Given the major levels of backlash Infinity Ward's Call of Duty Modern Warfare 2 has received since its release in November 2022, fans have been hoping for a new shooter that would adhere to their wishes. Through multiple closed beta periods including a recent open beta period, players have finally been able to get their hands on Ubisoft Massive Entertainment's XDefiant, giving all a glimpse of what to expect at launch.
With a great deal of positive reception and feedback from fans, specifically veterans of older and more beloved Call of Duty titles, the opportunity to outperform the popular franchise with a new IP appears to be at its highest ever, and with the right tweaks and adjustments overall, it could become a huge success.
5 Less Egregious Microtransactions
One of the biggest issues fans hold with the Call of Duty franchise at this point, specifically with Modern Warfare 2, is the overreliance and heavy focus on microtransactions. This is very similar to another Activision-branded title in Diablo 4, given the $70 price tags and players still expected to pay high amounts for the best gear in-game. These advanced to another level of frustration for players, with Modern Warfare 2 including some pay-to-win elements within some of its store items.
While it's clear that XDefiant will contain its own store, especially with its free-to-play nature, fans will be hoping that Ubisoft does not make this the forefront of their upcoming title, and put a major focus on gameplay improvements and changes over time without any pay-to-win elements.
4 More Maps
With a promising start of 14 maps that were already available to players during its beta phase, XDefiant is on the way to outnumbering Modern Warfare 2 depending on how many new maps may be added later down the line. This coincides with the long-awaited map voting system that was a staple within previous Call of Duty entries, to be implemented in Modern Warfare 2, but developers for XDefiant have already taken this into consideration before release, unlike Infinity Ward.
Based on the beta experience, it appears as though XDefiant will cover each mode accurately in terms of each map and their size, with modes such as 'Hot Shot' being held within smaller and close-quarter maps. Not only will the increase in the number of maps be beneficial in XDefiant taking over Call of Duty's place in the FPS charts, but if there are enough for each mode's objective and an accurate scale in size, it will provide players with what they had hoped Modern Warfare 2 would have included.
3 Maintaining Time To Kill
Taking another one of Modern Warfare 2's biggest issues into consideration yet again, the time required to kill an opponent within its standard multiplayer modes is yet to be addressed. Many players feel as though it ruins the flow of gameplay, leaving them very little time to react to gunfire or recover. Ubisoft's Massive Entertainment developers have covered this area too, providing a time to kill that can be seen as fast, but one that leaves them with more than enough time to recover in gun battles or find cover and reposition themselves.
While it is very much possible for this to be adjusted at launch, it would be best if developers leave this in the current state as it is, as this stands as a huge dealbreaker for many fans of FPS titles. Keeping a good balance between a fast and slow time-to-kill is crucial to ensuring that online play is fun and challenging, bringing every aspect down to players' skill levels.
2 Maintaining Fast Movement
Possibly the biggest appeal so far within XDefiant in comparison to Call of Duty, is the fast and smooth movement that it provides, giving all players a good advantage when it comes down to intense gunfire exchanges. Many players deem this as incredibly pivotal to the flow of gameplay, taking mechanics such as slide canceling into consideration. While it's evident Modern Warfare 2 does contain slide canceling, some players still feel as though the overall speed of movement ruins this particular mechanic.
With an increased pace in maneuvers and weapon attachments that can either hinder or boost player performance, XDefiant is well on its way to pleasing former Call of Duty fans adhering to their requests. This is especially exciting for maps that are built with the idea of close-quarters combat, making for some incredible lobby experiences and players attaining multiple killstreaks game after game.
1 Greater Battle Pass Rewards
Considering the aforementioned XDefiant's free-to-play nature, its battle pass rewards and seasons later down the line that has been announced will be crucial to its success. Modern Warfare 2, in the eyes of many fans, has failed with each passing season, with very few appealing rewards in the paid battle pass, and most of the special and appealing content placed within its store at expensive prices.
With XDefiant, if developers are able to produce content that players will unlock in the battle pass that has features such as Call of Duty's tracer rounds or skins with unique patterns to them, it will most certainly be Ubisoft's one-way ticket to outdoing the Call of Duty franchise, considering the unpopular state it is in.
XDefiant is set to release summer of 2023.