All XDefiant Factions and the best ones to play

There are several Ubisoft-themed factions in XDefiant, each with their own abilities and characters

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The best XDefiant factions hasn’t changed much with the addition of the GSK. The new Rainbow Six team has a very specialised set of skills that limit their use - in the right defensive situation they can be strong but you’re not likely to use them all the time.

With things like the Phantom’s shields, Libertad’s healing and Echleon’s enemy revealing intel suit, the GSK’s very defense orientated barbwire and anti-grenade trophy system is just too situational to pull out for general play. Their ability to survive headshots is not really changing anything massively either.

However, each Faction has a range of varied, passive traits, gadgets and Ultra abilities that means there’s quite a lot to consider for each team. And, while there’s a few that are always useful, the GSK join the ranks of options that can kill it in a veryspecificsituation, but bring little generally.

Best XDefiant Factions:

The XDefiant Factions are quite varied in terms of the benefits they provide, with some performing better than others in specific situations and more broadly. That means pairing the right Faction for your playstyle with some of thebest XDefiant weaponsin your loadouts can really help with your performance during matches. Here’s how we rank the Factions from best to worst:

All XDefiant Factions explained

XDefiant error codesXDefiant crossplay

Each of the Factions in XDefiant offer a selection of characters to play as and unique abilities to choose, all themed around one of severalUbisoftgames and franchises. The default four Factions are theCleaners, Phantoms, Libertad, andEchelon, but new Factions will be added regularly that must be unlocked. Each of the base game Factions also has only one character unlocked by default, and you must complete challenges to unlock others.

When you start a match in XDefiant, you need to pick which character you’ll play as and which Faction ability you’ll use. Both can be changed mid-match, so you’re not locked into your choice. Characters do not alter gameplay and just affect your appearance and voice, but the abilities can be quite different, and can inform your playstyle in some instances. Regardless of which character and ability you choose, you’ll also benefit from a Faction passive ability, offering a nice boost with a noticeable effect, and can charge up a Faction Ultra ability, temporarily granting you a powerful weapon or gadget to use.

Here are all the Factions in XDefiant and everything you need to know about them:

XDefiant Cleaners

Themed around one of the enemy groups in The Division, the Cleaners are fire-loving New Yorkers looking to incinerate foes.Faction unlocked by default.

XDefiant Phantoms

With the benefits of futuristic technology, these elite soldiers from Ghost Recon Phantoms provide defensive power in battle.Faction unlocked by default.

XDefiant Libertad

The freedom fighters of Yara from Far Cry 6 provide healing and other health-related buffs to their teammates.Faction unlocked by default.

XDefiant Echelon

Echelon agents from Splinter Cell normally aren’t seen or heard, but in XDefiant they use wallhacks and stealth abilities to cause chaos.Faction unlocked by default.

XDefiant DedSec

The expert hacker group from Watch Dogs brings disruptive technology to the arena that focuses on stunning enemies and destroying equipment.Unlocked either by paying 1,000 XCoins or by earning 700,000XP to complete a Major Challenge.

XDefiant GSK

The GSK from Rainbow Six are all about defense with barbwire to hold back enemies and a trophy system to neutraliser grenades. Great for holding down an area but not much use in any other situation.Unlocked either by paying 1,000 XCoins or by earning 700,000XP to complete a Major Challenge.

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Will Sawyer is a guides writer at GamesRadar+ who works with the rest of the guides team to give readers great information and advice on the best items, how to complete a particular challenge, or where to go in some of the biggest video games. Will joined the GameRadar+ team in August 2021 and has written about service titles, including Fortnite, Destiny 2, and Warzone, as well as some of the biggest releases like Halo Infinite, Elden Ring, and God of War Ragnarok.

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