XDefiant has breathed new life into the FPS genre, but for some players who have jumped into the game, one weapon is ruining the game and making it difficult to enjoy the action: Sniper rifles.
While reviews for the game have generally been positive, like any new game, there have been complaints. While the slow weapon progression is probably the most frustrating issue right now, if you’ve been playing XDefiant, the odds are pretty high that you’ve been demolished by a sniper rifle.
That’s certainly been the case for me, and now players have gone to Reddit to complain about the snipers, calling them “ridiculously overpowered,” while also suggesting what Ubisoft needs to do to fix them.
![An XDefiant player sliding on the ground towards an enemy.](https://www.destructoid.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/when-is-xdefiant-season-1-release-date-content.jpg?w=640&resize=640%2C360)
“Snipers are ridiculously overpowered,” wrote The_Stiffmeister. “Even at close range they can scope in and shoot while getting drilled in the face with an [assault rifle]. Zero flinch or movement punishment. The sniper lobbies make the game unfun.”
This sentiment was echoed by many, with Snooperal saying their “only gripe with snipers is the fact that they’re better shotguns than shotguns,” while More_Tackle9491 said they “would do anything for a no sniping lobby,” as it’s “impossible to compete.”
As for what’s causing the issue, the majority of players agree that the lack of flinch on sniper rifles is problematic. Flinch makes your recoil increase when you’re being shot, but as snipers don’t have it, you can shoot them while they are scoped in and their aim isn’t affected.
“They 100% need more flinch. They’re already pretty close to being well-balanced with their slow reloads and slow ADS times, and I don’t mind being quickscoped either. If they got the drop on me, I think they rightfully earned it. I also don’t mind their one-hit kill,” wrote Ggun_14. “However, with the lack of flinch, I lost count of how many times I have dumped 4 to 5 rounds into a person and they still one tap me with zero consequence. If I’m the one that initiates the fight and I’m landing accurate multiple shots faster than they can? I’m the one that should have the upper hand, not them. This isn’t a skill issue. It’s a clear design flaw.”
There’s definitely room for snipers in XDefiant, but the fact that they are more potent at short-range than an SMG like the P90 is problematic. With plenty of patches coming down the line, we can only hope that Ubisoft will address this soon.
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