Ubisoft Massive is about to roll out update 1.1 for The Division, and it's bringing in some huge changes to the crafting and loot systems.
Straight off the bat, the biggest change is how killing a named non-playable character over level 30 will always give off a High-End drop. On the other hand, named enemies at level 32 in the Dark Zone will also have a 40 percent chance to drop Division Tech materials, making sure that crafting will remain as a great way to get some superior gear.
Wait, what? Isn't crafting still the most reliable way to gear up? Well, the developers are going to make things a bit more difficult for the players, as they plan on increasing the conversion prices and cutting the cash-out on deconstructions by half.
"By changing the conversion rates, we will encourage players to use their low level materials while they are leveling up, instead of saving them until they reach level 30. It will also bring more decision making between selling and deconstructing low quality items. Most High-End materials should come from deconstructing High-End items, and not deconstructing lower quality items to then convert these materials into High-End ones," Ubisoft Massive says.
To be exact, 10 Standard materials will be needed to make one Specialized, 15 Specialized for one High-End and 10 High-End for one Level 31 High-End. As for the deconstruction side of things, one Standard yields one Standard and one High-End goes for one High-End.
Long story short, acquiring powerful gears in The Division will no longer be heavily dependent on crafting, leveling out the two other sources – vendors and NPC drops – with it. On that note, the developers believe that this will provide endgame gameplay, as it'll keep players up and about to get the best gears in the game, which is "one of the main aspects and incentives to keep playing."
Meanwhile, the first Incursion is also going to arrive with the update, and as expected, they are going to be the "most difficult and most highly rewarding challenges in the game," according to the lead designer of The Division Matthias Karlson.
Update 1.1 for The Division is set to go live on April 12 across the PC, PS4 and Xbox One.
