XDefiant‘s characters are broken up into Factions, each of which is based on a different Ubisoft IP. Here’s everything you need to know about XDefiant Factions, their abilities, and what they’re based on.
As well as choosing the best weapons to take into combat, and deciding on your ideal loadout, you’ll have to pick a Faction in XDefiant. These are select groups of characters from other Ubisoft franchises that have unique abilities that impact their playstyle.
If you’re curious about the differences between each Faction, we’ve got all the information you need right here.
What are Factions in XDefiant?
Factions in XDefiant are groups of agents. These agents or characters hail from different games made by Ubisoft, including Far Cry 6, Watch Dogs 2, and Tom Clancy universe games The Division and Splinter Cell.
In XDefiant, these Factions take on different roles on the battlefield – like healers, intel gatherers, hackers, and more. You can also switch between these Factions mid-game, but that requires you to get eliminated first.
How many Factions are there?
There are a total of six Factions in XDefiant as of Season 1. This number will grow as time goes on, with Ubisoft already announcing new factions, so we’ll update this article as soon as they’re announced.
Here’s a rundown of all six factions and their roles:
- Cleaners: The Pyro Technicians (The Division)
- Echelon: The Super Spies (Splinter Cell)
- Libertad: The Freedom Fighters (Far Cry 6)
- Phantoms: The Future Soldiers (Ghost Recon Phantoms)
- DedSec: The Cyber Attackers (Watch Dogs 2)
- GSK: The Siege Specialists (Rainbow Six Siege)
Each of these Factions is equipped with various abilities and powers, which we have detailed below.
As for future Factions, Ubisoft confirmed in a pre-release roadmap that it plans to add four more in the first year. The first of those four is the GSK, from Ubisoft’s other multiplayer title, Rainbow Six Siege.
No details have been revealed about the other three so far, but the codenames for the four Factions are as follows: Ruby, Buzz, Orchard, and Horde.
Given that there are huge Ubisoft IPs not represented in the game so far, we expect to see franchises like Assassin’s Creed join XDefiant down the line.
All Faction abilities explained
Cleaners
- Active Abilities: Firebomb, Incinerator Drone
- Passive Trait: Incendiary Rounds
- Ultra Ability: The Purifier
Cleaners are the Pyro Technicians of XDefiant, hailing from The Division’s universe. They are quite fiery as their equipment can burn everything in their path. Cleaners’ active abilities are the Incinerator Drone and Firebomb.
The Incinerator Drone travels in a fixed path of 30 feet and deals burn damage to everything in the way. It also explodes on impact and has a cooldown of 30 seconds. The Firebomb detonates a Molotov cocktail that ignites an area of 20 feet and lasts for 5 seconds, causing explosive damage. It also had a cooldown of 30 seconds.
Their passive trait, Incendiary Rounds, adds to the burn damage but comes at the cost of reduced bullet range. Their ultra ability, The Purifier, brings out a flamethrower that can burn enemies thoroughly within a 20-foot range and lasts for 12 seconds if the entire fuel is used.
Echelon
- Active Abilities: Digital Ghillie Suit, Intel Suit
- Passive Trait: Low Profile
- Ultra Ability: Sonar Goggles
Echelons are the Super Spies from Tom Clancy’s Splinter Cell franchise. Their active abilities are Digital Ghillie Suit and Intel Suit.
The Digital Ghillie Suit makes them nearly invisible and the effect lasts for 10 seconds with a 30-second cooldown. If you move and aim while the Digital Ghillie Suit is on, the effect gets reduced slightly. Intel Suit reveals the position of enemies within a 30-foot radius, using periodic sonar waves and lasts for 15 seconds. The cooldown period for this ability is also 30 seconds.
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Echelon’s passive trait, Low Profile, keeps them undetected in the opponent’s minimap. Their ultra ability, Sonar Goggles, reveals enemies and hunts them down using Sam Fisher’s iconic 5.7 pistol. It can 1 shot kill to the head or 3 shot kill to the body and the range remains unchanged throughout the entire range of the map and lasts for 12 seconds.
Libertad
- Active Abilities: BioVida Boost, El Remedio
- Passive Trait: Espíritu de Libertad
- Ultra Ability: Médico Supremo
The Libertads hail from Far Cry 6 and are the healers or medics in XDefiant. Their active abilities are BioVida Boost and El Remedio.
BioVida Boost acts as a fortifying health boost that regenerates you and your allies’ health within 65 feet to 120 and lasts for 5 seconds. El Remedio heals you and your teammates at a rate of 12 health per 0.45 seconds and for a longer duration of 25 seconds or until it’s destroyed. It covers a radius of 25 feet and has a 30-second cooldown.
Their passive trait, Espíritu de Libertad, heals you and nearby allies (within 15 feet) by 10 health points. The ultra ability, Médico Supremo, provides a large health boost for 10 seconds and has a radius of 10 feet.
Phantoms
- Active Abilities: Blitz Shield, Mag Barrier
- Passive Trait: Hardened
- Ultra Ability: Aegis
The Future Soldiers from Ghost Recon Phantoms are the epitome of defense in XDefiant. Their active abilities are Blitz Shield and Mag Barrier.
Blitz Shield equips a tactical shield and you can even use it to bash enemies by pressing the melee button. It stays up for 25 seconds and comes with a 15-second cooldown. Mag Barrier deploys an electromagnetic barrier of 470 HP and blocks enemy fire and projectiles like grenades.
Hardened is the passive trait that increases Phantoms’ HP to 120, while their ultra ability, Aegis, creates a spherical plasma shield with a point-blank electro scattergun that is perfect for close-range combat. Aegis lasts for 15 seconds and has a 20-foot radius.
DedSec
- Active Abilities: Hijack, Spiderbot
- Passive Trait: Fabricator
- Ultra Ability: Lockout
The DedSec faction are Cyber Attackers from Watch Dogs 2, and you guessed it right – they can hack opponents’ gadgets, causing them to backfire as a surprise element. Their active abilities are Hijack and Spiderbot.
Hijack hacks the abilities of enemies and makes them your own. It has a cooldown of 30 seconds. Spiderbot deploys a small spider that targets the nearest enemy, sticks to their face, and stuns them for 5 seconds. The entire duration of the Spiderbot is 20 seconds and comes with a 25-second cooldown.
DedSec’s passive trait, Fabricator, prints a new device every 15 seconds. Lockout, the ultimate ability, disables enemies’ minimap and abilities for 20 seconds.
During Preseason, DedSec is the only Faction that players need to unlock. If you’re wondering how to do that, our guide here has got you covered.
GSK
- Active Abilities: Shock Wire, ADS
- Passive Trait: Hard Hat
- Ultra Ability: Flash Shield
The GSK faction is a conglomeration of Operators from R6 and are great at holding down an area thanks to their active abilities, Shock Wire and ADS.
Shock Wire drops electrified barbed wire that damages and entangles enemies. Players caught in the wires can be picked off with ease. The ADS ability stops incoming grenades and other utility thrown by enemies in its range.
GSK’s passive trait reduces the “lethality of enemy headshots,” as the Faction’s headgear stops shots to the head in their tracks. Players cannot be one-shot by snipers while running this Faction, but do not have a health increase like Phantoms.
The GSK Faction was introduced at the start of Season 1 and can be unlocked by spending 1,000 XCoins or completing the GSK Challenge, which is earning 700,000 XP.
