XDefiant is Ubisoft’s intense free-to-play shooter and answer to games such as Overwatch and Call of Duty: Warzone. Players pick a character from a selection within each of its many factions and battle it out for supremacy in various match types. The factions have been pulled from Ubisoft’s massive library of IPs, meaning fans will recognize most, if not all, of them in some capacity. This guide outlines every playable faction in XDefiant and where they originate.
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All Playable Factions in XDefiant
Below, we’ve listed every playable faction in XDefiant and have included some information about how they play and where their specialties lie.
Cleaners
Cleaners are the meanest faction in XDefiant. They’re pulled directly from The Division franchise, where they were initially tasked with cleaning up the city in the wake of an outbreak. However, their interpretation of cleaning quickly shifted from picking up trash and biological waste to burning everything and everyone they could. Players will gain access to an array of fire-based weaponry with this faction, including a drone that spews a line of fire directly in front of them and a flamethrower that burns through any enemy fighters unlucky enough to get caught by its flames.
Skills
- Ultra: The Purifier – A flamethrower that destroys all enemies in its path.
- Passive Trait: Incendiary Rounds – Incendiary ammo inflicts more damage to enemies over time.
- Ability: Incendiary Drone – A drone blasts a line of fire in front of the player.
- Ability: Firebomb – Detonates a Molotov cocktail that causes fire to spread and deal damage in an area.
Echelon
Echelon is a faction in XDefiant that any Splinter Cell fan will be immediately familiar with. This elite group of warriors works in the shadows to ensure peace is kept around the world, no matter the cost. When playing as a character from this faction, players will gain the unique ability to use active camouflage, hiding them almost entirely from any foes. They can also use goggles to outline enemies in their path and gain access to more powerful weapons for a limited time to take them down. This class is for players who know what they’re doing, not newcomers.
Skills
- Ultra: Sonar Goggles – Reveals enemies and provides a Third Echelon 5.7 pistol to hunt them down with.
- Passive Trait: Low Profile – Players don’t appear on enemy minimaps.
- Ability: Intel Suit – Shares enemy locations with others on a player’s team.
- Ability: Digital Ghillie Suit – Makes players almost invisible for a short period of time.
Phantoms
The Phantoms are the tank class of the game and made their debut in Ghost Recon Breakpoint. They’re a unit of disgraced Ghost Recon soldiers with all the training but no motive to help others. In XDefiant, these characters are all about dealing as much damage as possible and have the ability to pull up a shield to defend their allies from incoming fire. They’re a good place to start for any new players because of the buffs that make them a little more difficult to take down.
Skills
- Ultra: Aeigs – A spherical dome shield that protects allies and provides close-quarters fire against enemies.
- Passive Trait: Hardened – Health is increased.
- Ability: Mag Barrier – A barrier that blocks incoming fire and grenades for a short time.
- Ability: Blitz – Equips a tactical shield that can be used to bash enemies.
Libertad
Libertad is a faction from Far Cry 6, the freedom fighters pushing back against the overwhelming regime. They’re all about using what they can to create maximum destruction. They’re also guerrilla fighters, specializing in getting in, dealing damage, and then getting out. Players will need to think about how they play as a character in this faction because they’re hard to master but devastatingly effective. Their healing abilities are unrivaled, and having at least one Liobertad character on the team will go a long way to helping win the match.
Skills
- Ultra: Medico Supremo – Provides a large health boost and healing for a short time.
- Passive Trait: Espiritu de Libertad – Slowly heals nearby allies.
- Ability: El Remedio – Throws a canister that heals allies and damages enemies.
- Ability: BioVida Boost – Generates a healing wave for the player and their allies.
DedSec
DedSec is an unlockable faction in XDefiant. It’s based on the group of hackers based around the world in the Watch Dogs series. They work behind the scenes to disrupt huge organizations that cause harm to those that are at the bottom of the ladder in society. Characters in this faction are best played as support fighters, boosting others and making life a bit more difficult for the enemy.
Skills
- Ultra: Lockout – Disables the HUD, minimap, and abilities of enemies in a certain area for a short period of time.
- Passive Trait: Fabricator – Replicates the device someone else has just deployed.
- Ability: Spiderbot – Spawns a Spiderbot that will track and attack the nearest enemy.
- Ability: Hijack – Hacks enemy-deployed abilities to make them work for the player and their allies.
