Title Update 9 launched for The Division 2 this week, and the State of the Game livestream – featuring Game Designer Bruce Kelly and Community Developer Chris Gansler – took a look at what’s changed, and what still needs changing (including a planned readjustment for the M1A Classic Rifle). A few highlights:
- The 40% nerf of the M1A/Baker’s Dozen was more drastic than originally planned, and will be partially reverted (fully for PvE, half for PvP) later this week as developers work on better long-term balancing.
- A free trial version of The Division 2 is available now, playable for up to eight hours.
- The third Season 1 Manhunt Target, Saturn, is available now in Warlords of New York.
- A new League event begins next week as part of Season 1, bringing a new set of challenges.
State of the Game streams on Twitch, Mixer and YouTube. (To find out what was covered in the last episode, make sure to check out the previous State of the Game Recap.
PRIORITY ALERTS
TITLE UPDATE 9
- Released on April 21
- Full patch notes are available on the forums. The team will continue to update and highlight changes that might have initially been missed.
Known Issues:
- Striker kneepad replaced by a Level 1 item – this was fixed during yesterday’s unscheduled maintenance.
- UI issue related to damage to health on Assault Rifle (Stadia specific)
- Kenly College Technology Laboratory being blocked.
- Coney Island, several progression blockers.
- Firefly Skill not launching or sticking to the Agent’s hand.
- Turret Skills not placing properly and immediately going on cooldown.
- SHD Levels not showing in group UI.
- Shield Skills and Assault Rifles not working together properly.
- Not being able to start or finish the Angel of Mercy Contaminated area.
Developer Interview - Balancing Discussions
M1A Classic Rifle Nerf and Rebalancing
- The 40% nerf in Title Update 9 was not meant to be final, but the shift to working from home disrupted the developers’ ability to more thoroughly rebalance it.
- The M1A will receive a less drastic power reduction in a future update, as part of a more holistic look at gear and overall balance.
- As a first step, the M1A/Baker’s Dozen will be reverted to its pre-Title Update 9 stats in PVE this week. In PVP, the M1A will receive a 20% reduction, instead of 40%.
- The change may cause a UI issue for Stadia users, showing the Title Update 9 values, until a client update can be deployed.
- The M1A is still considered to be an outlier performing above its intended power level, which will be better addressed in the long term.
Send-Off Talent Removal
- Holstered talents were removed from all weapons, and this was initially missed for the Send-Off shotgun.
- It was never intended to keep a holstered talent for a weapon like the Send-Off, which needed to first be crafted before players could find out it had a holstered talent.
A larger balance pass is currently being worked on. The team is targeting an update in June, but with the current circumstances, the exact date is still in flux.
Free Trial of The Division 2 Available Now
- Playable for eight hours, up to Level 8
- No Dark Zones or PvP
- Clan functionality disabled
- Store functionality disabled
- Referral system functionality disabled
- Character progression will carry over to the full game if trial players decide to purchase it.
Backpack Trophy and Apparel Keys
- Available for free to celebrate Title Update 9’s release
- Log in between April 21 and May 5 to claim
- Three Apparel Keys
- Soda Backpack Trophy
Season 1 – Shadow Tide
New Manhunt Target: Saturn
- Third Target is now live
- Targets are available until the end of the Season.
- Players will need to take down all four Targets to get access to the Prime Target.
- Double XP Event is also live, giving players the chance to gain double XP for their next 15 levels until April 28.
Urban Jungle Apparel Event closes this week.
- Players can still purchase and gift keys, as well as spend earned keys.
- After April 28, the Urban Jungle Apparel Cache will no longer be live, but event items will be available for direct purchase on the in-game store.
The Home League, a new two-week event offering new challenges and rewards, will begin next week.
The Division 2 is available now on PC, Xbox One, PS4, and is included in a UPLAY+ subscription. For more The Division 2, check out our previous coverage.
