Summary
XDefiantsees factions from series like Splinter Cell and Far Cry collide in fast-paced multiplayer action. Players not only play as characters belonging to these factions, the maps are references the many places you visit in those games.
These maps are carefully crafted to not only represent the worlds they come from, but also to ensure a natural flow of gameplay. They are divided between linear and arena maps, so each game mode has a place to flourish when it is picked during match making, making XDefiant a deeply polished game.
8Attica Heights
Don’t Look Down
Attica Heights offers a vertigo-inducing view as you start a match, making long-range combat the default option. Of course, if you want to get up close and personal, the inner floors allow for a different approach that won’t have you headbutt a bullet.
Whilethe aesthetic puts Attica above some other maps, most matches involve the inner floors, leaving the beautiful skyline on the sideline. This won’t be the case in every single match though, letting you take in the blue sky while you mow down your opponents.
7Arena
Basic But Effective
Arena is as simple as the name implies, since it mostly looks like a place built to house an organized shoot out. The different nooks and crannies you can hide in to surprise your opponents are clearly artificial, but they still serve the purpose of elaborating tactical strategies.
The tight corners and dizzying hallways have the potential of getting some players lost, but there’s always a way to move forward towards your objective. It also has plenty of corners where a stealthy player can take out many unsuspecting foes.
6Echelon HQ
For Sneaking Masters
If you are a fan of Splinter Cell and you want some of that tactical espionage action, Echelon HQ is the map for you. The Splinter Cell faction is already good at sneaking around, but with so many air ducts and passages, you’ll be surprising your opponents left and right.
If you’re not into sneaking around, this map might be one of the most frustrating for you, but there are ways of circumventing the flanking strategies. Stick together, keep track of your foes, and focus more on objectives than on getting kills when playing defensively on this map.
5Pueblito
A Deadly Grid
Pueblito is, as the name implies, a little run-down town abandoned by its former residents. It now makes for the perfect place for a fight, with each building placed like a grid, making you look twice each time you cross a street in case of a speeding bullet.
If you were to play a few matches in a row only in Pueblito, it would get boring fast, since the map layout isn’t something hard to learn. But as a map that appears every now and again (and even less as new maps are introduced), it serves as a perfect palette cleanser between matches with more elaborate maps.
4Zoo
No Animals Around
Even without animals populating the abandoned Zoo, the colorful locale still has a vibrant look that sets it apart from other linear maps. In escort missions, each checkpoint feels like a different map, particularly when you enter the darker areas of the aquarium.
The flanking chanceson this map are constant and relentless, so you will have to keep your wits about you. It encourages constant loadout changes to adapt to your surroundings, having spots better suited for snipers, while others are ideal for a shotgun.
3Mayday
Snipers On A Plane
Mayday is similar to Pueblito with the layout of the rubble, but the centerpiece that changes how it all plays out is the plane in the middle. It has two levels, multiple entrances, and presents an ideal height to control the entire lower area should a sniper get in position.
In the Occupy game mode, one of the main points to control is inside the very plane, on the upper floor. Defending that middle location is the most challenging part of the map, keeping you on edge since enemies could pop out from nearly every direction.
2Nudleplex
Bring Your Gun To Work Day
Nudleplex works similarly to the Zoo map in that, as the game advances, the map changes considerably depending on where the fight takes place. But since Nudleplex is an arena map, the fights take on a more organic approach, going in and out of the main building depending on the heat of the situation.
Even without changing from indoors to outdoors, the map is complex enough to offer cover and sneaking opportunities, without it feeling too cluttered. The map isn’t as cramped as it might initially seem, so you’ll need longer rage for certain fights, and even a sniper could have some vantage points.
1Midway
A Constant Struggle
Midway combines many elements that make other maps great, like a fun visual theme and tight map design. As a linear map, it might seem like longer range is the way to go, but each step of the way is filled with back rooms letting you ambush or just get closer to your targets.
This makes offense the best defense, since escort missions have it particularly hard with how easy it is to flank and sneak around a payload. The best way to advance an escort here is to push past the payload and engage your enemies directly, whichneeds a level of teamworkthat creates some of the best matches in XDefiant.
