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XDefiantis Ubisoft’s entry into the free-to-play, first-person shooter space, providing players with fast-paced movement and powerful abilities. Witha variety of Primary weaponssuch as Assault Rifles and Submachine Guns, it’s only natural that players gravitate toward certain weapons over others. But what about Factions?
XDefiantcurrently features six unique Factions, each with different abilities at their disposal. While whichFaction gamers decide to play aswill largely come down to personal preference, some Factions are definitely more versatile than others. Here areall the Factions inXDefiantranked!
Updated on June 28, 2025, by Nathan Round:Season 1 saw the debut of the GSK Faction, along with a series of buffs and nerfs to various Factions, including Echelon, DedSec, the Phantoms, and Libertad. This article has been updated to reflect those changes and now includes a section dedicated to ranking the GSK Faction.
DedSecis an unlockable FactioninXDefiantand is a decent option for players looking to counter a few niche abilities. For starters,Hijack can serve as the perfect counter to Phantoms, as hacking Mag Barriers effectively turns them against their users. DedSec’s Ultra, Lockout, follows a similar pattern by locking enemies out of using their Ultra and Activated Abilities, which isgreat for disabling pesky abilities like the Firebomb or Intel Suitfor a certain period.
When it comes to DedSec’s Activated Abilities though,Hijack is rather limited to being situational, as players can only hack deployed abilities. Spiderbot, on the other hand, is slightly more versatile as it can scout out players on the battlefield and stun-lock them for an easy kill, but its cool-down was drastically nerfed for Season 1. The biggest redeemer for DedSec is their Fabricator Passive, which provides players access to more devices if they go on long streaks without dying. However, compared to other Factions,DedSec is arguably the least viable, as players cannot rely on their abilities too much to gain a competitive advantage.
TheEchelonFactionis a popular choice for players diving into modes like Domination and Occupy, as they can take full advantage of the Intel Suit when navigating more enclosed maps.The Intel Suit reveals players through walls, giving an edge when pushing objectives or scouting out players to kill in Hot Shot. However, it is less viable in Escort because larger maps don’t necessarily synergize well with the Intel Suit’s limited range. The Intel Suit also received a small nerf to its cooldown, which harms its availability further.
Out of Echelon’s two Activated Abilities, theDigital Ghillie Suit is the least usefulas it is not very effective when moving or close to opponents.Low Profile is also one of the more situational passivesavailable across all Factions, as its perk only lowers the player’s profile to those who heavily rely on the minimap. Though Echelon’s Ultra provides a nice benefit by revealing opponents through walls regardless of range, the5.7 Pistol is heavily reliant on accuracy- which might put some players off.
GSKserves as the second unlockable FactioninXDefiantand debuted in Season 1. The GSK shares many similarities with the Phantoms in that their abilities lean more towards defense rather than pure offensive play. The standout ability for GSK is the Active Defense System, an activated ability thateffectively counters grenade spam, great for holding the objectivein modes like Zone Control, Domination, and Occupy. Unfortunately, this ability is susceptible to EMP Grenades and DedSec’s Hijack ability, meaning players need to be more strategic about where they place it.
The biggest advantage players have with GSK, however, is their Ultra: the Flash Shield. This ability acts as a super-buffed version of Blitz Shield, providing players with the ability to blind enemies in front of them. The player’s Secondary weapon is also available during the ability’s active time, making it an excellent option for quicklybreaching objectives held by the enemy team- provided players are not shot in the back or taken out by Proximity Mines and Firebombs. However, when it comes to other abilities, GSK is not as versatile as the Phantoms. For instance, although theirpassive reduces headshot damage, players can still be killed with a single shot to the torso by weapons like the TAC-50. The Shock Wire is also fairly easy to counter but offers the benefit of allowing players to place down three at a time.
ThePhantomsare easily thebest Faction to use in modes like Zone Control and Escortdue to their defensive abilities. While in other modes players are constantly moving, Escort and Zone Control put a great emphasis on targeting a specific objective, calling upon players to make use of abilities like the Mag Barrier. Speaking of the Mag Barrier, it can be a great tool in other modes when you need to save yourself from incoming fire quickly. Though the Mag Barrier did receive a slight nerf to its cooldown for Season 1, along with a reduction to its overall effectiveness for blocking damage, it’s still a solid option.
The Hardened Passive Trait also follows suit as one of the top perks of the Phantoms, as those20 extra health points can help players win many gunfightsif they are evenly matched, along withcounteringone-shot weapons like the M44. The Aegis Ultra is also great to deploy when players either need to make just a little more progress in Escort to complete the match, or for defending objectives with their team. The Blitz Shield, however, is pretty redundant and easy to counter with explosives, making it a near-useless ability.
TheCleanersare arguably one of the best Factions in the game due to their ability to deal a ton of damage with their abilities. The Incendiary Rounds, for example, is one of themost powerful Passive Traits available, boosting the damage output of all weapons, with the caveat of reducing damage range. This Passive is great for dealing with opponents who have bested players in a gunfight or for taking out fleeing targets, as thelasting burn damage can result in a killif their health is low enough.
Speaking of high-damage abilities,the Firebomb is great for gaining instant kills up closeand can eliminate multiple opponents at once when they are grouped together on objectives. The Cleaners also boast one of the best offensive Ultras available, asthe Purifier makes short work of opponentsat close range and doesn’t require much skill to use. Although the Incinerator Drone is the least viable part of the Cleaners' kit, the rest of their abilities provide aggressive players with the tools to farm kills quickly when paired with some ofthe best Assault Rifles in the game.
Finally,there isLibertad, the most versatile of the Factions inXDefiant. While Factions like the Cleaners mostly benefit themselves with their abilities, Libertad aids the team as a whole without forcing players to actively go out of their way to do so. The biggest aid Libertad brings to the team is their Passive Trait, whichpassively heals both the player and allies within the immediate vicinity. On an individual basis, this is great for disengaging from a fight to quickly regain health, but it also works well at saving other teammates from elimination.
Regarding Activated Abilities, each is similar in the fact that they heal players, butBioVida is more tailored for personal use, whereasEl Remedio is more specific for healing teammates. Both are great for getting players and allies to tip-top condition, whilst also putting other Factions at a major disadvantage when considering how slowly they start regenerating their health. The BioVida device, in particular, is excellent for being readily available, as its cooldown was reduced for Season 1. But that’s not all, as Libertad’s Ultra essentially works as an improved version of Phantom’s passive,bestowing players with 200 healthwhen in its area of effect. This is perfect for players looking to hold their ground on an objective or quickly provide a health buff while peeking key chokepoints.
