XDefiant’s season one brings Rainbow Six-themed GSK faction that looks like a zone-controlling nightmare

Team Rainbow has arrived.

XDefiant Season 01 GSK art
Screenshot by Dot Esports

XDefiant’s season one is set to begin tomorrow, and the new faction it brings will be familiar to many gamers—and a complete nightmare to everyone who plays.

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GSK, the Rainbow Six-inspired faction, will be included as part of XDefiant’s first season, and its ability set will be reminiscent of Rainbow Six Siege and that game’s theme of defending and controlling an area.

GSK XDefiant ultimate shield ability
These shields are going to cause a riot. Screenshot by Dot Esports

The first GSK ability, the G52 Tactical Shield ultimate, equips the player with a ballistic riot shield that can ignite a frontal flash grenade-like ability that can blind and stun enemy players in its firing path. The shield can also be used to melee enemies to deal damage and stun them further, and a pistol can be fired from behind it.

GSK’s second ability, the ADS or Automatic Defense Shield, can be placed on any surface and automatically shoot down enemy abilities like grenades. The final ability, Shock Wire, places down barbed wire that will electrify enemies who walk through it, slowing their movement.

Arguably the best GSK ability, though, is its Ballistic Helmet passive. Ubisoft says GSK are “able to shrug off most headshots” with this ability, which may give them the extra second they need to stay alive.

XDefiant’s first full season will also add three new maps and modes, including Clubhouse available at launch and Daytona and Rockefeller added in-season, as well as a Capture the Flag mode coming sometime after launch, too.

The season one battle pass, meanwhile, features new free weapons in its 90 tiers, including the LVOA-C assault rifle and Sawed-Off Shotgun secondary. These weapons and all the others will now have three new Mastery levels, too, including Titanium Violet, Titanium Azure, and Titanium Prisma.

Finally, XDefiant’s first iteration of Ranked mode will launch in season one, offering exclusive rewards like player and weapon skins when the new season launches tomorrow, July 2.

Author
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Scott Duwe
Staff Writer (Call of Duty lead)
Senior Staff Writer & Call of Duty lead. Professional writer for over 10 years. Lover of all things Marvel, Destiny 2, Metal Gear, Final Fantasy, Resident Evil, and more. Previous bylines include PC Gamer, Red Bull Esports, Fanbyte, and Esports Nation. DogDad to corgis Yogi and Mickey, sports fan (NY Yankees, NY Jets, NY Rangers, NY Knicks), Paramore fanatic, cardio enthusiast.