XDefiant launched with a healthy amount of content in its pre-season, and Ubisoft has given an idea of what to expect once seasons started with the post-launch roadmap. Here’s all the upcoming content in the roadmap for Year 1 of XDefiant.Â
XDefiant Roadmap
All the way back in June of 2023, Ubisoft released a roadmap (pictured above) of what the year after launch would look like for XDefiant. This was published in a blog post recapping UbiForward. While the specifics may have shifted around, the quantities of core content appear unchanged.
Each season will introduce a new faction. So far, they are known only by their codenames, so we cannot be sure exactly what they will be, or which Ubisoft franchise they might crossover from. However, with Assassin’s Creed Shadows on the horizon, it’s likely safe to assume that the Assassins will appear as a faction in this first year of XDefiant. The factions available in each season should inform the theming of some other content as well. The DedSec faction of the pre-season inspired several weapon skins and maps available in XDefiant at launch.
Each season will also bring three new maps, with a mix of Arena mode maps and Progression maps for the Escort mode. I would expect some, if not all of the maps, added in each season to fit the theme of the franchise where the new factions originate from, which could include iconic locales from the games that inspired them.
Finally, each season will also have three new weapons. This will do well to round out the weapon selection in XDefiant. Admittedly, this arena shooter has far fewer weapons on offer than competitors like Call of Duty. However, Ubisoft seems set to fix this problem as seasons progress. Presumably, at least some of them — and possibly all — will be unlocked through their respective season’s Battle Pass. The Pre-Season Battle Pass includes 50 tiers and one new functional weapon in the MDR. With Seasonal Battle Passes being nearly double the size, expect at least two functional weapons in each pass.
Additional Features
The roadmap for XDefiant Year 1 also includes mention of several other features. New modes will be added to the game, with types fit for both arena and progression maps. The most requested (and confirmed to be in the pipeline) are no-respawn modes like Call of Duty’s Search and Destroy.
XDefiant will also add new ways to play, including Ranked Play and Private Matches. Ranked Play has a trial run available at launch, with competitive rules and team sizes of 4 instead of the usual 6. Not much is known about how Ranked will be implemented in XDefiant. However, the current ranked trial playlist includes Escort, Zone Control, Domination, and Occupy. These are all objective modes, hence the exclusion of Hot Shot, which is focused on Team Deathmatch-style gameplay.
Players can also expect Ubisoft to continue to support and balance the game to keep the competition fair and ensure players don’t corrupt the experience through hacks or unfair glitches. Hopefully, this work will also include updates to faction and weapon balancing, as there are some gaps in quality among the items on offer at launch. The Welcome Playlist for beginners will also stick around, allowing new players a place to become familiar with the game by playing against other players who are level 25 and below. A Practice Zone, which will provide a place for players to try out the weapons and movement in XDefiant without competition is coming soon as well.
And that’s all the content players can expect from Year 1 of XDefiant’s roadmap.
