XDefiant GSK faction: All abilities, listed

They say the best offense is a good defense.

XDefiant GSK faction season one
Screenshot by Dot Esports

Season one of XDefiant has been fully unveiled, including the game’s first new faction—the GSK.

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GSK in XDefiant will be familiar to any player who’s enjoyed another Ubisoft title, Rainbow Six Siege. The characters and their abilities are themed around the attack and defend game, and some of its trademark abilities will be coming along with the faction.

“Our different factions have different styles of gameplay, and we felt that there was one missing,” said associate game director Scott Crisostomo. “Both of their abilities are extremely strong for a static objective. So, highly defensible, if you take Zone Control or Occupy, you can use their abilities to kind of really lock down and protect an area.”

Basically, players should get used to seeing GSK locked in on the enemy team when they’re defending an objective in any of XDefiant’s variety of game modes. Here’s everything that Ubisoft has announced about XDefiant’s season one faction, GSK.

XDefiant GSK Faction abilities

The Rainbow Six-themed GSK faction has several Rainbow Six Siege-like abilities. In that game, it’s all about defending an objective—and that’s what GSK’s skillset is themed around in XDefiant as well.

GSK ultimate ability

G52 Tactical Shield

GSK XDefiant ultimate shield ability
Protect yourself. Screenshot by Dot Esports

The G52 Tactical Shield is the GSK faction’s ultimate ability. When triggered, the player will pull out a riot shield they can use to protect themselves and their teammates, but also melee enemies to stun them and deal damage.

The ultimate also has a frontal flash ability that will blind enemies in its vicinity. The player can even use a pistol to fire from behind the shield while losing some defensive coverage.

GSK abilities

Shock Wire

The GSK Shock Wire ability in action in XDefiant
A shocking new addition. Screenshot by Dot Esports

Shock Wire can be placed down in choke points that lead into an area. When an enemy walks through it, they’ll be shocked, electrified, and unable to walk through the barbed wire, slowing their movement for an easy kill.

ADS

XDefiant ADS item
Hold it down, little guy. Screenshot by Dot Esports

The ADS, or Automatic Defense System, can be placed on the floor, walls, or ceiling, and it will destroy incoming projectiles like grenades. It’s perfect for holding down objectives while capturing them.

GSK passive ability

Ballistic Helmet

GSK’s passive ability, Ballistic Helmet, nullifies some headshot damage. This means GSK enemies likely won’t die in one hit to the head, even with a sniper rifle.

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.