Defensive Protocol: Thorns

Grow protective spikes, damaging nearby enemies. For a short duration, the spikes react when you are struck, damaging nearby enemies again. — In-game description

Defensive Protocol: Thorns

Profession

Engineer (skill list)

Specialization

Amalgam

Slot

Profession mechanic

Type

Morph

Game link

API

77163, 77104, 76640

Gallery
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Defensive Protocol: Thorns

Grow protective spikes, damaging nearby enemies. For a short duration, the spikes react when you are struck, damaging nearby enemies again.

 Initial Damage: 266 (1.0)^?

 Initial Damage: 133 (0.5)^?

 Thorns Damage: 133 (0.5)^?

 Thorns Damage: 106 (0.4)^?

 Thorns (6s): Deal damage to nearby enemies when struck.

 Number of Targets: 5

 Interval: 1 second

 Radius: 240

Rapacious Strain. While evolved, strike foes an additional time when you hit them.

 Damage: 80 (0.3)^?

 Rapacious Strain (8s): Successfully hitting an enemy will cause an additional strike.

 Interval: 0.5½ seconds

 Breaks Stun

— In-game description

Related traits

Inventions

• Soothing Detonation — Heal nearby allies when using a tool belt skill.

Tools

• Optimized Activation — Using tool belt skills grants vigor.
• Static Discharge — Discharge a bolt of lightning whenever you use a tool belt skill.
• Mechanized Deployment — Your tool belt skills gain reduced recharge. Tool belt skills remove conditions. Engage Photon Forge cannot activate this trait.
• Kinetic Battery — Gain kinetic charges when you use a tool belt skill. At maximum, charges gain a burst of speed.
• Adrenal Implant — Endurance regeneration is increased. Reduce the recharge of your tool belt skills when you dodge.

Amalgam

• Hardened Chrome — Morph skills and evolving grant protection to yourself.
• Hybrid Vigor — Gain vitality. Gain barrier when you use a morph skill.
• Silver Lining — Evolve no longer inherits bonuses from strains. Morph skills grant their strain bonuses.
• Willing Host — Using a morph skill increases your damage for a duration.
• Symbiotic Synergy — Evolve recharges morph skills. Morph skills deal increased strike damage.
• New Genes — Morph skills grants boons to allies. Grant an additional boon based on which morph skill was used.

Version history

For a detailed skill history, see here.

Patch	Changes
December 09, 2025	Reduced the initial power coefficient from 1.5 to 1.0 and the thorns' power coefficient from 1.0 to 0.5 in PvE only.
October 28, 2025	Visions of Eternity release: Defensive Protocol: Thorns has been added to the game. This skill is now instantly cast and no longer applies stability. Increased the interval from 0.5 seconds to 1 second.
August 19, 2025	Defensive Protocol: Thorns was available during the Visions of Eternity elite specialization Beta Event.