XDefiant Season 2 Coming September 25 – 5 Biggest Changes to Expect

XDefiant Season 2 is coming on Sept. 25, bringing the Highwaymen faction, the new Bomb game mode, three new maps, and three weapons, as well as an all-new Battle Pass and a highly anticipated new feature. Check out five of the biggest changes coming to XDefiant in Season 2:

New Faction: The Highwaymen

Inspired by the chaotic survivors of Hope County 2035, the ruthless Highwaymen faction has entered the fray, specializing in fast-paced, high-damage combat. The Highwaymen's passive trait is Revved, which increases your fire and reload rate for consecutive kills. The faction's two abilities are the M79 Grenade Launcher and the Scrap Turret. The M79 is as straightforward as it is devastating; simply point it at your target, whether that's an enemy or their ability, and blow it up. Use it wisely - you only get two shots before the M79 goes on cooldown. The Scrap Turret may look cobbled together, but the mounted machine gun provides 360-degree coverage from wherever you place it. The Highwaymen's Ultra is the Saw Launcher, which blasts ricocheting buzzsaws to effectively dominate any close-quarters space.

New Weapons

Three new weapons are coming in XDefiant Season 2, unlockable for free in the new Battle Pass. The PP19 SMG stands apart from other SMGs in the game by focusing on damage and accuracy over movement speed and rate of fire, with the highest headshot-damage multiplier in the group. It boasts a large magazine, increased range, and a more consistent recoil pattern. The L86 LSW is designed to allow runners to run, aim, and shoot faster, functioning almost as a middle ground between the AR and LMG classes. To balance out its boosted speed, the L86 deals less damage and carries fewer ammo than other LMGs in XDefiant, but it has the fastest time to kill in 30-45 meters. The SPAS-12 is a new semi-automatic shotgun, a combination of the AA-12 and the M8-70. It has the capability to one-shot kill, but can quickly finish the job with a second shot if the first one wasn't enough (say, because it hit a GS-Kommando's special helmet).

New Game Mode: Bomb

Coming later in Season 2, Bomb is a new arena-style mode where the attacking team picks up a bomb, plants it in one of two designated locations, and attempts to ensure its detonation. Meanwhile, the defending team attempts to defuse it - or prevent the bomb from being planted in the first place. Teams switch sides every round, and the first team to win six rounds wins the match. Bomb will start in casual playlists, allowing the developers to gather community feedback and refine gameplay before it hits Ranked.

Bomb also switches up some aspects of gameplay, designed to ensure teammates are working together to form the best strategy to win the game instead of relying on faction abilities or camping. Once your Ultra meter is full, you can't switch to another faction to use its Ultra ability; if you try, your meter will be reset. Stick with your pick and activate that Ultra right when your team needs it the most.

Oh, and the other thing about Bomb? No respawns. You only get one life per round, so tread carefully and don't go barreling right into the path of a Cleaners' Incendiary Drone.

Private Matches

You asked, and the XDefiant team answered. Private matches are coming to XDefiant later in Season 2, allowing you to create custom games for you and your friends. You'll be able to select the map, mode (both Ranked and Unranked iterations), and how many players you want in your lobby. In private matches, you can roll with the standard 6v6 (or 4v4 in Ranked) party size, or customize to 1v1, 2v2, or trios.  

New Maps

Waterfront is the first map coming with the launch of XDefiant S2, inspired by the post-apocalyptic Hope County, Montana in Far Cry: New Dawn. Waterfront is big, holding both a skate park and music stage area, and favors long- to medium-range playstyles (sorry, SMGs). Signal and Air & Space are two additional maps coming later this season.

Whether you're a daily player or it's your first time jumping into the action, now is the perfect time to log in to XDefiant. For even more details on everything Season 2 has to offer, including a community Q&A with Community Developer Zack Padgett, be sure to check out the latest episode of XDebrief.

When Season 2 launches on September 25, you'll be able to get the XDefiant Battle Pass with a Ubisoft+ Premium subscription.