Relic Hunt is one of those updates that changes how you play the game completely. It’s not just another mode—it forces you to think differently about team building, timing, and resource usage. If you go in with your usual setup, you’ll clear a few stages… and then suddenly hit a wall.
Once you understand how this mode actually works, though, it becomes one of the best sources of progression in the game.
Evo Defense Relic Hunt Guide – New Mode, Fort Devices
Relic Hunt unlocks later into your server progression and introduces a tier-based system. Each tier contains six stages, and once you clear all of them, you move up to the next difficulty level as long as your main stage progress allows it.
Every stage rewards you with treasure chests, and first-time clears give extra rewards like relic coins, tickets, and device materials. That’s important because these materials directly feed into the new Fort Device system, which becomes a major power source later on.
But the real twist is how combat works.
Each stage is a single wave, but instead of being easy, it throws a massive number of enemies at you all at once. It’s fast, chaotic, and much more punishing than normal campaign stages.
Enemy Types
Relic Hunt introduces new enemy types, and this is where most players struggle early on.
You’ll face large swarms of weak enemies, but mixed in are tanky units, explosive threats, and ranged attackers that can destroy your wall quickly if ignored.
The Bomb Pig is especially dangerous because it explodes after a delay. If it reaches your wall, it can wipe your defenses instantly. The only reliable way to deal with it is by slowing or controlling it before it gets too close.
The Bomb Bat creates a different problem. Since it flies, ground-based setups struggle against it, and if you don’t have proper anti-air damage, it will slip through and detonate at your wall.
Then there’s the boss, the Ruins Colossus. This is where your usual crowd control strategies stop working completely because the boss is immune to control effects. On top of that, it reduces your wall’s maximum HP while attacking, which means you can’t just outheal the damage—you need to kill it quickly.
This is why Relic Hunt forces you to adapt. A single “best team” doesn’t exist here.
Combat Modifiers
At the start of each battle, you’re given two sets of modifiers, and you choose two from each set.
That means every run starts differently.
Some modifiers boost your damage immediately, while others scale over time or affect specific hero types. Choosing the wrong combination can make a stage much harder than it needs to be.
Early on, it’s usually better to pick options that give instant power spikes, especially ones that enhance your main damage dealers or unlock stronger abilities right away. Slower scaling upgrades might look good, but they don’t help much when you’re getting overwhelmed in the first few seconds.
Relic Hunt feels harder than the main game for a few reasons.
First, the enemy density is much higher. You’re dealing with everything at once instead of gradual waves, which puts immediate pressure on your setup.
Second, enemies deal more damage, especially ranged ones. If you don’t prioritize them, your wall will drop faster than expected.
And third, device cooldowns carry over between stages. This is huge. You can’t just spam abilities every stage—you have to plan when to use them.
This turns Relic Hunt into more of a strategy mode rather than pure stat checking.
Best Team Setup
A balanced setup works best here, especially early on.
Running three damage dealers with one support or control unit gives you enough damage to clear waves while still having some safety against fast or explosive enemies.
If you go too heavy on support, you’ll lack damage. If you go full DPS, you’ll get overwhelmed by fast enemies or explosions.
It’s about balance.
Modifier Choices
One of the most effective early strategies is picking modifiers that let your DPS units start stronger, such as spawning them at higher star levels. This helps you avoid slow starts where enemies slip through before your team ramps up.
After that, you should focus on upgrades that enhance your main damage output quickly. The faster you stabilize the wave, the easier everything becomes.
Another important detail is adapting your gear and totems. Since flying and ranged enemies are some of the biggest threats, building around countering those types makes your runs much more consistent.
Fort Device System
Relic Hunt doesn’t just give rewards—it unlocks Fort Devices, which are essentially another layer of power for your base.
You can obtain these devices through Relic Hunt rewards, crafting, or by purchasing them in the Relic Shop using coins. The shop is especially important because it’s the fastest way to upgrade higher-rarity devices.
Devices come in different categories, but most fall into two main roles: damage/support and defense/recovery.
Best Fort Devices
Some devices stand out immediately once you start using them.
Devices like Skeleton Fog apply poison damage and slow enemies at the same time, making them useful for controlling dense waves. Pyro Mod boosts attack speed, which is especially strong if you’re running archer-heavy teams, while Energy Bracelet increases true damage and scales well with mage setups.
On the defensive side, Turn the Tide can completely save a run by converting incoming damage into healing when your wall is about to break. When combined with Defense Sprite, which regenerates your wall’s HP over time, you get a powerful survival combo that can handle even high-pressure stages.
If you manage to unlock LR devices, they become instant upgrades due to their raw power. There’s no real debate there—they outperform everything else.