The create-lobby menu asks for mode, map, act, and difficulty. Rewards and material drops are previewed there. Read that preview before you trust a written drop list.
Story
Acts unlock in order. Sakamoto is the launch map and is reported to end in an Uzuki boss. HxH, added October 1, gates areas with rubble. Each act drops its own materials.
Defend
Defend is the hold-the-line mode. Notes also spell it Defense. Sakamoto Defense is the shipped example. Launch patches fixed players falling under the map or sticking behind rubble. A combat write-up describes protecting a target. The patch notes do not restate that objective, so follow the lobby.
Infinite
Infinite continues until the team wipes. You still pick a difficulty, and those health multipliers match Story.
| Difficulty | Boss every |
|---|---|
| Easy | 10 waves |
| Medium | 8 waves |
| Hard | 6 waves |
| Nightmare | 5 waves |
Infinite bosses started dropping materials on October 2. A most-waves leaderboard was added October 1. Use Infinite when the Story act that drops your material is already trivial.
Raids
Nightmare Shadow Gate is the reported drop source for Shadow Monarch, Shadow Essence, Igris Crests, Shadow Cloaks, and Monarch's Blessings. A later tier note also calls out a five-run Shadow Gate system. The October 2 crafting note separately guarantees a missing material after 5 dry runs. Read the raid UI before you treat those as one rule.
Flame Director is a Spirited Away raid reward in the October 9 weapon table. A walkthrough calls Flame Director evolution materials a Bathtub Raid drop. Those two labels are not merged here.
Rules that still come from the launch notes
Group enemies, then spend area cooldowns. Only two enemies can attack you at once. Rubble takes at most 30% damage per hit. Story and Infinite bosses do not flinch. Parry exists alongside the guard bar.