I’m enjoying myself in Ubisoft’s free-to-play shooter XDefiant, despite some anticipated matchmaking difficulties at launch.
Today marks the release of Ubisoft’s new competitive shooter, XDefiant, which is available for free. Sadly, the game is having trouble matching players because it frequently leaves me waiting for a minute or two in an empty lobby before informing me that “the playlist doesn’t exist.”
As of 1:30 PM Pacific time, the devs have addressed the issue, and things are getting better. I’ve been able to enter a couple matches lately. It works smoothly on my slightly older RTX 2070 Super (which is what you’d hope for a competitive first-person shooter; it doesn’t need to look fancy), and I’m enjoying myself when I can play.
Although it’s described as a throwback to that kind of edgy Call of Duty shooter for the “MLG Pro 360 No-Scope” types (we call it “sweaty” in shorthand), I also enjoyed XDefiant in the beta, as I had suspected I would. Besides, these days I’m not really into competing with people who intend to highlight every moment on YouTube set to Darude Sandstorm.
One way that XDefiant’s competitive orientation is evident is that, save from an introduction playlist, skill-based matchmaking (SBMM) is not used in its casual playlists. One advantage of SBMM is that you play against opponents who are usually on par with you; therefore, every match is a test rather than a thrashing. It’s debatable, though, as some contend it homogenizes the experience or just isn’t effective, and it may result in lengthier wait times for matches.
We won’t be able to claim that removing SBMM has sped up things because XDefiant’s matchmaking is still extremely slow. While my casual interest may alter over time, I’m willing to accept that not all games require me to be matched with players that have similar K/D ratios.
The skills that give you exceptional powers, such as a cloaking suit, a healing gadget, or a deployable shield, are something I’m not particularly interested at the moment. In my opinion, they’re merely another method to package utility items or killstreak incentives found in CoD, but the ultimates and cooldown times feel out of place in a game that otherwise focuses on competitive shooting at a high level, eliminating the excesses of contemporary CoD and hero shooters. Perhaps I’ll come to like them.
There are multiple lai-back playlists accessible for this “pre-season” debut, along with a “preview” of the ranked mode that will accompany Season One. Additionally, there is an in-game premium battle pass that offers nothing more than cosmetic items and experience multipliers.
