With XDefiant now out in the wild, one of the biggest early hurdles players face is choosing which faction to play and how to maximize their effectiveness. Each faction has unique abilities, passives, and ultimate powers, which drastically alter not only your playstyle but also how you build your loadout and approach fights. This guide breaks down all five factions—Cleaner, Phantom, Libertad, Echelon, and DedSec—offering a deep dive into how to use each of them most effectively, from abilities to positioning.
Cleaner: Burn Them Down with Aggressive Firepower
The Cleaner faction—those flame-wielding operators—are arguably the most beginner-friendly in the game. Their passive, Incendiary Rounds, adds a small but deadly burn effect to all bullet damage. This post-damage effect lingers even after you stop shooting, and while it deals under 10 additional damage, it can easily tip the balance in trades—sometimes even scoring a kill after you’ve already been downed.
However, there’s a trade-off: these rounds reduce your weapon’s effective range. This means Cleaners thrive in short to mid-range engagements, ideally sticking close to cover so they can disengage and let the burn finish enemies off. When an enemy is nearly dead, back off and let the passive do the dirty work.
Cleaners have two Tactical abilities: Firebomb and Incinerator Drone. Firebomb is a Molotov-style area denial tool—it explodes on impact, doing immediate damage and then creating a burn zone that lasts five seconds. It’s perfect for preemptively clearing chokepoints or punishing clustered enemies. Don’t wait to use it reactively—throw it before rounding a corner to surprise a full team.
The Incinerator Drone is more strategic: you throw a drone that flies forward in a line, burning anything in its path. If it hits a player directly, it explodes and kills. Use it against players in power positions—throw it, then disengage so they can’t trade you out.
The Cleaner’s ultimate, Purifier, activates a flamethrower that lasts up to 12 seconds. With 20 feet of range and near-instant kill potential, it’s absolutely lethal in close quarters. The flames also penetrate enemies, letting you wipe out multiple foes in a tight space. With Cleaners, the name of the game is close-range pressure and overwhelming area control. Run SMGs or shotguns and stick to indoor fights for best results.
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Phantom: Tanky and Tactical Frontliners
Phantom is your go-to if you like to outlast and outplay opponents in head-to-head duels. Their passive, Hardened, gives them a base 120 health instead of 100, making them natural duelists. This gives them the advantage in nearly every straight-up trade.
Their tactical tools support this bruiser role. Blitz Shield equips you with an unbreakable forward shield. While you can’t slide with it, you can still sprint (albeit more slowly), and you can perform a shield bash that one-shots. The shield only covers your front, so beware of flanks, elevation, or explosives.
Mag Barrier deploys a wall that blocks all enemy bullets and grenades, but allows friendly fire to pass through. With 470 health and a 10-second duration, it’s ideal for holding or pushing lanes. Use it to create a safe angle to peek or to protect teammates. Smart placement—such as deploying it while peeking from cover—can create powerful off-angle duels that catch enemies unprepared.
Phantom’s ultimate is Aegis, a plasma dome that follows you and your nearby teammates. You can shoot out of it, enemies cannot. Inside it, you’re equipped with the Electro Scattergun, which one-shots any enemy within range. This is perfect for breaking through chokes or saving a point under pressure.
Phantoms can use any weapon, but their durability makes them excellent with rifles or LMGs. They shine in mid-range battles, anchoring positions or spearheading pushes while absorbing incoming fire.
Libertad: The Aggressive Healer That Won’t Die
Libertad might be the most well-rounded and deceptively dangerous faction in XDefiant. They offer both excellent team utility and terrifying solo survivability. Their passive, Espiritu de Libertad, heals themselves and teammates within 15 feet over time. This makes them highly sustainable in extended fights and vital to team pushes or holds.
Their first tactical, El Remedio, is a healing canister you drop that creates a small AoE healing zone for 25 seconds. Place it near corners, objectives, or high-traffic areas to give yourself a safe fallback for regen. If you’re holding an angle, drop it nearby and return to it after taking a hit.
Bio Vida Boost, on the other hand, is for aggressive momentum. It sends out a burst that temporarily boosts regen and tops off teammates’ health. Use it mid-fight, after taking burn damage, or right before peeking into a tough angle. It’s especially effective against Cleaners, countering their DOT damage.
Libertad’s ultimate, El Medico Supremo, is where the faction’s power peaks. After a long activation animation, it drops a massive healing field. Inside this zone, you and teammates gain up to 200 HP and rapid regen, making you nearly unkillable. It’s a perfect tool to break stalemates, initiate flanks, or clutch in a 1vX.
Loadout-wise, Libertad can use anything, but assault rifles are ideal—something with a larger mag to keep shooting while the passive and ultimate heal you. Positioning is flexible, but mid-range lets you sustain fights and avoid getting overwhelmed.
Echelon: Stealth, Recon, and High-Skill Flanks
Echelon is the flanker’s dream. With a skill ceiling that rewards map knowledge and positioning, this faction thrives on stealth and information warfare. Their passive, Low Profile, makes you permanently invisible on enemy mini-maps, allowing total freedom in your loadout—no suppressors required.
Digital Ghillie Suit is your cloak—mostly invisible, especially when standing still. Moving or aiming reduces your stealth slightly, but it’s still extremely effective for repositioning or initiating flanks. It breaks on damage, shooting, or ability use.
Intel Suit is the faction’s bread and butter for recon. It pulses every few seconds over a 15-second window, revealing and outlining enemies within 30 feet. Teammates see the outline too, enabling coordinated pushes and easy wallbangs—especially once you learn which surfaces are penetrable. Just note: enemies know when they’re marked.
The Sonar Goggles ultimate reveals all enemies on the map regardless of range and equips you with a deadly FN57pistol. At close range, it’s a one-shot kill; slightly farther and two shots will do it. This is a setup tool—know where everyone is, plan your kills, and start cleaning up.
Echelon thrives on SMGs with fast kill times. The MP7 is a standout thanks to its high mobility and DPS. Your job? Set up intelligent flanks and engage from angles they’ll never expect. You’re a ghost—act like one.
DedSec: Utility Denial and Disruption
DedSec is the most elusive and controversial faction. Currently locked behind 700,000 XP or a premium purchase, it remains somewhat rare. Their passive, Fabricator, automatically replaces any used device—frags, mines, flashes, or EMPs—every 15 seconds. This allows near-endless gadget use, which adds up fast.
Hijack lets you take over enemy deployables—grab an enemy mag barrier, drone, or turret and turn it against them. It’s especially useful in objective game modes.
Spiderbot, their second tactical, stuns the nearest enemy for five seconds by leaping onto their face. It’s a free opener for a clean kill—use it pre-fight or mid-engagement to flip momentum.
DedSec’s ultimate, Lockout, disables all enemy HUDs, mini-maps, and abilities for 20 seconds. While its effectiveness in casual lobbies might be hit or miss, it has enormous potential in competitive play. Cutting off intel and ability usage forces enemies to rely purely on reaction speed and crosshair placement.
DedSec is a situational powerhouse and shines in tightly coordinated team setups. Use them to dismantle meta setups, control objectives, and generally annoy the opposition.
Whether you’re aiming to brute-force gunfights with Phantom, play mind games with Echelon, or enable your entire team as Libertad, XDefiant’s faction system offers deep variety and flexibility. Master one, understand the rest, and you’ll quickly find yourself rising through the ranks—not just by aim alone, but through smart, strategic play.
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