Dark Sectors

Clans and Alliances own parts of the Solar System. They construct a Solar Rail then deploy to an open (or contested) area allowing everyone to play. These areas, known as Dark Sectors, are missions that offer decent credit rewards, a resource bonus, XP bonus, and an XP bonus for killing with a specific weapon type. However, Clans and Alliances can set tax and resource tribute on anyone that access their conquered territories. Monopolies rise and fall. Territorial battles break out for honor... and profit.

The Infested inhabit most Dark Sectors unless that sector is under conflict. The Grineer and Corpus control Excavation nodes on Earth, Europa, Phobos and Venus.

Access
To access Dark Sectors, players must first complete the research of a Solar Rail in the Orokin Labs of their Clan Dojo. Solar Rails, being the primary means of traveling and occupying a Dark Sector, can be contested by other Clans or Alliances. Once contested, the Dark Sector node will be temporarily changed to Solar Rail Conflict mission type.

Dark Sectors in Conflict
Solar Rails deployed to an already occupied Dark Sector cause the mission to be unplayable after a 24 hour set up period and the bonuses no longer apply until the conflict is resolved. Solar Rails in conflict replace the normal Defense or Survival missions with a Solar Rail Conflict mission, where the objective is to sabotage a reactor to destroy the rail.

There are no base credit rewards for completing this mission but the Solar Rail owners may set a battle pay in order to incentivize support for their Rail remaining intact. This battle pay is different to Faction Invasion battle pay in that it is received immediately on completion of the mission and can be earned multiple times. Members of the defending Alliance/Clan do not get battle pay.

Tribute
If a Dark Sector is owned, a 'toll' can be placed on its use by all Tenno for the gain of the Alliance that owns the Solar Rail. There are Public Credit and Resource Tributes, as well as Alliance Member Credit and Resource Tributes that can be set. These tributes are disabled during a conflict.

Bugs

 * Prior to, Yursa spawned both Infestation and Corpus in the mission, a hazard not seen in ordinary defense missions.

Trivia

 * The nodes of the Dark Sectors are named after wastelands and ancient cities. For example, Sinai being named after the Sinai desert and Assur after the Capital of the Assyrian Empire.
 * As a result, Dark Sectors do not follow the naming schemes of the planets they're found on.
 * The working title for the Dark Sectors was Badlands.
 * The name "Dark Sector" is itself a reference to Digital Extremes' earlier title darkSector, the spiritual predecessor of Warframe.
 * Before being released these were the descriptions supplied to hype up dark sectors:
 * New locations are discovered in the Solar Map, with rarer resources, harder bosses, better loot... but they are unreachable.
 * A Clan (or Alliance) can collaborate on building Tower to connect it to the Solar Rail network. When it is built and deployed all Tenno can run missions there. In essence, they've built a solar toll-highway.
 * All missions run there have taxes applied to them - resources and credits - this rate is set by the Clan who built the Tower.
 * Competing clans can build their own tower (maybe in secret) to challenge the area. When this happens, the area is locked into Tower Sabotage mode (against Orokin defenders, not PvP) – the Clans (and all players they convince to help) choose a side and try to destroy the opposing Tower (like a player-driven Invasion).

Dark Sectors