The XDefiant server's April beta test wrapped up today and players are excited for a smooth weekend of action, but one weapon archetype, sniper rifles, has reigned supreme.
Ubisoft's XDefiant: So far it's not bad (in fact it's pretty good)
The status of guns has fans concerned that the “overpowered” weapons will take over the game without prelaunch nerfs. While much of the discussion following last year’s public beta centered on the game’s poor netcode, debate within the XDefiant community has largely focused on weapon balance and the best loadouts, with many bemoaning the power of the TAC-50 and M44 snipers. One player described every kill feed as being filled with players shooting each other. “Snipers are absolutely insane,” said another. “Every match is just a bunch of guys jumping around corners with snipers.”
After trying the game out this weekend, it’s hard to disagree. It didn’t feel like there were any downsides to using snipers like there are in other shooters like Call of Duty and Counter-Strike 2. There’s plenty of ammo to chew through, flinching didn’t feel like a factor at all, and while re-chambering a shot did take a brief moment, the average time-to-kill in XDefiant meant I often had the chance to get a second shot off – and that was all I needed to land a kill.
Some even left XDefiant matches and the beta because of the weapon. “As soon as I see the enemy team has two or more snipers with great aim, I leave the match,” one player said, while another called the archetype “too broken and too easy to use.”
