Announced way back in June 2021, XDefiant is Ubisoft’s upcoming free-to-player multiplayer shooter that isn’t a battle royale. Now, before any cringes or groans at the words “free-to-play,” you might want to read on further as what we’ve experienced so far shows that Ubisoft might on the right track on this one.
(Note: While hands-on impressions are fine, we weren’t allowed to share screenshots or gameplay footage from the playtest, hence why there’s none available in this article).
Mix It Up!
Helping with development duties of XDefiant is Mark Rubin as Executive Producer. Before this, Rubin served the same role in the Call of Duty franchise, and it shows. The game has the same arcade-y pace as Call of Duty’s multiplayer of old (unlike Modern Warfare 2019 and it’s sequel). However, the major difference here is, unlike in your traditional Call of Duty game, this one has “Factions,” which act like Black Ops 3’s Specialists. In the Insider Session, each Faction has two tactical abilities to choose from, and a passive trait to that Faction. There’s also an “Ultimate” ability that slowly charges during the match, and of course, doing well increases the charge rate.
The Tactical abilities range from giving your character a camouflage so you’ll appear invisible like the Predator, be able to ping enemies in the map, lay down a health station of sorts for the entire team and so on. Each Faction is very different from one another, which adds a layer of depth to the shooter.
Interestingly enough, these Factions are pulled from other Ubisoft franchise. There’s the Libertad group from the Far Cry franchise, the Echelon based on Splinter Cell, the DedSec from Watch Dogs, the Phantoms from the Ghost Recon series, and the Cleaners from The Division. I have to say. the fact that the characters are based from different existing properties add a layer of personality to them, as each tactical and passive from each Faction is connected to the series in some way. One example is the DedSec group being able to hack items in-game, the Echelon relying on camo and stealth and so on.
On Your Six
XDefiant’s gunplay feels solid even in a pre-alpha state. While I’d want more “oomph” for each bullet hit that registers, it’s a minor complaint and one I’m not that fussed about given we are playing a pre-alpha build. One thing I did notice is how grenades seem insignificant. It might be their blast radius or how the maps all have little corners that players can hide from it, but I don’t remember killing anyone using the grenades. Again, this is a minor quibble that’s easily adjusted even post-launch of the final game.
The abilities of each character do feel different enough that they warrant some experimentation to see which one fits your playstyle best. Based on my limited playtime, the most popular choice are the Libertads. with people abusing the health regen and health group heal to great effect — perhaps a little to great, if I might say.
Checking in the customization options for guns, this one easily takes cue from Modern Warfare’s Gunsmith. You have your standard sights, barrel, stock, etc. that can be mixed and matched with whatever’s available, with a maximum of five attachment choices per primary weapon. It feels very much like Call of Duty’s gun customization system, which is a good thing for the most part. At least in XDefiant, the stats are a bit easier to understand, so you know what each attachment does when it’s slapped on.
As for the modes, there’s your standard Domination match, and the devs threw in Zone Control, Occupy and Escort to the mix. All in all, the modes should feel familiar to those who played any multiplayer shooter in the last decade.
Regarding the maps available in the Insider Session, it’s hard for me to give a solid impression on them. I did enjoy what I played on, and I do like that the maps are restricted to their lanes, versus having a ton of verticality and different entries into them. It helped keep the action focused on specific areas. I think it also helped with breathing room, as I knew certain spots were more safer than others, since no one could gain a height advantage and such. Mind, we don’t know with the other maps, but for the most part, it kept the action flowing.
What Needs to Change
Given the build available was in pre-alpha, we won’t focus too much on the connection issues (of which there was plenty), as well as other bugs. Instead, we’ll list and explain some of the things we feel needs to be changed.
No Killcams – This should be mandatory in most multiplayer shooter games, and something as fast-paced as XDefiant. There were instances in the beta that it felt like the enemy cheated or was already pre-aiming around a corner (and yes, we know when an Echo ability was used and if we’re tagged).
Better hit registration – It sometimes felt like the bullets didn’t land on the target even if it did. It wasn’t the worst, but it could feel a bit better overall.
Footsteps were LOUD – For some reason, footsteps in the game (especially your own) were very loud. I had to stop running at some points since I couldn’t hear if there were other players near me or if that was just my character’s footsteps.
Faction balancing needs to be checked – Based on what I’ve played, gamers gravitated to the Libertad given how overpowered the health buffs were. Given this is something that can be adjusted with more data and playtime, we’re not too concerned about it, but it’s worth a mention.
End of Round stuff was way too long – I get it. People want their accomplishments shown off. But the animation to show the Player of the Game was a tad too long to my liking, and you also have the team summary as well, which made the wait to hop onto the next match a little too long.
More variety in how weapons feel – The M4, ACR and even some of the LMGs felt a wee bit too similar in terms of handling. Hopefully, the final product makes us feel the difference even more.
Shows us our pings – I was hoping that we’d have proper ping meters in the scoreboard but alas! Hopefully it will be added at some point.
Add more servers and sort the connection issues – I know, I know! It’s a pre-alpha, but it still needs to be said: the game needs to sort out its server issues or it will be DOA when it launches. Make sure there are servers for people outside the US. Give people proper connections and where their skills are the ones dictating gunfights and they will be happy.
Something to Keep an Eye Out On
While I admittedly thought of XDefiant as another bland F2P shooter in a crowded genre, I was glad to be proven wrong. Save the connection issues that prevent me from playing, the fact that I couldn’t think of a lot of faults outside of gameplay balancing and whatnot, means that the core gameplay is sound.
We need more time with the game to see whether this will be Ubisoft’s next big shooter to rival Rainbow Six Siege, but after a short weekend with it, I’m now looking forward to the next playtest session, and how I want to know more about the changes coming to the shooter. Snagging a shooter fan’s attention after a short playtime and with little fanfare means it did the trick. We’re looking forward to XDefiant and shooter fans should too.
Played on PS5. You can check out the XDefiant website to know more about the shooter. XDefiant has no release date but is set to be released on the PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S and PC.
