isn't annihilated within that window, the defense line instantly collapses, regardless of your team's health. Focus all fire on the collared elites the moment they spawn.
Wave 4: The Sniper-Form Wolves This is where uncoordinated teams wipe. Sniper-form wolves spawn on the elevated perimeter of the Research Ruins. They do not push the core; instead, they provide devastating overwatch fire, picking off your medics and coin runners. Your Expert class must prioritize counter-sniping these wolves immediately while the Assault classes hold the ground floor.
Wave 5: Behemoth Tanks The "Core-Contaminated Tanks" arrive. These are massive bullet sponges that cannot be easily staggered. Ryan's "Reckless Charge" or Norman's "Primal Fury" are required here to stall their momentum. Do not let them get within 20 meters of the core, as their AoE ground slams will destroy any Support Valiants trying to hold the line.
Wave 6: The Final Beast Tide The final wave throws everything at you simultaneously: collared elites, sniper wolves, and multiple tanks. Abandon coin collection entirely. Fall back to the inner defensive ring of the Beast Bone Core and chain your ultimate abilities. Use Marquez's gas to blind the choke points and pray your Purple-tier Module Tempering provides enough DPS to melt the horde.
Economy and Module Tempering Guide
Understanding the Module Attribute Tempering system separates the veterans from the recruits. Guardian Points are shared, but how you spend them is individual.
Never settle for Green-tier modules if you are playing an Expert or Assault class. You must aggressively reroll your attributes to hunt for Purple-tier damage and cooldown reduction stats. Support classes like Hongying can afford to sit on Blue-tier defensive modules, funneling the early Guardian Points to the DPS players.
Temper your attributes between Waves 2 and 3, and again between Waves 4 and 5. Do not waste time in the menu during active combat—the mutated beasts will not wait for you to finish theory-crafting your build.
Advanced Tactics: How to Beat Feral Relic Defense Line Wild Assault on Hard Mode
Hard Mode takes the already punishing mechanics of WA Defense and dials them to the extreme. The beast tides are faster, the Behemoth Tanks have significantly more armor, and the sniper-form wolves will one-shot any Valiant not behind cover.
To beat Hard Mode, you have to exploit the map geometry of the Research Ruins. The map features several elevated catwalks that force the AI to path through narrow funnels. By placing Marquez's gas traps at the bottom of these funnels and having Ryan physically block the exit with his riot shield, you create a fatal bottleneck.
Furthermore, Hard Mode demands perfect economy. You cannot let a single coin despawn in the first three waves. If you enter Wave 4 without at least two Purple-tier modules on your primary damage dealers, the sniper-form wolves will overwhelm your position. Communication is mandatory; use pings to call out Contamination Collars the millisecond they render on your screen.
Frequently Asked Questions
What happens if a Contamination Collar touches the Beast Bone Core? If a collared enemy enters the core area, a 6-second collapse timer begins. If you fail to kill the enemy before the timer hits zero, the match instantly ends in defeat.
How do I earn Guardian Points quickly? Guardian Points are earned by collecting the glowing coins dropped by defeated enemies. These coins despawn after 30 seconds, requiring players to manually run over them to secure the currency for the whole team.
Is the WA Defense mode permanent? Yes. While it was initially tested as a limited-time beta in custom rooms in April 2026, Combat Cat Studio officially launched WA Defense as a permanent core PvE mode on May 28, 2026.
Sources
- Combat Cat Studio Dev Log #67: Deep Dive into "Feral Relic Defense Line"
- Wild Assault Official Steam Community Updates (May 2026)
- Official Wild Assault Patch Notes: Build 22920424