It’s always a lot harder to review free-to-play games since the barrier for entry (the purchase price) is literally non-existent. That said, there is the big question of whether the game is worth your time or not. In case you’re not familiar with XDefiant, it’s a free-to-play arcade shooter that comes from some of the people behind Call of Duty. The big difference in XDefiant is that it melds Ubisoft’s various franchises into the shooter, creating an arcade, fast-paced hero shooter of sorts, which more often than not works, though not without its own demons that it needs to vanquish.
X Marks the Spot
Right out of the gate, XDefiant’s feel and gunplay feel good, though there are issues with netcode and hit registration plaguing it currently (more on those later). That said, when the game works as intended, the actual combat encounters feel tight, exciting, and fast-paced. Going hand-in-hand with its gunplay is the movement and feel of the game. While there is no prone, XDefiant brings that familiar arcade-y shooter vibe with it, which is something a lot of people missed.
Another thing XDefiant has going for it is the weapon balance. At the time of this review, I am at level 80+, and so far, based on our own experience and observing the community at large, there’s no one weapon meta. Sure, the ACR and maybe the MP7 are used often, but it has more to do with ease of use rather than one gun ruling the rest. Speaking of guns, the weapons can be customized as per the norm in most shooters these days, and it closely resembles Call of Duty’s Gunsmith. Players can mix and match barrels, stock, and more to fit their playstyle. Thankfully, Ubisoft has adjusted the weapon XP progression, so it’s now a lot easier to unlock the attachments for weapons compared to how it was at launch.
Even the faction abilities, which one might assume will be a main issue when it comes to balance, have been relatively balanced enough that it feels like every faction ability is OP (overpowered). That doesn’t mean that nothing needs to be nerfed or changed, but so far, each of the five factions available at launch serves a purpose.
Another thing the game has going for it are the maps. At launch, all the maps feel suited for each mode they’re available in. For me, personally, I don’t like the Echelon HQ map, but I can see why some would like it. Each map is themed after an existing Ubisoft franchise that gives it its own personality rather than fighting it out in a random gas station or abandoned building or whatnot.
Mixing in perfectly with the maps are the modes. All the modes for XDefiant are objective-based, though that changed recently with the addition of Team Deathmatch. There’s your standard Domination, King of the Hill, and more. Possibly my favorite is Escort, where attacking players need to accompany a robot to the end while the defending team needs to stop it.
As a whole, XDefiant doesn’t play like a free-to-play game, and that’s a good thing, given the balance, weapons, and general feel of the game. While the actual core is sound, XDefiant does have a few nagging issues that persist even after a few title updates, and some missing features and gameplay design just made me scratch my head.
Missing the Beat
For all the things XDefiant does right, it also has a few annoying issues that will surely get on people’s nerves. Let’s start with the netcode. While the devs have been toiling away at it, and it’s in a much better place than it was at launch, it still has issues. Don’t be surprised to die around corners or, even worse, behind cover. It’s not as prevalent as much now compared to launch, but it’s still an issue.
While the netcode might be the one that affects gameplay the most, it’s not the only sore spot for the game. For a shooter that focuses on objectives, there is no way to ping or communicate with teammates in-game. Yep, you read that right. The devs have said that a ping system is in the works, but the fact that it wasn’t even in the game to begin with for a shooter released in 2024 is kind of unacceptable.
Continuing with the issues with objectives, the game rewards players for going for kills rather than helping your team. Go after objectives? Yeah, you’ll earn score but not as much as getting kills, and your ultra won’t charge as fast compared to getting kills. Again, this is another odd design choice that doesn’t seem like it’s been thought all the way through.
Another thing that might irk players? The match waiting times. Sure, finding matches are usually quick, but starting it is a different matter, You have to wait for the “creating match” screen, loading, and then round start time. Once a match is over? You have to wait for the player of the game to finish first, see your team’s stats, and then load into the lobby. You cannot skip any of these, and this is why a lot of players just leave a match that’s about to end. Again, for a shooter released in 2024, it is a bit hard to take, and when you factor in that we have SSDs in our consoles now, there’s no reason for matches to dilly-dally this long.
While nothing major, the game’s progression needs work as well. Once you hit a certain level, there’s essentially nothing to grind for. No skins, no calling cards, no weapons, no nothing. The dev team is aware of this, and changes are in store, but honestly speaking, by the time they implement this, the player base might have already moved on.
Remember when I said that weapon balance seems to be on point for the most part? It is, save for snipers. For some reason, it is very easy to snipe in XDefiant — even with the added flinch. In one match, I managed to pick up a sniper rifle from a fallen enemy, and I rattled off 4-6 kills using it — and I don’t snipe a lot in games. If I had to hazard a guess, it’s the lack of idle sway, coupled in with the larger health pool (resulting in longer time to kill), and not enough flinch that contributes to this.
Faction Distraction
It might seem like I’m dunking entirely on the game but I’m not. I’ll reiterate it: XDefiant’s core gunplay and gameplay is fun; it’s just that, it needs quite a bit of work in a lot of other areas.
It does have a lot going for it, as the dev team seems eager to push the game forward and has been very vocal about changes and issues players have with their game. There are also new factions being introduced in each new season that should keep things fresh. For Season 1 (starting July 2), we are getting the Rainbow Six Siege faction class with some interesting abilities. Based on the datamines, we should expect a faction based on Assassin’s Creed and more, which adds a lot of layers to the game as a whole.
Of course, with XDefiant being a F2P game, there needs to be a way for Ubisoft to earn some money, right? The shooter employs your standard Battle Pass, and there are also new items being introduced in the in-game shop. However, the actual bundles and cosmetics for sale are a bit on the weak side, as most are just re-colors of existing skins. Add in the fact that each one costs quite a lot (like $2o), and well, I don’t see players being incentivized to open their wallets. I mean, I do want to throw some extra coin to show my appreciation for the devs, but not at $20 per cosmetic bundle.
For a game that draws from plenty of other major Ubisoft IPs, I’d like to see some more unique cosmetics that play more with those IPs than what we have now. Give us some full crossover skins of characters that each faction is based on. I’m not saying go Call of Duty crazy and start introducing all these random collaborations, like the recent Gundam one, but I am saying that the studio should bank more on nostalgia with some of these faction IPs, as it wouldn’t feel like something out of the ordinary given how the game is setup.
Press X to Pay Respects…
XDefiant is in an odd spot; it’s a free-to-play arcade shooter that has solid core gameplay but one that’s mired in issues that bog down the overall experience. It’s like being served a good steak, but the sides are bland. Sure, it does the trick but it could be so much more.
At the end of the day, though, XDefiant is free to try and free to own. There is literally zero barriers for entry to try it out. But even so, does it respect the player enough to warrant pouring hours into it? I have to say yes, but barely. Sure, the developers have promised a lot of things that are headed to the game, but we can’t grade a product based on its potential, right? If the devs do manage to add a ping system, adjust objective scoring, etc., then that could make XDefiant one of the year’s best multiplayer experiences. But until that day happens, we need to score it based on what’s on the table.
For now, XDefiant is worth the download and disk space. I mean, I’m now at level 80+ and even with the issues I’ve mentioned, I’m still playing it; that has to account for something, right? If its execution matches its ambition, then this could be the start of another long-running Ubisoft franchise.
Score: 7.5/10
Pros:
- Gunplay feels good
- Devs have been very spot-on with communications
- Factions all have purpose
- Weapon balance for the most part is solid
- Future looks bright
Cons:
- Netcode still an issue even after multiple updates
- Snipers are still OP even after flinch has been added
- Loads of missing features that should be in the game (ping system, crossplay working properly, etc.)
- Takes a long time to get into and end a match
- At the moment, grind/progression is barren outside of mastery weapon skins
XDefiant downloaded on PS5 for review. You can read MP1st’s review and scoring policy right here.