XDefiant Season 3 might just be taking a leaf out of Marvel Rivals' playbook

XDefiant developers have announced that gamers will no longer need to worry about unlocking content following the release of Season 3. Once this update goes live all weapons, factions, and abilities have been permanently unlocked for everyone. This move appears to be similar to what Marvel Rivals does in terms of providing players with unrestricted access to content.

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"Everything should be unlocked for everyone": XDefiant devs reveal after the game dropped its biggest update before shutdown

The news of open access to basic content was announced in reply to XDefiant’s Season 3 patch notes post on the title's X account. It confirmed that all the previously-locked Battle Pass weapons and attachments would now be available for free.

This is a significant shift in XDefiant’s progression model from previous seasons. You no longer need to worry about grinding for older content, ensuring that every weapon and attachment is available to everyone.

Much like Marvel Rivals, this approach aims to make the game more accessible and rewarding, letting players jump straight into the action without worrying about the progression system. NetEase Games's latest hero shooter has gained popularity for its “everything unlocked” model. This practice resonates strongly with fans of modern competitive games, where access to content is increasingly seen as a standard rather than a privilege.

Gamers now have the tools they need to experiment with different weapons and attachments, ensuring that skill and strategy, not unlock progression will determine the outcome of matches.

Season 3 also introduces new factions like the Assassins and Blood Dragon. With every past weapon unlocked, you can fully explore these additions without extra effort. There is an impressive total of 13 new maps, including six new Arena Maps and three new Linear Maps.

Furthermore, a brand-new experience called Tactical has been added to the game, designed for players who enjoy more tactical, corridor-style maps. The first mode in this experience is Defuse, a classic 1-life bomb mode that promises intense, strategic gameplay.

The present update comes during a bittersweet moment for the game. While XDefiant started with high ambitions of rivaling industry giants like Call of Duty, Ubisoft recently announced the game will cease operations in June 2025. Despite this, the developers have promised to continue delivering updates until the servers close, and Season 3 is proof they’re keeping that promise.

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• All XDefiant factions and their abilities