Instead of choosing to customize your character’s loadout fully, Ubisoft has chosen to split the character abilities, gear, and items in XDefiant into Factions. The XDefiant Factions are inspired by or directly taken from other Ubisoft franchises like Watch Dogs and Far Cry. They often have traditional class-based abilities like shields, invisibility cloaks, and powerful heavy weapons that help each Faction fill a specific role.
So far, there are already a lot of Factions in XDefiant, and below we go over each one and what you can expect from them, including their abilities and roles. Pair these with your favorite firearms from the XDefiant guns list and you're good to go.
All XDefiant Factions
XDefiant currently has five playable Factions, with four additional teams as part of the Year 1 roadmap. These Factions are:
- Libertad (Far Cry 6)
- Phantoms (Ghost Recon)
- Echelon (Splinter Cell)
- Cleaners (The Division)
- DedSec (Watch Dogs)
- GSK (Rainbow Six Siege - Season 1)
- Buzz (Season 2)
- Orchard (Season 3)
- Horde (Season 4)
Libertad
The first Faction in XDefiant is the Libertad. Hailing from Yara in Far Cry 6, this Faction is a band of revolutionaries seeking to free their Caribbean nation. As expert medics in the field, their BioVida healing items can replenish your own health as well as your team’s to keep you alive.
They are the main healer Faction in the game and vital to have on your team for any of the XDefiant game modes. As such, they are also the most popular Faction in the game, as they suit both solo and team players.
The Faction’s passive ability is the Espíritu de Libertad. This will slowly heal you and any teammates that stand near you over time.
You can then pair this with one of two abilities. Remedio will launch a gas canister wherever it is aimed, which will heal allies until it is destroyed or cancelled. BioVida Boost will instead radiate a wave of healing energy from your character, which will restore lost health and increase overall health for nearby allies in your vicinity - as well as yourself.
Finally, the Ultra ability at the Libertad’s disposal is the Médico Supremo. This is a large backpack that, when activated, will provide a significant health and healing boost for a limited amount of time.
- Médico Supremo (Ultra) – Provides a large health and healing boost for a limited time.
- Espíritu de Libertad (Passive) – Slowly heals you and nearby allies.
- El Remedio (Ability) – Heals allies until it is destroyed or cancelled.
- BioVida Boost (Ability) – Boosts total health and regen for you and nearby allies.
Phantoms
The Phantoms are elite future soldiers, also known as Shadow Team. Previously found in Ghost Recon, these soldiers are equipped with a selection of futuristic gadgets and tech that can protect not only themselves but their fellow team members too. As they are focused on locking down the battlefield, they specialize in shields, blockades, and protecting rooms from oncoming fire, projectiles, and equipment. They're great for XDefiant maps with strong defensive positions and lanes.
Think of the Phantoms like tanks from other hero-based shooters. One or two Phantoms on your team are vital to succeeding in objective-based game modes.
The Hardened passive ability boosts the Phantoms’ health, giving them one of the highest base health values for a Faction in the game. This is a great bonus to have as, with certain weapons, the bonus health is enough to require an extra shot to kill you.
The ability choices for the Phantoms are the Blitz Shield or the Mag Barrier. Blitz is a tactical shield that can be equipped and acts as personal protection. Meanwhile, the Mag Barrier is a stationary barrier shield that can protect a choke point from incoming fire and grenades.
The Ultra ability will place a spherical plasma shield called Aegis. This will protect the player as they move and also give them an electro-scattergun for close-quarters combat.
- Aegis (Ultra) – Use a plasma shield with an electro-scattergun for close-quarters combat.
- Hardened (Passive) – Increased maximum health.
- Mag Barrier (Ability) – Place a shield that blocks incoming enemy fire and grenades.
- Blitz Shield (Ability) – Equip a tactical shield to block and melee enemies.
Echelon
Splinter Cell may have been dead for more than a decade, but its inspiration is back in XDefiant in the Echelon Faction. These spies are from the Echelon Initiative and use information gathering and stealth to take down their opponents.
Completely invisible on the minimap, these soldiers will slink around the battlefield and use abilities focused on disrupting and surprising enemies to gain a tactical advantage.
As mentioned, Echelon players won’t appear on the minimap. That's thanks to their basic passive ability. This is perfect if you're playing with a close-range loadout like an SMG, as it's much easier to rush the enemy.
The Echelon can then choose from two ability options. The Intel Suit will ping the nearby area and share the location of enemies through walls with your team. On the other hand, the Digital Ghillie Suit will cloak you, allowing you to become virtually invisible. However, your movement and aiming will be reduced.
Finally, for the Ultra ability, players can activate the Sonar Goggles. These reveal enemies through walls and from a distance, allowing you to use your 5.7 pistol to kill them almost instantly for a limited time. If you've got good aim, Echelon's Sonar Goggles are arguably the best Ultra in the game.
- Sonar Goggles (Ultra) – Reveal enemies and hunt them down with the classic Third Echelon 5.7 pistol.
- Low Profile (Passive) – You don't appear on enemy minimaps.
- Intel Suit (Ability) – Shares the location of nearby enemies with your team,
- Digital Ghillie Suit (Ability) – Renders the agent nearly invisible, but movement and aiming down sights reduce the effect.
Cleaners
The Cleaners sweep the battlefield for any foes and take them out with a swift torrent of flames. Found on the streets of New York City from The Division, these soldiers were originally patrolling the squares and shopping malls of one of the busiest cities in the world. Now, they are taking on other soldiers with high-damage weapons, incendiary rounds, and even drones that spew napalm from the skies.
The passive trait available for the Cleaners is incendiary rounds, which can be equipped to inflict burn damage. But, your weapon's effective range will be decreased to offset this. With certain weapons, particularly SMGs, this burn passive can significantly speed up your time-to-kill, making it an incredible bonus.
They can also equip two different abilities. The Incinerator Drone will cover the battlefield with napalm as it flies forward in a line before detonating. It's perfect for taking out enemies hiding behind cover. The Firebomb ability will detonate a Molotov cocktail around you, which can also be thrown, dealing damage and igniting the impact area.
Finally, the Ultra ability is The Purifier, a powerful flamethrower which will burn the battlefield and torch opponents. It has limited range but deals absurd damage, making it high-risk, high-reward.
- The Purifier (Ultra) – Equip a highly-damaging flamethrower.
- Incendiary Rounds (Passive) – Inflicts extra burn damage but decreases weapon range.
- Incinerator Drone (Ability) – Throw napalm-delivering drone burns everything in its path.
- Firebomb (Ability) – Throw a Molotov to cause explosive damage and ignite the surrounding area.
DedSec
The final Faction in XDefiant right now is DedSec, though you need to complete a specific challenge to unlock DedSec, unlike the previous teams.
Stepping away from hacking big corporations, this ragtag group is looking to disrupt their opponents in close-quarters firefights. They can scramble enemy radars and information, take control of devices on the battlefield, and even deploy their own gadgets.
DedSec’s passive ability is the Fabricator. This will automatically print a new device or piece of equipment after it is deployed - effectively giving you an endless supply of tools on the battlefield.
DedSec’s two abilities take full advantage of their knack for hacking. The Spiderbot will scurry along the ground and stun the nearest foe, letting you easily kill them with your weapon. Hijack allows you to hack enemy devices and make them your own, turning your opponent's tools against them.
Their Ultra ability will completely disrupt opponents - blocking their HUD, minimap and disabling abilities in a nearby area. Using this at the best moment in objective game modes can give you a huge leg up in a match.
- Lockout (Ultra) – Disable the enemies’ HUD, mini-map, and abilities in the affected area.
- Fabricator (Passive) – After a device is deployed, the Fabricator prints a new one.
- Spiderbot (Ability) – Deploy a SpiderBot that will target and stun the nearest enemy.
- Hijack (Ability) – Hack enemy-deployed abilities and make them your own.
GSK
Heralding from Rainbow Six Siege, GSK are the new Faction in XDefiant Season 1. Previously known as Codename Ruby in the roadmap, it's official that the German GSK are joining the roster. With characters and abilities inspired by Bandit, Jäger, and Blitz, GSK is perfect for capturing and defending objectives.
The official names and ability descriptions are yet to be revealed, though the Season 1 trailer showcased each one.
- Flash Shield - A riot shield equipped with a flashbang, able to stun nearby enemies while providing cover.
- Barbed Wire - A slowing and potentially damaging bundle of barbed wire.
- Active Defense System - An ADS system that deactivates and destroys enemy equipment thrown within its vicinity.
While Ruby has been revealed to be GSK for Season 1, Seasons 2-4 are still a mystery.
Buzz
Included with Season 2 in October 2024, the Buzz Faction codename doesn’t give a lot away. However, my best guess is that this could be the Highwaymen from Far Cry New Dawn, or a Riders Republic-themed faction - given the neon look on the roadmap.
Orchard
The Season 3 Faction has a sleek, white look on the roadmap. Arriving in January 2025, this Faction is almost certainly Eden’s Gate from Far Cry 5. The silhouettes of the soldiers look quite rural-American-themed with the cowboy hats, which makes this a safe guess.
Horde
The final Faction in year one will arrive in April 2025 and it looks like it could be Rainbow Six or Ghost Recon-themed. There isn’t a lot to go on here, but the best prediction is that this will focus on a section of the Rainbow Six squad or the Wolves from Ghost Recon Breakpoint.
Best XDefiant Faction
When it comes to the best Factions in XDefiant, the Phantoms and Echelon are the strongest choices right now.
With bonus base health and protective shields, Phantoms are able to withstand more damage than any other Faction. Though it doesn't sound like much, this increased health is enough to require an additional shot or two to put you down, which often lets you come out on top - unless your opponent is a Cleaner, which has a damage boost. Likewise, placing barriers around objectives makes it almost impossible for your opponent to attack or defend without EMP grenades.
Meanwhile, Echelon is effectively able to turn on wall-hacks to see enemy players through the map using the Intel Suit. What's worse is that this information is also shared with allies. So, if you have multiple Echelon players with the Intel Suit, enemies can be highlighted almost the entire time. The Digital Ghillie Suit can also be strong in the right hands, though it's not nearly as useful as the Intel Suit.
XDefiant Factions tier list
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While Phantoms and Echelon undoubtedly rule the roost, that's not to say the other Factions are weak.
The Libertad's ability to heal allows this Faction to quickly turn the tide of a fight, even if caught off-guard. With area-of-effect abilities, they can even apply this same life-saving buff to nearby allies. This is a great bonus to have in any game mode, but it's perfect for capturing objectives in Domination or pushing the payload in Escort.
On the other hand, the Cleaners are all about damage. From their burn passive which speeds up the TTK of many weapons to the excellent Incinerator Drone for clearing objectives, it's hard to beat the Cleaners. Their abilities work well whether you're on attack or defense, and whether you're an active or passive player.
That covers every single XDefiant Faction right now and that will be coming to the game in the first year. Now you have a good idea of what each one does, you will need a good weapon to truly dominate matches. Our best XDefiant guns article has you covered!