The XDefiant community has dubbed the new Ranked mode a “train wreck” due to its wide array of issues and Phantoms meta.
XDefiant’s eagerly-anticipated Ranked mode launched on July 2 alongside Season 1, providing a competitive 4v4 playlist that tests the performance of the most skilled players.
The higher a user’s Skill Rating, the more challenging each match will become. While this tantalizing premise kept the community patiently waiting for weeks, players haven’t received its arrival all that well.
Within a day of release, one Reddit user dubbed the mode a “hilarious train wreck.” Their post specifically called out the lack of a penalty for quitters, games starting without full lobbies, and the absence of solo matchmaking.
The fact there’s no input-based matchmaking hasn’t done XDefiant’s Ranked mode any favors, either.
Players have shared similar thoughts on Twitter/X. Twitch streamer reaperreapz said they won’t revisit Ranked until Ubisoft limits Factions because “[4] phantoms camping a shield isn’t fun.”
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Another user lamented, “The Meta in Ranked XDefiant is literally 3-4 Phantoms… this is getting ridiculous.”
Fortunately, Ubisoft developers have confirmed plans to iterate on the mode. During the XDebrief for Season 1, Systems Designer Patrick Price called Ranked a “top priority,” so players can expect it to continuously evolve as the seasons go on.
Price also said the development team plans on closely watching community feedback to ensure the mode receives adjustments accordingly.
In addition, it’s worth noting future seasons will launch with a Ranked Practice phase similar to the preseason’s trial run. Ranks won’t be turned on during this seven-day period, but players will still get to play through the modes and rulesets.
How feedback from future Practice runs may be implemented into XDefiant’s Ranked remains to be seen.
