Wind Break (Wind Shear in 4.1) is the fifth mission in Earth Defense Force 2025 and Earth Defense Force 4.1: The Shadow of New Despair.
Objectives[]
2025: Emergency support request. The Wing Diver team is engaged with a very strong enemy and is taking heavy casualties. Their engagement location is not far from here. You are to head out immediately, destroy the monsters and rescue the surviving Wing Divers.
4.1: Emergency support request: The Wing Diver team is engaged with a very strong enemy and is taking heavy casualties. Their engagement location is not far from here. You are to head out immediately, destroy the monsters, and rescue the surviving Wing Divers.
Storyline[]
Seemingly either another Wing Diver team or further members of the same team have managed to get themselves Retiarius'd, requiring Storm Team to prevent natural selection running its (justifiable) course.
During the course of the mission, Ohara speaks up. He declares he would like to call the new species "Retiarius," since it catches its prey in a net, apparently being well-read on Roman gladiator classes while simultaneously not familiar with the simpler word "spider." He further speculates that if entire new species are emerging, the new giant insect nest could represent a dire threat to the human race, "At this rate, Earth will become a giant insect planet!" He insists that the EDF must head underground and destroy the the nest.
At the end of the mission he repeats this insistence, and curiously also declares that there is "a danger that the flying giant insects might have evolved" and that they may be superior to the Wing Divers. Seemingly, he has simply guessed that these are something that is someday going to exist, but isn't sure when.
Incidentally, this is not the greatest leap in logic Ohara will make during the story that turns out to be bang on the money.
4.1 Changes[]
No changes aside from that the mission is now called Wind Shear, presumably because the previous title led to too many fart jokes.
Enemies[]
Both versions:
Retiarius x 7 with webs (3 spawned at level start, remaining 4 with the Ants, webs all spawned at level start)
1 wave of black Ants, 36.
Online Limits[]
Armor Limit
There's no limit for Inferno difficulty.
| Difficulty | Ranger & Air Raider | Wing Diver | Fencer | |||
| 2025 | 4.1 | 2025 | 4.1 | 2025 | 4.1 | |
| Easy & Normal | 446 | 445 | 273 | 272 | 558 | 556 |
| Hard | 1564 | 1583 | 832 | 841 | 1955 | 1978 |
| Hardest | 3042 | 3561 | 1571 | 1830 | 3803 | 4452 |
Weapon Level Limit
| Game | Easy & Normal | Hard | Hardest | Inferno |
| 2025 | 3 | 26 | 51 | 79 |
| 4.1 | 3 | 26 | 53 | 81 |
Approximate Weapon Drop Rate
| Game | Easy | Normal | Hard | Hardest | Inferno |
| 2025 | 0 | 0-1 | 9-21 | 0-46 | 0-52 |
| 4.1 | 0 | 0-1 | 11-26 | 0-46 | 0-52 |
Strategy[]
Both Versions[]
Wind Break is the first mission where the player has to deal with more than one type of enemy at a time. It can also be a nasty wakeup call since Retiarius with anything is automatically an unpleasant combination.
The mission layout is more or less a straight shot down a road leading to the plaza with monorail tracks overhead, which give the level's Ants a good vantage point to shoot acid down from. The area is claustrophobic and lined with tall buildings, and the various Retiarii are mostly annoyingly placed in side-roads where they will throw their webs through buildings. The mission can be difficult when starting out since the first warning a Retiarius is aggro'd is often when it hits the player character, and a long-range weapon might aggro the Retiairus between the two skyscrapers, which early on is basically game over since there is no way to hit it until it has pulled the player character the entire length of the road and through the group of Ants.
The Ants will not spawn until Storm Team gets roughly level with the first Retiarius on the right: before that, it is just the Retiarii.
It is best to load out with one weapon to deal with Retiarii and one to deal with ants, though a Fencer is fine dealing with both with his Hand-Gatlings. An Air Raider is best off using a Vegalta if they have one (the DLC Vegalta Gold is good here on lower difficulties) since all enemies come from directly ahead; throwing an airstrike or artillery marker far forward to thin out the Ants in the plaza is also a good plan, though care must be taken not to hit the intervening webs. Being in a vehicle prevents a Retiarius trapping the Air Raider, only dealing one-off damage, and this will become progressively more important to remember.
A recruitable NPC Ranger squad starts out on the road ahead; it is a very good idea to recruit them, since it prevents them running forward and aggro'ing at least two Retiarii. There are once again recruitable Wing Divers trapped in the Retiarius webs who can be freed, and usually a few Rangers from the group in the Plaza trapped in the webs of the ones to the right and left as the Plaza is entered.
Since about half of the Ants in the mission's single wave will busy themselves with a group of Rangers who spawn at the edge of the plaza and a group of civilians who also spawn there, it feels more like two waves, a small one and a larger one. The small wave tends to arrive in time to help out the first Retiarius on the right, while the large group usually finishes dealing with their new friends in the plaza just in time for Storm Team's arrival at the top of the road.
| 1-10 | Reconvene • Spreading Disaster • Winged War Goddess • Setting Sun • Wind Break • Underground Cave • Eruption • Retaliation • Beach Fear • The Return |
| 11-20 | Air Force • Day of the Demons • Takedown • Preventing Landfall • Land Collapse • Fortress Siege • Valley Shadows • Artillery • Breaking Through • Shining Stronghold |
| 21-30 | Into the Depths • A Trap • Giant Robots • Summit Ship • Anchored • Silver City • Crimson • High-Speed • Bloody Mountain • Brute Force |
| 31-40 | Charge Phase 1 • Charge Phase 2 • Dark Prisoner • Charge Phase 3 • Thunder • Infiltration • Convergence • Inferno • Starship • Dense |
| 41-50 | Crossing • Search • Waterside Bugs • Annihilation • Natural Calamity • Steel Beast • Void Ship • Blue Fighters • Earth Defenders • Fleet Attack |
| 51-60 | Mountain Pass Trap • Fortress Frenzy • Pincer • Ravages of War • Air Mobilization • Bug Invasion • Transport Ship Surprise Attack • Bug King • Crazy Skies • The Fleet Below |
| 61-70 | Bad Premonition • City of Horror • Mountains Ablaze • Breaking Through (2) • Bug Tower • Fortress Attack • Mountain Liberation • Sniper Attack • Mountain Giants • Towering Beast |
| 71-80 | Teeth of the Universe • Giant Ship • Spearhead • Tower Siege • Den of Thieves • Death Queen • Machine Squad • Monster Party • Labyrinth of Light • City Flaws |
| 81-90 | Monster Camp • Fallen Flagship • Heaven's Army • Encircling • Divine • The Threat • Troubled Valley • Battle to the Death • Massive Mobilization • Legion of Monsters |
| 91-94 | Scorching • Demon Army • Surrounded! • Star Eaters |
| DLC 1: Special Forces | Exploration • Giant's Advance • Silver Camp • Citadel • Floating Fleet |
| DLC 2: Mutant Rampage | Advance • Mountain Assault • Enemy Camp Infiltration • Underground Advance • Giant Robots • Battle Species • Beast Mountain • Dark Arena • Gathering Around • Armored Species • Iron Wall • Mountain of Change • Whirlwind of Death • Bugged City • The Tough • Golden Darkness • True King • Final Impact • Into Destruction • Ship of Dragons |
| DLC 3: Beyond Despair | Tracking • Underground Complex • Blocked Pass • Close Formation • Dragon Ship Fleet • Heavy Artillery • Bloody River • Dangerous Goldmines • Beast Mobilization • Total Protection • Aerial Bombing • King of Armor • Cannon Defenders • Traps Behind • Four Kings of Nightmares • Resistance Against the Twilight • Shivering Nexus • Three Giants • Crimson Lotus • Starry Prison |
| DLC 1: Time of the Mutants | Air Offensive • Giants Advance • Recon • Dust Town • Defense Line • Underground Advance • War Breed • Mountain Assault • Enemy Camp Infiltration • Dark Arena • Beast Mountain • God's Army • The Gathering • Armored Species • Iron Wall • Silver Base • Shifting Mountain • Whirlwind of Death • Bugged City • Toughness • Golden Darkness • True Sovereign • Final Impact • Floating Fleet • Into Destruction • Ship of Dragons |
| DLC 2: Extreme Battle | Tracking Bogeys • Underground Complex • Blocked Pass • Close Formation • Dragon Ship Fleet • Heavy Artillery • Overflight • Dangerous Goldmines • Beast Mobilization • Total Protection • Bombs Away • King of Armor • Cannon Defenders • Bloody River • Three Giants • Traps from Behind • The Four Horsemen • Cross the Line • Facing Off • Crimson Lotus • Shivering Nexus • Last Bastion • Starry Prison |