What does it mean when upgrades in the game refer to "restrained" units. I only see this mentioned in upgrades you receive in the "crown port" portion of the game. Dont want to wast valuable resources if I dont know what it does.
It's just a synonym for when you're attacking another ship or get attacked when you're looting resources. The game doesn't show your own ship, but it's viewable for other players during your cooldown.
For example
"you get 9% bonus for bombers when they are restraining enemy troops", that troop (bomber) will get a 9% bonus when you're attacking.
"you receive 9% less damage when you're getting restrained"
when your ship is out there and you're getting attacked, it means your troops that are on the ship will receive 9% less damage.
If you buy the upgrade, your overall stats get stronger for PvP matches, but these upgrades only affect the returning troops from your ship or when you attack a ship itself.