Fast-paced action and sticking to arcade-style basics have made XDefiant popular, but it has some problems, like the friendly player collision mechanic. To say the community is not enjoying it at the moment would be an understatement.
User HyphenPhoenix recently posted an XDefiant clip on Reddit that shows how they couldn't get back into cover amidst a gunfight because their character was body-blocked by one of their teammates. This cost them their life and gave them a solid reason to rage quit the match. Due to friendly collision in XDefiant, you cannot phase through your teammates and hence get obstructed if they are in your way.
The shared video is the perfect example of when this mechanic becomes extremely frustrating. When engaging in a fight from within a compact space or a doorway, don't be surprised if you collide with your squadmate while falling back into safety. This can give the enemy enough time to take you and your teammate out.
Another user pointed out in the comments that using the Phantom faction's Blitz Shield does nothing to stop an enemy from going through you. The purpose of the Blitz Shield is to provide you cover in close-quarters combat, but the absence of enemy player collision makes it less effective as an opponent who knows about this exploit can just walk through you and shoot you in the back.
What makes player collision even worse in XDefiant is that this mechanic applies to friendlies and not enemies. This means that while you can body-block your teammates, the enemies can walk straight through you without any obstruction whatsoever.
This is something the developers should address. Currently, it's exactly the opposite of how it should ideally be working (i.e. friendly player collision should be turned off and enemy collision enabled). The fact that there is no friendly fire and teammates can still block your bullets should also be reevaluated as players have raised concerns about this as well.
The factions in XDefiant draw inspiration from various Ubisoft franchises including Far Cry, Splinter Cell, Watch Dogs, Ghost Recon, and The Division. The developers have promised to add a set of characters inspired by R6 Siege; check out Rainbow Operators step into the fast-paced environment of XDefiant Season 1 here on Pro Game Guides for more information.
