XDefiant is finally getting a major rework for weapon XP
UbisoftFeedback from the June 18 update has prompted XDefiant developer Ubisoft to announce a rework that will speed up weapon XP leveling and introduce more Mastery changes.
Progression has been a thorn in the side of the burgeoning XDefiant community since launch. In particular, players have resented the grind attached to weapon XP and Mastery levels.
The June 18 patch issued a few adjustments in this regard, speeding up weapon leveling on Primary guns with the requirements decreasing from 3,500 to 3,000 XP. Secondary weapon requirements dropped from 1,500 to 1,000 XP.
However, Weapon Mastery levels were increased, making players work harder and longer for XDefiant’s Bronze, Silver, and Gold skin unlocks.
That led to backlash from the community, forcing developers to reconsider their approach to weapon leveling across the board. As a result, refinements that speed up the processes behind weapon XP and Mastery levels will go live soon.
The official XDefiant Twitter/X account confirmed as much on June 21, noting that earning weapon XP will soon happen twice as fast.
On Primary weapons, increasing ranks will require 1,500 XP instead of 3,000. For Secondary guns, ranking up will happen after 500 XP as opposed to the current 1,000.
Developers have not specified when XDefiant players can expect these much-coveted weapon XP changes to go live.
Executive Producer Mark Rubin offered more insight into the previous tweaks and the forthcoming update on his personal social media page.
“The levels that you need to get to unlock a mastery skin are staying the same but the net effect is that this will revert the change we made but keep the 14% speed increase.
“This will mean that unlocking attachments will be super fast but the grind for Gold will be 14% faster than what it was before the recent patch. It also means that everyone will get a big bump in their current level.”
Rubin further noted that because Weapon Mastery is XDefiant’s “main grind,” the team feared players would finish the grind too quickly, thus making “skins feel less special and rewarding.”
This explains the divisive June 18 update, though Rubin admits it was bad form to overhaul the system after players had already invested time toward progression.
“What we should have done is keep our focus on the new grinds and challenges that we are working on,” he added.
As of writing, it’s unclear if the new changes will arrive before XDefiant Season 1 begins on July 2.