Fariha Bhatti 
XDefiant’s latest patch introduces some impactful updates that could potentially shift the game meta with nerfs jump and crouch-based movement tactics and pesky snipers.
In the sea of cutthroat shooters, XDefiant carved out its niche with fast-paced gameplay and power-packed loadouts. Ubisoft’s 6v6 shooter is still new but has already been making waves for its clean gunplay, with a few exceptions. Since its launch, players complained about snipers, with many saying that they’re overpowered.
Earlier, the developer confirmed that it wasn’t intentional and a fix was in the works. XDefiant’s executive producer discussed the exact changes and how it will impact snipers.
Snipers finally nerfed in XDefiant with flinch movement
XDefiant is going to nerf snipers by introducing “flinching” which makes it harder to react to enemies after taking a hit.
XDefiant’s latest patch delivers nerfs for snipers, who were allowed to get away with mistakes by simply hitting a quick flick. Ubisoft has changed how snipers react to being tagged by enemy fire.
Like many shooter games, the sniper in XDefiant is a one-shot weapon. However, it lacked any significant flaws to offset its overpowering nature, such as reduced movement speed or a lifelike recoil after shooting a bullet. That changes with the new patch.
Starting June 13, sniper players will notice a slight kickback after firing. This is accompanied by reduced walking speed while wielding scoped weapons. These long overdue nerfs will force showy players to give up snipers just for the sake of exploiting movement on easy mode.
XDefiant adds consequences for bunny hoppers
XDefiant is implementing aim penalties for those who try and gain invincibility through excessive crouch-jumping.
Players have long used movement abilities to gain an advantage while firing, whether it’s head glitches in Apex Legends or animation bugs in Overwatch. Alongside the nerfs to snipers, XDefiant is fixing this by making players choose between aim accuracy or improved maneuverability at a time, not both.
Jump spamming is a movement tactic similar to bunny hopping in other FPS games like Counter-Strike 2. On the surface, it sounds like an innocent flex, but it can help players dodge bullets and turn into tricky targets. Pair it with accurate aim placement, and it can quickly have a massive impact on gameplay.
Thankfully, the latest patch note will balance out the movement, allowing players to continue their jumping escapades, but at the cost of slight inaccuracy. Alongside these mechanical changes are new factions and balance changes.
