Fast-paced action and sticking to arcade-style basics made XDefiant popular, but it has some issues, such as the player-friendly collision mechanic. To say the community isn’t enjoying it at the moment would be an understatement.
User HyphenPhoenix recently posted an XDefiant clip on Reddit that shows how they couldn’t get back into cover in the middle of a shootout because their character was body-blocked by one of their teammates. This cost them their lives and gave them a solid reason to rage quit the match. Due to friendly collision in XDefiant, you can’t pass your teammates and therefore get bogged down if they get in your way.
The shared video is the perfect example of when this mechanic becomes extremely frustrating. When fighting from inside a compact space or doorway, don’t be surprised if you collide with your squad on the way back to safety. This can give the enemy enough time to take you and your teammate out.
What makes player clashing worse in XDefiant is that this mechanic applies to friends and not enemies. This means that while you can physically block your teammates, the enemies can walk right through you without any obstruction. Another user pointed out in the comments that using the Phantom faction’s Blitz Shield does nothing to stop an enemy from going through you. The purpose of the Blitz Shield is to provide you with cover in close combat, but the absence of enemy player collision makes it less effective because an opponent who knows about this exploit can simply walk through you and shoot you in the back.
This is something the developers should address. Currently, it’s the exact opposite of how it should ideally work (ie friendly player collision should be disabled and enemy collision enabled). The fact that there is no friendly fire and teammates can still block your bullets should also be reevaluated as players did. raised concerns about this too.
The factions in XDefiant are inspired by various Ubisoft franchises including Far Cry, Splinter Cell, Watch Dogs, Ghost Recon and The Division. The developers promised to add a set of characters inspired by R6 Siege; check out Rainbow Operators enter the fast-paced environment of XDefiant Season 1 here on Pro Game Guides for more information.
