The Division 1.4 update may be the biggest release for Ubisoft’s shooter-RPG to date, but it comes at a questionable time in the title’s lifespan. To woo lapsed players back quickly, the developer has posted a three-minute trailer to recap the major improvements.
In the clip’s early moments, it’s said that Tuesday’s patch contains “hundreds of quality-of-life fixes," and that’s undoubtedly true. From weapon balance to gear and incursion tweaks, this is clearly a massive overhaul of an experience that has increasingly frustrated fans. We posted the full patch notes last Thursday, but this trailer is essentially a brief summary of them.
The discussed changes are split into three sections dictated by community request. First on the list is damage scaling. Especially in the level 30 end-game, Ubisoft’s goal was to make those skilled players actually feel powerful. As a result, time-to-kill has been reduced alongside the lethality of NPCs. To balance it, AI opponents have become much smarter.
World Tiers are another major mechanic for The Division’s most devoted agents. For those who missed our previous recap, World Tiers are four distinct levels that scale based on mission difficulty and number of enemies. Playing at higher tiers offers the chance for better loot. With this addition, players that would rather enjoy The Division from a solo perspective now have a higher chance getting top-tier loot without taking part in any multiplayer action.
Speaking of loot, the last of the 1.4 update’s three main pillars is character balance. Instead of loot being tied to a location, all of the best items can essentially be found anywhere at any time. More difficult foes are more likely to drop better loot, but there’s also room for luck. The new Banshee gear set also replaces the B.L.I.N.D. one for Dark Zone-focused players. As an end-game treat, all post-30 XP now collects in a Field Proficiency metric that offers bonuses for solid play.
The Division is available now on Xbox One, PS4 and PC.
What do you think of the changes in the 1.4 update? Are they enough to bring The Division back to life? Tell us in the comments section!
