In 2016, it's fairly common for video games to receive significant changes and updates months or even years after release. However, The Division's upcoming 1.4 update goes far beyond the word "update": it's almost a complete overhaul of the game's core systems.
Ubisoft recently outlined all of the changes players can expect in a lengthy blog post titled, "Improving Character Balance." Stats, weapons, armor, skills and consumables are all seeing drastic reworks, with Ubisoft diving in-depth on each change over on The Division website. We won't be going that deep here, but Ubisoft was kind enough to provide a TL;DR summary for each section of changes that will serve as highlights for what players can expect.
For example, when it comes to stats, all World Tier 2 gear will soon have all three main stats — Firearms, Stamina and Electronics. Other bonuses, like headshot damage and crit chance, will be scaled down as a result.
"While one stat will always be much higher than the other two, and you can recalibrate as before, the inclusion of all three on every item creates a balanced baseline which means that your survivability will generally be higher and you no longer risk accidentally making the game much more difficult than it has to be," Ubisoft writes. "These base stats will increase with each increase in gear score."
Gear is losing skill bonuses, though new mod slots on backpacks, kneepads and holsters will make up for some of the lost options. The scavenging stat is also being removed from the game, with Ubisoft saying it always meant to fix it but couldn't find a suitable solution.
Moving on to weapons, Ubisoft says the team is looking to make The Division feel more like a shooter, as it did when leveling from level 1 to 30. Numerous weapon changes are in bound as well, with Ubisoft also saying that the firearms stat will become a "much more significant source of damage output." In the armor department, Ubisoft says investing in gear with Stamina will be the game's new primary means of survivability, rather than armor as it is now. Gears sets are seeing major changes as well, which you can read about in detail in Ubisoft's post.
The last major department of change involves the game's various skills. Many skills are being tweaked, but perhaps the biggest changes are coming to the game's signature skills. Ubisoft reveals that 73 percent of players use the Survivor Link signature skill, leaving Recovery Link and Tactical Link skills in the dust.
That will hopefully change in update 1.4, as Ubisoft is dramatically altering what each skill does. Survivor Link is being brought down a notch, as its damage mitigation is being reduce to 50 percent (down from 80) for a duration of 12 seconds (down from 15). For Recovery, its range is being increased and can be used to revive dead players outside of the Dark Zone. If you are playing solo and are off cooldown, the skill will automatically trigger and save a player from death. Tactical Link is now described as being far more "fun," as activating the skill now sends players into a "shooting frenzy" for 12 seconds, during which their weapon RPM, reload speed and weapon stability are all greatly increased.
The changes detailed seem to be a step in the right direction when it comes to improving The Division, and it will be interesting to see how fans respond to the upcoming update. The changes are coming soon to the game's public test server on PC, but there's no word yet on when console players can expect it to arrive.
