"bunny hopping is just taking me out of it": Players condemn bunny-hop movement exploit in XDefiant, devs respond

XDefiant has undoubtedly risen in popularity, and as players hail this game as a potential COD killer, issues centered around the unbalanced movement mechanics offered in the game have risen. While on paper the movement mechanics are balanced, controller players have found an exploit that allows them to continuously bunny-hop across the map. This has caused a distasteful experience for the majority of the community, and most players want it patched as soon as possible.

Amidst this controversy, a player addressed a developer, stating:

"Hey Mark, game is super fun but the bunny hopping is just taking me out of it, love the slide+jump but just constantly jumping is killing the fun. Any chance that's getting nerfed?"

The developers were quick to respond, and in short, we do expect to see a bunny-hop nerf in upcoming updates.

Players want a movement penalty for bunny hopping (Image via Reddit)

There are numerous posts and discussions online, asking developers to implement some form of mobility nerf to counteract the surge of bunny hoppers in the game. Recently, user u/GamerForImprovement made a post on Reddit emphasizing the need for nerfing bunny hopping in XDefiant.

Players would rather hop on COD (Image via Reddit)

Other users, such as u/RedditNexxzen state that they would rather hop on the COD Black Ops train than play a game filled with movement exploiters.

A detailed insight on what makes bunny-hopping a problem (Image via Reddit)

XDefiant fan u/Quackquackslippers takes a deeper dive into the issue and explains the core of the problem. As stated, the multi-directional input, which allows players to air strafe, paired with no movement penalty is what breaks the game.

Bunny-hop exploits, paired with the aim-assists offered by controllers have become one of the most rampant problems in XDefiant. That said, let us explore what the developers are planning to do to fix this issue, and hopefully incorporate better balancing in their 6v6 multiplayer title.

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Will bunny-hopping exploits get nerfed in XDefiant?

As pointed out by @TalhaAKhawaja, XDefiant has seen a massive influx of input exploiters lately. These players have found a workaround to abuse the bunny-hopping mechanic and can cause it to be a hindrance in everyone's lobbies.

While Ubisoft's new title has incorporated two unique movement techs, which include air-strafing and the slide-jump movement boost, spam-bunny hopping has been an unintended addition to the game's code.

Made possible by the use of controllers with paddles, players who use this input can spam their crouch and jump keys on the paddle to execute this movement tech, almost becoming invincible due to their erratic movement mechanics and uncontrollable speeds. Naturally, the community has aired their concerns, and users @TalhaAKhawaja, @bananenboris00, and many others share a similar take on this exploitative movement tech.

Read more along the lines of: "My only gripe with this game are the snipers": Players frustrated with overpowered snipers in XDefiant

However, the developers, namely Mark Rubin, who is the executive producer of XDefiant, and Patty P, a developer for this title, have made statements that indicate that the upcoming patch will fix this issue. As per Patty P, the developers are working on a spam-crouch penalty system that will simply eliminate the entire movement mechanic of spamming bunny-hops across the entire map. Furthermore, Mark Rubin has enunciated that XDefiant will not nerf any other intended movement techs as they are an integral part of the game.

Judging by how well the developers respond to community feedback, we expect Ubisoft to address and get rid of most bugs and exploits as they surface. That said, players can expect the bunny-hop spam exploit to get nerfed in the upcoming hotfix patch, or potentially the Season 1 update for the title.

You might be interested in: "Right now we are adding flinch": Devs confirm sniper nerf in upcoming XDF update

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