XDefiant is a game that puts too many eggs in a single basket which results in an identity crisis. The game pulls different locations as arenas from different UBI Soft games. It results in the game looking like a lot of these different games. The game is fast and that requires trigger fingers to get itchy. At the same time, it has abilities similar to Concord and Overwatch. The game has faster respawn and death but its modes are completely based on objectives that give priority to team play rather than solo kill count.
The combination of these elements makes XDefiant different than other games in the genre. This can be fun but at times it feels like these aspects are not working in harmony. From taking down the enemy team to working on keeping the zone occupation, it is fun for a while. Its fast combat makes it a game that requires good instinct. All of this makes you wonder Is XDefiant worth it? Let’s find out.
The Basics
XDefiant is a merge of different UBI Soft games that have been released over the years. Characters and locations from these games have been pulled into this single shooting game. Different factions from these UBI Soft games act as classes. They are different enough to have an impact on the gameplay. Some factions are healers, some tanks, and stuff like that. Weapons are like other shooters out there but these weapons feel good when used, resulting in a solid weapon base that complements abilities at times.
Using the right ability at the right time has an impact on the battlefield and can change the result of an encounter. These abilities are not so powerful as to make the use of weapons useless. This means that knowing about countering an ability is as important as using it. In the end, it’s your skill as a shooter that will matter most in XDefiant.
Each faction also has an ultra ability that can have a larger impact on the field once they are charged. However, unlike other games, these ultimate abilities don’t make you tank because they can be easily taken out if you are not careful. The ultra ability of the Phantom faction is a Dome that protects players inside it. If you are quick enough you can go inside the Dome and take down the person that has deployed the Dome. It makes ultra abilities strong without making you invincible. You have to consider how and when to use the ability.
The Balance of Faction
Each faction is distinct and balanced at least at first glance. The hijack ability from the Watch Dogs faction allows players to hijack the deployable ability of the other team. The thing is that this ability can not be used well enough to make a difference. There just is not enough stuff to steal. You have to be close to the enemy which makes it worse. On the other hand, the Splinter Cell faction can become invisible. They also have the ability to activate a pulse which lets you and your allies see the location of enemies. The combination of these abilities makes them powerful compared to others.
One of the things that feels out of place is that the abilities can’t keep up with the fast-paced gameplay. Since you can die and respawn quickly, most encounters end within seconds. A lot of the time, abilities are not quick enough to be deployed in an encounter. Characters with better abilities can use their abilities before the encounter begins giving them an edge in an encounter.
The issue is not just limited to the abilities as some weapons are also impacted by it in XDefiant. The sniper rifle is one such encounter that is more powerful than other weapons and a lot of players are using it.
Game Modes
XDefiant doesn’t care what your kill-to-death ratio is low. As long as you are helping your teammate capture points or help them deliver payload you are good to go. XDefiant needs some interesting and imaginative modes to give players something to stick around. At launch, XDefiant only has five modes which is standard for a PVP shooter. All these modes offer 6v6 rank play as well. A 4v4 rank mode will be available in the future.
Occupy, Domination, and Zone Control are just variations of Capture Point. Occupy takes place on a linear map while Domination and Zone Control take place on big arena maps. These modes can also be called arena modes. It doesn’t matter if you are capturing one control point at a time, capturing a moving point, or capturing multiple control points at the same time, it will feel somewhat similar.
Hotshot is similar to the Call of Duty’s Kill Confirmed mode. You can only score points in Hotshot if you pick up an item dropped by enemies. The person with more points becomes faster and scores more points upon picking the score item. So you need to protect your high scorer while also taking down the opponent’s high scorer.
The escort is a generic payload mission where you have to escort a moving objective. It takes place on a linear map and is no different than the modes in other games. All these modes can be fun but none of them add something new to XDefiant.
Maps
The maps of XDefiant are good and stand out from the rest of the game. There are 10 arenas and 4 linear missions. All these maps are interesting to look at. The open design of these maps is good for fast movement and has minimum camping spots. So you can get into a lot of different engagements every step of the way. It gives all the factions and weapons importance. Moving ahead with a short-ranged weapon like a shotgun is as much fun as a long-ranged sniper. Even if a lot of times some guns are more powerful than others.
Microtransaction and Progression
Since XDefiant is free to play there is obviously a store. There are purely cosmetic items in the store. Players also have the option to purchase a battle pass to get more out of the game. You don’t have to spend money if you don’t want to since it is purely cosmetics. Now the thing is that these cosmetics are not as detailed and some of them only change color at best.
There is also an extensive progression system that unlocks different weapons, attachments, and different faction characters as you complete the challenges associated with them. Weapon attachments can be unlocked just by playing the game. You can open more customization options for weapons just by using a weapon.
Unlocking new weapons and characters requires you to complete challenges as mentioned earlier. You have to use weapons in specific ways to unlock more weapons. It includes taking down enemies with a single sniper hit or defeating enemies at point blank with SMG and stuff like that. The challenges encourage different play styles and are not that hard to complete.
The Situation for faction is different. Unlike other factions which are available from the start, DedSec which is a lock faction requires you to earn thousands of experience points. It requires a lot of matches to unlock DedSec. There is also a shortcut, you can unlock them instantly by paying $10. That’s what I call pay to win and Call of Duty Warzone has the same problems. The grind or the cost of a faction isn’t that much problem. However, this can become a problem if an OP faction is released in the future.
Verdict (Is XDefiant Worth It?)
XDefiant is a decent free-to-play shooter but there are limited things that make the game stand out. The gunplay of the game is great and does not lag behind when compared with the rest of the game. Dying is not the end because you quickly respawn. In most modes, dying will not matter because all you have to do is complete objectives. There is a lack of balance when it comes to the power of different weapons but it’s a minor issue since it can be adjusted in the future.
The bigger issue is solving the use of slow class ability with the faster movement of your character. TTK the time to kill in the game is too fast which leaves little room for the use of abilities. You will be dead before you even use these abilities. No game mode stands out as unique to the game. It just uses time and tested modes which leaves little room for something new. Its good map design acts as an addition to these modes which makes them look better. So, Is XDefiant Worth It for You? Let us know in the comments.
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