XDefiant has no SBMM, but players are still finding ways to complain

Upon its launch, players applauded Ubisoft for removing the ever-controversial SBMM (skill-based matchmaking) feature from XDefiant – a mechanic players have often complained about in CoD. A few days into its release, however, most fans have found that the devs’ removal of SBMM hasn’t made the game easier to play. In fact, the amount of “sweats” players are reportedly encountering is prompting plenty of complaints from several frustrated gamers.

Over on Reddit, u/sussyyogurt is convinced that XDefiant has skill-based matchmaking since they “can barely have 1 kd ratio” and are now constantly being placed into “sweaty lobbies.” u/Nasukey37 shared similar complaints on a different thread, saying that they started the game with a whopping 2.80 KD ratio. Recently, however, they have since been constantly placed into lobbies with high-level players, making each match a consistently humbling experience.

Now, it is worth noting that the welcome playlist (game modes and maps only new players can access) has SBMM. This explains why most new players end up wiping the floor with the competition since most of the opponents they’re playing against are complete beginners. Once the training wheels come off, though, the game becomes much harder since no SBMM means you can get matched with anyone at any level.

Of course, this begs the question of whether having SBMM in XDefiant would be better since it would allow you to compete with others on a similar level. Unfortunately, it doesn’t seem like Ubisoft plans on introducing it anytime soon since they’ve yet to make a statement on SBMM. To date, the developers have only revealed their upcoming plans to introduce fixes to the ongoing hit reg issues, so players will have to remain patient before the team brings in more matchmaking changes.

If you want to have an easier time keeping up with the competition, check out our guide to all maps in XDefiant, so you know the layout of every area you drop into. Alternatively, take a look at our best MP5A2 loadout in XDefiant so you can frag out with an ideal SMG setup.