Is XDefiant ready to launch?

XDefiant just concluded its Server Test session giving players a taste of what's to come. This limited-time run gave players the opportunity to try out a variety of maps, modes, weapons, and factions, that will be there on day one of its release. Although many enjoyed this Server Test session, few had poor experiences and this poses a major question; Is XDefiant finally ready for launch?

Simply put, no, the game is not yet ready to launch. Don't get me wrong, XDefiant has gotten a lot of things correct and plays well for the most part. However, it will be competing directly with giants like Call of Duty and if the developer wants the fair share of players in the shooter, it still needs to address a few things before its release.

In this article, I will share my two cents on what the title needs to improve or fix before shipping out the final public build.

Note: This article is subjective and reflects the writer's opinions.

Three things XDefiant needs to address before its release

The following are three areas where XDefiant needs to step up before it should go for a full public release:

Poor net code

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This has to be the most significant problem that needs addressing right now. I get it, the recent Server Test session was meant to check how the servers hold up and it is evident that they do need to work on the netcode. I faced hit registry issues not once but on numerous occasions. I will shoot at my target and it will just not hit them despite the bullet going straight through them.

Furthermore, desync is a major issue. I would be shooting at an enemy and they are at me, and I realize I am low on HP so I take cover. However, the bullets will somehow register on me after I get into cover resulting in death. But it wasn't only me that was on the receiving end.

Countless times, I fire at someone and they go into cover, and then somehow my bullets hit them and they die. Is it as bad as the public test sessions last year? Definitely not, but there's still a lot of room for improvement in this regard.

For a title that promises to deliver a compelling shooter experience, this is a must-fix before release.

Broken spawns

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Next up is spawn issues. While it might not seem like something of a major flaw, it holds the potential to break the flow of a match. The issue is more pronounced on the map Pueblito.

Players that spawn on the A side, are at a significant disadvantage. Let's say you spawn on C and you capture the site. Your next natural move is getting to B and capturing it. Fortunately for you, you can now just head to A and get those free kills on players that are just spawning, essentially spawn-trapping them.

Players that spawn on A, however, don't get to have that privilege as it is quite difficult for them to have sight on the C spawn from B easily.

This only reverses when A is captured and the original A spawn team is now forced to spawn into C base. This is a very specific one but isn't limited to Pueblito. If one wants to, they can spawn trap enemies on most maps.

Unlike the net code, this should be a pretty simple fix that the developers can push overnight. However, this is something I would love to see resolved before Ubisoft launches XDefiant.

Gunplay adjustments

Lastly, it is the gunplay in XDefiant that feels different from most shooters, and not in a good way. Not sure if it was intended or not, but currently, most of your shots won't land where your reticle is. This is much more prevalent with automatic guns using the Red Dot Sight.

As tested by XclusiveAce in his video, it is evident there's a delay between your gun firing a bullet and you see it being shot on screen. This creates a disconnect between the input and output, causing the gunplay to feel off. As a shooter that is fast-paced and where precision accuracy will win you gunfights, this is something that the developer should be looking into before releasing it.

So there you have it, these are some of the most annoying issues that I faced and I believe that need to be resolved before releasing the game.

As mentioned earlier, it is almost perfect for the most part. But then there are these tiny issues that break the flow and overall experience of the shooter. Unless these issues are fixed, the game will have a hard time competing with other titles in the genre. Furthermore, I would like to add that the game suffers from an identity crisis and if it is going to fight the giants like Call of Duty, it needs to get everything right.

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