Latest XDefiant Patch Nerfs OP Movement Tactic

Gaming

November 8, 2024

Grant Taylor-Hill

XDefiant has proven that it’s a decent and reliable shooter since being released on May 21. It has racked up a solid following and Ubisoft is – by all accounts – pleased with the response. However, that hasn’t stopped the community from finding a few disruptive issues with the game, with a vast portion of the players zeroing in on the ‘bunny hop’ exploit. This OP movement mechanic has had players raging since the game was released, but Ubisoft recently addressed it with a new patch.

If you’ve played XDefiant, you’ve seen someone bunny-hopping around the map with reckless abandon. This OP tactic makes it extremely hard for players to be hit by their opponents, while the game’s substantial aim-assist mechanics keep the bunny-hopper’s sights centred firmly on your person. Sadly for those abusing the mechanics, XDefiant’s latest patch has put in place a punitive measure that’ll impact those spamming the jump or the crouch button.

Balancing Needed

xdefiant patch

Many players were left reeling by the revelation that Ubisoft had patched out jump and crouch spamming. It’s not possible to drop-shot in XDefiant, so bunny-hopping was one of the most reliable tactics that served as a solid movement mechanic to get the upper hand mid-fight. With a tongue-in-cheek reference to the abuse of the function, Ubisoft revealed that it had patched out spam pressing:

‘Added aiming penalties for players who go to town on the jump/crouch buttons, aka the nuanced tactic of jump spamming, aka the maddening exploit of jump spamming. Opinions vary.’

Not only that but the team has also added more of a flinch to those aiming down the sights of a sniper rifle.

Here’s the full breakdown of what has been done to the XDefiant’s movement mechanics with this fresh patch:

Each consecutive jump within a set time will yield a 30% decrease in height
Each consecutive landing will see reduced player speed by up to 20%
The weapon that you’re using will impact the rate at which you ‘slow down’, with heavier weapons suffering from higher setbacks
Jumping during ADS will yield a 10% reduction in ADS speed
The core penalty will add sway (in ADS) and spread to your weapon once you’ve triggered it

It was subsequently confirmed that you get three inputs within a one-second window without a penalty, but the fourth input triggers a timer. The sway and spread portions of the penalty will last 1.25 seconds – but it wasn’t stated how long the slowdown will last.

Naturally, this news has been met with mixed reviews from fans. With XDefiant’s season one update on the way, it’ll be interesting to see what happens to the player numbers.

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