XDefiant Aug 14 Update Patch Notes: Sniper and Spiderbot Nerfs, Sticky Grenade Fix

The most recent update for XDefiant strengthens the adjustments made to sniper rifles, addresses a netcode issue involving sticky grenades, and improves the ability for players to spot spiderbots before they attach themselves to their characters’ faces.

In May, XDefiant players called for a nerf of sniper rifles, claiming they were “ridiculously overpowered.”The weapon was able to quickly eliminate enemies with no flinching or movement consequences.

In response to the June 12 update, Ubisoft implemented changes to increase sniper flinch and impose a movement penalty while using scoped weapons. These modifications were well-received, however, the class continued to be the preferred choice.

The development team revisited the issue and further enhanced the flinch effect, making it even more pronounced. This adjustment poses a greater challenge for snipers to accurately hit their targets while under fire. Additionally, the spread for snipers has been increased, providing players with more leeway before being killed by an enemy who has fully zoomed in.

Let’s dive into the other upcoming changes.

XDefiant Aug 14 Update Patch Notes

Below is a link to the complete patch notes: Full patch notes.

Gameplay

Previously, kill assists did not count towards a player’s ultra charge, but now they do.
Addressed a problem where players were being sent back to the main menu upon completing a Ranked match.
If you were unable to finish the EMP grenade Base Challenge due to it not tracking your progress, attempt it again now. You should have success.

Factions

The Incinerator Drone used by The Cleaners will not explode if it passes over a Shock Wire belonging to their ally, the GS-Kommando.

Maps

Corrected an issue where players were invulnerable to damage upon spawning on the second floor of the National Zoo map.

Game Modes

Corrected a strange issue in Zone Control where all zones were being unlocked prematurely, allowing the attacking team to secure a victory without properly investing time and effort.

Weapons

The sniper hit-flinch penalty has been further adjusted, resulting in a more pronounced effect when being shot while aiming a sniper rifle. This makes it more challenging for snipers to accurately hit their target while under fire.
In other sniper-tuning news, spread reduction duration has been increased. This refers to how long it takes a sniper to focus the scope and achieve pinpoint accuracy when going into ADS, which should prevent targeted players from getting sniped before the sniper is fully scoped in. Study these spec changes:
- M44 spread reduction duration increased by 4 percent.
- TAC-50 spread reduction duration increased by 28 percent.
- L115 spread reduction duration increased by 16 percent.
Adjusted the aiming sensitivity when using a scope to account for the change in field-of-view.
The Skullduggery skin no longer allows players to wear the PEQ-15 laser sight alongside the AA-12 shotgun in a magical hovering manner.
A graphical glitch was resolved where the Mecha skin caused muzzle, magazine, and weapon stock attachments to disappear.

Devices

An exploit that allowed players to deploy unlimited devices by changing loadouts in spawn zones has been fixed.

Netcode

Despite dodging the trajectory of enemy sticky grenades, players were still getting stuck by them. However, this issue has now been resolved.

Audio

The sound effects of explosions will now continue uninterrupted even if players rapidly deploy multiple grenades.
We implemented a feature that improved players’ ability to hear nearby Spiderbots, enabling them to defend against an impending face-hugging.

Miscellaneous

The game lobby now prevents players from continuously entering and exiting, which can be tiring. This is likely beneficial for all parties involved.
Now, players are able to report and block other players on the scoreboard when using mouse input, whereas before, this was not possible.
Various crash fixes.