23 May 2024 3:30 PM +00:00 UTC

Best XDefiant ACR Loadout and Build

An ACR build placed above a blurred background of XDefiant gameplay, with two characters fighting in close range.

If you’ve played even just a single match or two of XDefiant, you’ve likely already realized just how dominant the ACR 6.8 is. Boasting a reliable rate of fire and incredible recoil control by default, the best XDefiant ACR loadout has a remarkably strong foundation to build on.

With the right ACR build, this trusty assault rifle is undeniably one of the best XDefiant guns. It’s quick, accurate, and deadly in the right hands, so no wonder it’s one of the most-used weapons in the meta right now. And if you can’t beat them, join them using the best XDefiant ACR build yourself.

Best XDefiant ACR Loadout

The best XDefiant ACR build is:

Muzzle: Muzzle Brake
Barrel: Rapid Fire Barrel
Front Rail: Angled Grip
Rear Grip: Quick Draw Grip
Stock: Precision Stock

Since the ACR 6.8 naturally has relatively controllable recoil, it’s a great middle ground between the M4A1 loadout and the AK-47 loadout. This also means that we can focus more on boosting its DPS, though there are a few changes you can make based on your playstyle.

An ACR loadout in the attachment customization screen in XDefiant showing all the chosen parks and their impacts on the weapon's handling. — Stabilizing Barrel offers greater control while the Rapid Fire Barrel is better for damage output.

Stabilizing Barrel offers greater control while the Rapid Fire Barrel is better for damage output.

First up, you can’t beat the Muzzle Brake, Angled Grip, and Precision Stock, all of which improve recoil control - most importantly horizontal recoil - to ensure you’re landing shots with ease. After all, there’s no point in having best-in-class time-to-kill if you can’t even land the shots on target. With these, you shouldn’t have too much trouble landing upper-body hits and headshots at medium range which goes a long way in reducing the TTK and coming out on top of firefights.

Next, I recommend the Rapid Fire Barrel if you’re a particularly aggressive player like myself. The Rapid Fire Barrel increases the rate of fire by 5% but does so at the cost of a 20% horizontal and vertical recoil control hit. While this drawback is certainly noticeable, with the other attachments in this ACR loadout, it’s controllable. Plus, the increased RPM helps you turn the tables if you’re caught off-guard.

A first-person image of a player aiming at an enemy with their ACR loadout in XDefiant inside an office space.

However, if you find the recoil to be harder to manage, then the Stabilizing Barrel is the best choice for you. While I don’t personally recommend it, if you really don’t care about recoil, then you could even swap the Muzzle Brake for the Muzzle Booster for an even faster rate of fire.

Last but by no means least, the Quick Draw Grip is ideal for aggressive plays. By improving sprint-shoot time and ADS speed by 10%, this attachment makes up for the drawbacks of the muzzle, front rail grip, and stock to make this ACR build more agile. What’s more, the -15% ADS stability isn’t noticeable whatsoever, so it’s effectively a win-win.

A screenshot of the stats interface for the ACR build in XDefiant, showcasing the various effects of the chosen attachments on range, damage, mobility, and more.

If you feel like you need an optic, then you’re best off replacing the Muzzle Brake with a Reflex Sight, as this won’t change the rest of the build all too much. Once the best XDefiant ACR loadout is all set up, you’ll be ready for anything the XDefiant maps and game modes will throw your way.

XDefiant ACR Class Setup

With the ACR build having close and mid-range engagements on lockdown, it’s time to start thinking about the rest of the class setup.

While almost any of the sidearms work well here, I’ve found the 686 Magnum to be a particularly strong pairing. Equipped with the Muzzle Booster, Quick Draw Grip, and Reflex Sight, the Magnum is a great mid-range secondary weapon. Plus, if you’re accurate under pressure, it’s also surprisingly good up close and personal - though missing a shot will likely see you returning to the respawn screen. Great alternatives include the D50 and the 93R.

An ACR class setup in the loadout customization screen in XDefiant, showing the primary and secondary weapons alongside an equipment item.

For your equipment, I recommend the Sticky Grenade. Packing one hell of a blast, the Sticky is perfect for clearing out objectives and pushing enemies out of cover, especially due to its timed detonation. It’s one of the meta-throwables for a reason. However, don’t overlook the EMP Grenade if you’re playing objective-based modes like Escort or Zone Control as it's ideal for creating opportunities to push.

How to Unlock the ACR in XDefiant

To unlock the ACR in XDefiant, you must get ten assault rifle longshot kills, which is any kill at a distance greater than 30 meters.

To complete this, I recommend using an accurate AR with good ranged damage like the M16A4 or AK-47, equipped with recoil control attachments. This will make it easier to land your shots, especially as 30 meters is close to the mark where many ARs begin to suffer from damage drop-off. Because of this, the MDR is not a great choice, suffering from the weakest range of any of the current assault rifles.

That’s all you need to know to make the best XDefiant ACR loadout. As one of the meta weapons right now, it’s hard to go wrong with this assault rifle, though there are some alternatives like the M4A1 and AK-47 worth checking out as well. Take a look at the XDefiant guns list to find out more. Once you've done that, use the best XDefiant controller settings and you're good to go.

For more articles like this, take a look at our Guides , FPS , and XDefiant pages.

Rory Norris

Guides Editor

FPS Expert and Guides Professional

As our Guides Editor, Rory makes sure you’re never stumped in the latest and greatest games. If he’s not cooking up the best builds and loadouts, there’s a good chance he’s waxing poetic about Deep Rock Galactic instead.

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