XDefiant has been out for two days and already has cheaters
As a free-to-play FPS, it was obviously going to happen.
XDefiant is out and is pretty darn fun! It feels a lot like some classic, arcadey shooters from my childhood. Running fast in Modern Warfare 2 and the like - the exact thing every old man has been begging for over the last decade. But with all good things come the bad, and a wave of cheaters have set their sights on Ubisoft's latest release.
Now it's important to note that, like every game that suffers from cheaters, this isn't impacting every match, or even the majority of matches. This in its current form appears to be a niche, but nonetheless frustrating, issue. If you want a prime example of what it looks like you can see it in action on the XDefiant subreddit. It's a classic spread of wall hacks and aimbots working in tandem, the Hall and Oates of FPS cheats.
So what can players do? Nothing! Nothing can be done. XDefiant uses BattleEye anti-cheat, which is a common service you'll find in Rainbow Six: Siege, Escape from Tarkov, etc. If you're even remotely familar with either of those games you'll know that cheating is very much an issue in both. Tarkov is infamous for its cheating problem, and the rolling ban announcements in Siege are a constant reminder of how many losers use this illicit software.
XDefiant will in all likelihood find itself in a similar boat. It's a free-to-play FPS, so banned players will just need to make a new account and they're good to go again. Still, if you do run into players partaking in such competitive tomfoolery you should still report them. It's your duty, as a low KDA member of the proletariat, to do your part and report any suspicious indiviuals. Especially the ones cleaning out entire lobbies.
For those looking to stick with XDefiant for the long haul, it's a problem you'll probably have to live with. Just like the good ol' days! Did your dad complain when cheaters ruined his Counter Strike Source games? No - he stood up from his computer and spent five minutes with you before returning to the grind. The cheaters are here now, and they're probably here to stay.
Cheaters aside, how are you finding XDefiant? Are you liking it? Like I wrote at the top, I'm having a decent time with the game - it's a blast in short sessions. Let us know what you think below.