Ubisoft’s upcoming online arena shooter, XDefiant, originally revolved around the Tom Clancy universe, incorporating classes from various iterations of the title. However, the lukewarm response to the July 2021 reveal led Ubisoft to drop the “Tom Clancy” moniker and expand to include factions from other Ubisoft games. With each faction in XDefiant possessing distinct abilities, passives, and ultimates, newcomers may feel overwhelmed. But fear not, as we’ve meticulously examined each faction and compiled all the relevant information about their powers and abilities in this article. So, if you’re unsure which class to play in XDefiant, continue reading to make an informed choice.
In Ubisoft’s first-person shooter XDefiant, players choose from five ability-centered classes, each representing separate factions from past Ubisoft titles. Each class offers unique core abilities and ultimates, necessitating careful selection to match individual playstyles and team dynamics. One faction remains locked initially, with the option to unlock it through payment or by earning XP through gameplay. Here’s an overview of the factions in XDefiant:
1. Cleaners
- Featured in: Tom Clancy’s The Division
- Abilities: Incinerator Drone and Firebomb
- Ultra: The Purifier
Players in Tom Clancy’s The Division (2016) encounter Cleaners as one of the enemy factions. However, in XDefiant, players have the opportunity to embody the role of a Cleaner. In the game’s lore, Cleaners are sanitation and infrastructure workers who were left to fend for themselves after the government’s collapse.
Cleaners are known for their use of flamethrowers, a characteristic retained in their class in XDefiant. Their abilities include:
Incendiary Rounds (Passive): This passive inflicts additional burn damage on enemies upon hit, albeit with a limited range compared to other characters.
Incinerator Drone: This ability deploys a mechanical drone, dealing burn damage to enemies in its path with a 30-second cooldown.
Firebomb: Players throw a firebomb, creating a burning area for five seconds, damaging opponents who enter it. This defensive ability is effective in domination and zone control modes in XDefiant.
The Purifier (Ultra): The Cleaners equip their flamethrower for a duration, allowing them to burn and damage opposing players.
2. Echelon
- Featured in: Tom Clancy’s Splinter Cell
- Abilities: Digital Ghille Suit and Intel Suit
- Ultra: Sonar Goggles
The Splinter Cell franchise, currently in limbo, was a Ubisoft cult classic. While the first game undergoes a remake, XDefiant welcomes a faction from Sam Fisher’s agency. The Echelon class features Third Echelon agents, adept spies using espionage to take down opponents. This faction utilizes covert ops tech for its abilities.
Low Profile (Passive): You can see enemy movements through red markings on XDefiant’s mini-map. Echelon spies do not appear on the mini-map, regardless of their actions.
Digital Ghille Suit: With the Ghille Suit, an Echelon player can camouflage on the battlefield for nine seconds. Attacking the enemy player removes their camo, making them visible.
Intel Suit: The Intel suit scans the nearby area for fifteen seconds, showing the last known location of opponents.
Sonar Goggles: This ability equips the faction user with Sam Fisher’s Five-Seven pistol, dealing critical damage (100 per hit), and shows the real-time location of enemies through walls for its duration.
3. Libertad
Far Cry 5 served as a potent stress reliever upon its release, boasting an expansive open world and a narrative centered around guerilla warfare. The Libertad faction from Yara, known for their resistance against Anton Castillo’s oppressive regime, now joins XDefiant as a playable group. Emerging from the original “Outcasts” class, this faction prioritizes healing, evident in their passive traits and abilities.
Regenerative Health (Passive): Libertads benefit from a rapid health regeneration perk, granting them and their allies an advantage in combat.
BioVida Boosts (Ability): The first ability heals the player and nearby allies, granting an additional 20 health points, bringing the total health to 120 upon use.
El Remedio (Ability): The Libertad player drops a healing canister that continuously heals a group until recovered or destroyed.
Medico Supremo (Ultra): This ultra ability boosts player health by 200 in XDefiant and enhances health regeneration temporarily.
4. Phantoms
- Featured in: Tom Clancy’s Ghost Recon Phantoms
- Abilities: Mag Barrier and Blitz Shield
- Ultra: AEGIS
In 2014, Ubisoft launched a free-to-play tactical shooter set in the future, featuring ex-Ghost operatives known as Phantoms. Ghost Recon Phantom ceased operations in 2016 due to a declining player base. While I experienced the title, many did not.Ubisoft has revived the Ghost operatives for XDefiant. Phantoms, the game’s tank characters, utilize Athena Corporation’s technology, as evident in their kit:Hardened (Passive): Phantoms have an increased base health of 120, thanks to gene therapies, making them the only class with this advantage.
Mag Barrier: Creates a one-way barrier halting enemy bullets while enabling you and allies to shoot through, as long as the shield’s durability lasts.
Blitz Shield: Equips Phantoms with a bulletproof shield, enabling them to halt incoming fire and engage opponents with movement and melee.
AEGIS (Ultra): Phantoms deploy a 360-degree plasma shield shielding players and allies from bullets. It permits mobility and weapon use against enemies, inflicting critical damage.
5. DedSec
Watch Dogs, an open-world third-person action-adventure game, depicts a world dominated by big tech, controlling every aspect of our lives, including privacy. Across three games, players battled against the tech giant Blume Corporation. Amidst the ongoing struggle for privacy and freedom, the hacktivist group DeadSec demonstrates their hacking prowess as a faction in XDefiant, a game where this faction is initially locked and can be unlocked through grinding or payment.
Fabricator (Passive): DeadSec utilizes their 3D printing capabilities to swiftly deploy devices, enabling faster deployment of abilities.
Hijack (Ability): DeadSec members can commandeer enemy-deployed abilities, integrating them into their arsenal.
Spiderbot (Ability): Enables players in XDefiant to deploy a spider bot, a familiar feature for fans of Watch Dogs. The bot attaches itself to an enemy’s face, shocking and incapacitating them, facilitating quick takedowns.
Lockout (Ultra): Prevents the opposing team from utilizing their ultras or abilities, enabling your team to advance and eliminate enemies more efficiently.
XDefiant Factions Offer Diverse PlayStyles for All
Here are the first five factions available in the upcoming online FPS title XDefiant. Each class specializes in unique abilities, offering various comps and playstyles. Ubisoft confirmed that XDefiant will introduce a new faction, weapon, and map each season. Which XDefiant class are you eager to try? Let us know in the comments.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I use two abilities of an XDefiant class simultaneously?
No. Players can only select one ability from a class at a time.
Can abilities be swapped between classes in XDefiant?
No, abilities are class-specific. However, you can switch classes and their respective abilities mid-match.
Pritam Chopra is a seasoned IT professional and a passionate blogger hailing from the dynamic realm of technology. With an insatiable curiosity for all things tech-related, Pritam has dedicated himself to exploring and unraveling the intricacies of the digital world.
