When a new First-person shooter game is released, it’s always interesting to see if anything new will be added to one of the most popular gaming genres ever created. In recent years, this area has been heavily dominated by the Call of Duty franchise, which, according to many, lost its desire to renovate and prioritise the user experience over cold financial considerations a long time ago, which brings us to this XDefiant review.

Surprisingly, Ubisoft and the former Executive Producer of Infinity Wards studio, who created CoD4, MW2, MW3, and Ghosts, have joined forces and worked on a free Call of Duty alternative. But how is it so far, just a few days after its launch? 

I decided to check out this new game and see if the gaming experience is good this time, just three days after its official release date.

XDefiant Overview

XDefiant, developed by Ubisoft, is a free-to-play first-person shooter video game released on Ubisoft Connect on May 21, 2024.

It’s a 6 vs 6 arena respawn shooter, similar to older Call of Duty games. It combines tactical abilities like those in Overwatch and other hero shooters like Valorant. For example, when you die, you can change class and load out.

Here is a brief overview of XDefiant:

Battle Pass

The battle pass in XDefiant at the moment is purely cosmetic. There are no advantages or in-game perks to help boost you in the game; it only includes character and weapon cosmetics, XP boosters, and profile customisation items. As a gamer, I expect these to change; however, this game is relatively new, so I’ll be gentle on this one.

• Preseason Duration and Details

XDefiant’s Preseason Battle Pass began on May 21, 2024, the same day as the game’s release, and will end on July 2, 2024, just before Season 1 starts. Players have about a month and a half to complete all 50 levels of the Battle Pass, which should be doable through regular play.

• Cost

Players have the option to purchase the Preseason Battle Pass for 700 XCoins, which can be acquired by buying 1,000 XCoins for $9.99. Upon completion of the Preseason Battle Pass, players receive 700 XCoins, enabling them to buy the Season 1 Battle Pass.

• Rewards

The Preseason Battle Pass consists of 50 levels, each offering a range of rewards. Players have the opportunity to earn character and weapon skins, XP boosters, emotes, and XCoins.

Game Modes

Hot Shot

Two teams are competing to earn the most points before time runs out. Players earn points by picking up bounties dropped by defeated enemies. The player with the most bounties becomes the Hot Shot, gaining bonuses like increased speed but also revealing their location to all other players. The team with the most points wins, exactly like CoD’s Kill Confirmed.

Escort

In Escort mode, players are divided into two teams with different objectives. The attacking team aims to guide a robot to a specific delivery point, while the defending team’s goal is to impede the attackers’ progress. As the attacking team advances, they will reach checkpoints that change the spawn locations for both teams. The team that makes more progress wins. This game mode may sound familiar because it is similar to one of the modes in Overwatch.

Domination 

You don’t need to waste time trying to reinvent the wheel on this one. Domination is a classic first-person shooter (FPS) game mode where two teams compete to control three points across the map.

Teams earn points for holding these points, with more points awarded for controlling multiple locations. It’s that straightforward.

The team that earns the most points or reaches the victory threshold first will be declared the winner.

Zone Control

The Zone Control game mode is similar to control point games. You need to attack or defend various points on the map. At the start, four zones are available for players to battle over, and when attackers take a zone, the fifth one unlocks. The goal is to capture as many points as possible.

Occupy

In this mode, Domination is focused on a single rotating point on the map. Teams compete to control the point for the longest time. The team with the most time in control of the point wins, similar to Hardpoint mode in Call of Duty.

XDefiant Classes

Here is short review of XDefiant classes:

Libertad

Inspired by the rebels from Far Cry 6, the Libertad faction is great at providing medical support, which allows you and your teammates to heal during matches. Here is a detailed list of Libertad’s abilities: 

	Espíritu de Libertad	Heals you and nearby teammates over time.
	El Remedio	Healing allies continues until it is either destroyed or cancelled.
	BioVida Boost	Improves overall health and healing for you and your nearby teammates.
	Médico Supremo	Boosts your health and improves healing for a limited time.

Phantoms

The former Ghosts from Ghost Recon have made a comeback in XDefiant. This class is equipped with numerous defensive abilities, making it ideal for maintaining control of an objective. Here are all of the Phantom abilities:

	Blitz Shield	Use a shield to block gunfire and to attack enemies at close range.
	Hardened	Increases base health.
	Mag Barrier	Stops bullets and grenades from hitting you.
	Aegis	A plasma shield with a close-range electro-scattergun for combat is being carried.

Echelon

Echelon, expert spies from the Splinter Cell series, brings a stealth element to an XDefiant match, adding an exciting dimension to gameplay. Their abilities are highly effective for infiltrating enemy lines and inflicting significant damage:

	Low Profile	Players do not appear on enemy minimaps.
	Digital Ghillie Suit	Using this ability turns a player almost invisible while moving and aiming, reducing the overall effect
	Intel Suit	Shows where enemies are to teammates.
	Sonar Goggles	Use the Third Echelon 5.7 pistol to find where the enemies are and then go after them.

Cleaners

The Cleaners from The Division are responsible for maintaining order. They excel at capturing enemy-controlled objectives with their aggressive approach:

	Incendiary Rounds	Use a shield to block gunfire and to attack enemies at close range.
	Incinerator Drone	Increases base health.
	Firebomb	You can use a Molotov Cocktail to deal with explosive damage and burn the area in which it lands.
	The Purifier	Use a flame thrower to burn opponents that come to closer range.

DedSec

The skilled hackers from Watch Dogs 2 make an appearance in XDefiant, offering solid abilities to turn the tide of a match and disrupt the flow of any opponents on a hot streak: 

	Fabricator	After a device is put into use, another one is created.
	Hijack	Steal enemy abilities to use them as your own.
	Spiderbot	Deploys a SpiderBot that targets enemies and stuns them by leaping onto their faces.
	Lockout	The enemy’s HUD, minimap, and abilities are deactivated in the affected areas of the map.

Pros and Cons

Like every game on the market, XDefiant has its pros and cons; here is how I felt so far playing XDefiant:

Pros

It’s Fun

As a veteran CoD player, I have a toxic relationship with the game. On one hand, I owe it many hours of some of the best gaming experiences in my life, especially in the first-person shooter genre. On the other hand, it’s one of the game franchises that has drained me mentally and financially the most. Every year I get baited into paying at least $70 for a rehashed game that you promised yourself that this time you won’t buy it. 

If you come to the game without a competitive mindset and just immerse yourself in it, XDefiant can be very enjoyable. 

It’s full of gamers, and while many new YouTubers and TikTokers posting videos from the game might annoy you and give you the feeling that it’s just hype, I really think it’s just super fun.

Gun Play is Very Easy to Use

The gunplay in the game feels similar to playing a 2010 Call of Duty game, and I mean that in a good way. The gunplay is very tight and fun, and I missed it. Additionally, it feels like there is no RNG element in the guns, unlike in some other games, which makes the guns very predictable and easy to use. It seems the developers chose to approach the game with user-friendly and community-favoured hit-scan predictable guns.

It’s Free

First thing first, not every day do you get an AAA game for free. 

On top of that, the involvement of Mark Rubin in the production of this game has made the entire CoD community curious to find out what the ex-producer of the series’ biggest classics is working on this time.

Maps Are Colorful and Beautiful

The maps in XDefiant are colourful and vibrant, offering visually interesting environments such as movie sets, theme parks, and even the Statue of Liberty. Unlike the dull and dreary maps in Call of Duty, XDefiant’s bright and lively maps not only look better but also make it easier to spot enemies.

Compared to CoD, in these maps, you don’t have the option to camp. The maps are designed in a way that the gameplay feels more fluid and action-packed. My personal favourites are Showtime and Attica Heights. They are easy to learn and remember.

It Doesn’t Take a Lot of Memory

Compared to its senior alternative latest game, Call of Duty Modern Warfare 3, which takes a modest 149 GB (!!!) of space, space, XDefiant takes 65 GB.  

No SBMM

XDefiant focuses on competitive gameplay in its matchmaking. It offers an introductory playlist, and its casual playlists do not use skill-based matchmaking (SBMM). SBMM pairs players with opponents of similar skill levels to create challenging matches without one-sided victories. 

However, this approach has sparked controversy among the Call of Duty community. Some argue that it leads to a uniform, boring experience, is ineffective, and may lead to longer matchmaking times.

XDefiant’s matchmaking may seem slow at times, but it’s worth noting that I haven’t been beaten by really good 15-year-old players with a lot of extra time. It’s understandable that not every game matches me with similar players, and that’s okay for now.

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Cons

It’s Old Fashioned

Let’s be honest: A 6 vs. 6 arena First-person shooter with respawn is not anything new in 2024. It was already outdated when Call of Duty released Cal of Duty: Modern Warfare in 2007. This is, by the way, the year that the ability to earn killing streaks was added to the game series. Nowadays, the Battle Royale genre has become the most popular in shooters. It has made traditional 6 vs. 6 respawn shooters seem old-fashioned. 

There are other games on the market that offer much more adrenaline, and while I’m not saying this game isn’t fun, it feels like it belongs to a different era, about 15 years ago. I expect to be fully engaged, and I feel that these games fall short of delivering that experience.

No Killing Streaks

As a Call of Duty player, I feel that the game is lacking a crucial feature. Kill streaks provide every CoD player with the motivation and ambition to strive for. If XDefiant were to incorporate this feature, the game would be much more enjoyable for me. One of the reasons CoD is so popular is that it’s not just about running around and killing, dying, and respawning. It’s also about working on your kill streak, which has kept me hooked on CoD throughout the years. Currently, the game doesn’t reward you differently for achieving a 5-kill streak versus a 10, 20, or 50-kill streak, which makes the experience feel stale at times. It’s just kill and respawn.

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Specialist Abilities are Annoying

I’m not a big fan of special abilites given free for player and allowing them have an easier killing strike. I don’t like it here, I didn’t like it in Black Ops 4 either. All that People walking around popping shields you can’t shoot through and ramming you with a riot shield while you stand useless against it is just not my type of thing. I think that if you’d take that out of the game it would be much more enjoyable to me.

No Movement Penalty

There is still no movement penalty. You can crouch spam as much as you like now, and the movement is a little excessive. I believe there should be a penalty, at least for jumping, as currently, people can even triple jump without any penalty, and that should be enforced. Right now, it feels like the game meta is to do two jumps and then keep crouching, and that’s a pro’s tip on us. It’d be awesome if we could pop boosters like in Call of Duty while we’re actually playing. Right now, I have to turn them on while waiting for a game to start, which makes using a 2x Weapon XP kinda useless.

Waiting Times Are Relatively Long

One of my specific drawbacks is the waiting time. On average, you spend about 3 minutes to find a game, which can be a bit annoying when you are “hot” and eager to play.

Wrapping Up: XDefiant Review

The release of XDefiant comes at a perfect time for gamers, especially for CoD fans who are looking for alternatives to their beloved franchise that sold out a long time ago. While there are things to improve in XDefiant, and the game is far from perfect in terms of gameplay or innovation, it’s a good start from Ubisoft’s studio.

I believe that over time, the game will continue to improve, and the developers will find more ways to differentiate it from its step-brother, CoD. We might see a shift from the popular franchise to XDefiant. Additionally, I think that the buzz around XDefiant is more of a message from the CoD community to Activision-Blizzard, indicating that we are not beholden to anyone. If an alternative game respects its users and doesn’t treat them as walking wallets, we would be glad to respect, play, and support it. I’m excited to see how this game will progress.

F&Q