New to Defender 2000 are power-ups, which appear as sphere-shaped capsules after destroying a number of enemy ships and projectiles from certain enemy types. Grabbing the power-up will increase the score multiplier, while also activating any of the progressively useful capabilities, such as AI-controlled droids, shields and more. Catching a falling human after destroying an enemy will grant a wave shot that destroys enemies and is harmless for the humans, and if a droid ship grabs a falling human, will grant fire capabilities for it as well. If a human is abducted by the enemy, they not only turn into mutants that attack the Threshold ship, but also leave a falling headstone capable of harming the player's ship. Bonus levels can be accessed by collecting a number of warp powerups. If they are successfully cleared, the player skips five levels ahead.
