Ubisoft has officially announced that it is halting plans to increase players’ Gear Score within The Division 2‘s next update, Title Update 3. Ubisoft stated that after a ton of player feedback, internal discussions, and time spent in the Public Test Server, the team has decided that now is not the right time to increase Gear Score across the board in The Division 2. It will remain at 500.
Title Update 3 is set to bring with it a large list of changes to the game, some of which include adjustments to time to kill, NPCs, player survivability, gear, talents, mods, Recalibration, and mission and Control Point difficulty. Ubisoft is also aiming to improve the player experience within The Division 2‘s Dark Zone with Title Update 3. With all of these things in mind, the team came to the conclusion that it was too early to increase the Gear Score. Ubisoft said that whenever the Gear Score increases next, the goal is for it to feel completely natural, not rushed.
Ubisoft said that after much testing, it was clear that if an increase to Gear Score were to happen now, it would cause several issues with the game’s current balance. Ubisoft clarified these issues, and said:
Gear Score 500 items would have been outdated immediately, and all the effort you put into min/maxing and farming your builds would have been wasted just as the Raid goes live. We don’t want to invalidate your progression and we heard that feedback loud and clear from our community.
Your gear and your builds are important to you and to us. The statistical increase in stats would have made gear better but we don’t want the focus to be on constantly chasing a higher Gear Score, when it should be about finding a playstyle and build that you enjoy.
Operation Dark Hours, the Raid that is coming with Title Update 3, will also only drop Gear Score 500 items. The Raid will give players a chance to earn some loot that they won’t be able to get their hands on anywhere else. This exclusive loot includes new Gear Sets, and an Exotic weapon.
Ubisoft then detailed all of the ways that players can earn Gear Score 500 items in Title Update 3. The list is as follows:
- We have increased the rewards for daily Priority Hard and Challenging missions. Once you’ve reached Gear Score 500, those activities will guarantee Gear Score 500 drops.
- Heroic Mission bosses, Stronghold bosses and Bounty bosses, as well as Control Point Alert Level 4 reward containers guarantee Gear Score 500 items if your average Gear Score is at 500.
- DZ contaminated loot does not drop below player’s average Gear Score. When you’ve reached an average Gear Score of 500, Contaminated loot will guarantee Gear Score 500 items.
- We’ve balanced loot across the board to reduce the chances of items dropping at a lower Gear Score than that of your character.
What do you think of Ubisoft’s decision to hold off on the Gear Score increase? Are you excited for Title Update 3 and the new Raid? Let us know in the comments below!
[Source: Ubisoft]
