The Division Dev Admits End-Game Content Lacking; 1.2 Update Aims to Draw You Back

Speaking today on The Division's Special Report livestream for the game's soon-to-launch 1.2/Conflict update, a Ubisoft representative offered a frank admission about the state of end-game content.

"We created that beautiful world that players really enjoyed exploring during the levelling experience, but it's true that when you reach the end of the game, there is not much to do in the open world," project coordinator Quentin Correggi said.

Ubisoft is hoping that The Division's Conflict update, which comes out on May 24, will draw players back to the game's open world by offering a series of new activities. In addition to the new Incursion, Clear Sky, players can expect activities called Search and Destroy and High Value Targets.

Additionally, the Dark Zone is being updated to include a new hijacking feature that allows players to cut the extaction rope and spill all the loot. Developers said they were not satisfied with the way extractions work now, when players need only attach their loot to the rope and take off. No longer will that be the case, as players will need to stay nearby and defend their loot.

"We wanted to flesh out the extraction loop a little more and add more tension around the entire process. This also adds a completely new way for people to go Rogue that doesn't involve firing upon another Division Agent," lead designer Terry Spier said in a blog post.

Another change for the Dark Zone is the introduction of what's being called Sealed Caches. NPCs will drop these, and you will only be able to open them once they are extracted. You don't know what you're getting, but items in the Sealed Caches can include gear and more of a variety of qualities.

"The quality of the loot inside reflects the difficulty of the NPCs it dropped from and is also indicated on the range of crafting materials and Dark Zone credits displayed in the UI," Ubisoft said.

As for the Search and Destroy missions, these can be found across Manhattan and can be added to your questlog from the mission board in the Base of Operations. However, only after you've cleared all content in a particular named zone can you take one of these new missions.

"This mission type is catered for new level 30 agents and involves taking out various groups of level 30 enemies. Once this is complete you return to the safe house to receive Target Intel, a new currency that can be spent in order to gain access to High Value Target missions," Ubisoft lead designer Matthieu Delisle said in the blog post.

There will also be Search and Destroy missions labeled as "critical"; complete these and you will be specially rewarded.

"One named zone at a time will be marked as critical and should you complete the Search and Destroy missions in that zone you will receive additional Target Intel," Delisle added. "Once it has been dealt with a new zone will be marked as critical and you can either eliminate the threats there or see what High Value Targets await you."

As for the High Value Target missions, there will be six daily and four weekly missions that you can acquire from two new NPCs in the Base of Operations. Delisle said the weekly missions will be "more difficult" and may require you to team up with other players to complete them. Additionally, there will be targets labeled "high risk"; if you fail, you will have to spend more Target Intel to try again. If you're successful, however, you will may receive better high-end and gear set rewards.

Another blog post published today covers The Division's forthcoming loot changes. Generally speaking, Ubisoft is looking to be more generous in terms of the quantity and quality of what it offers.

"Gearing up when you reach end game at level 30 is a challenging task as the current progression path is unclear and specific rewards are limited to activities you may not be interested in," Ubisoft said. "This overall generates a less rewarding and enjoyable experience. Players are then forced to turn to crafting as a main source of end game gear, which is something we want to move away from. With update 1.2, we want to add a layer of consistency between activities so you can obtain stronger gear from the content that you enjoy the most."

For The Division's main missions, here is what players will earn for completing them on Hard and Challenge mode:

• Hard Mode (Boss Drop): 1x 163 High-End
• Hard Mode (Mission Reward): 1x 163 High-End
• Challenge Mode (Boss Drop):
  • 2x 182 High-End.
  • 1x 182 High-End or 214 Gear Set.
  • Chance for 1x 191 Gear Set.
• Challenge Mode (Mission Reward): 1x 182 High-End

As for The Division's Incursions, every time you clear Falcon Lost or the Clear Sky Incursion that comes out on Tuesday, you will receive an item that corresponds to the difficulty you completed it on.

Ubisoft has made some changes to the loot system for The Division's Dark Zone, too. For the 0-161 Gear score and 162-200 Gear score brackets, the following changes are being made:

• Named NPC Level 30 (DZ01 and DZ02): 1x 163 High-End or 191 Gear Set
• Named NPC Level 31 (DZ03 and DZ04): 1x 163/182 High-End or 191/214 Gear Set
• Named NPC Level 32 (DZ05 and DZ06): 1x 163/182/204 High-End or 191/214/240 Gear Set

In addition, next week's 1.2 update adds a new 201+ Gear score Dark Zone bracket. Because players in this bracket will already have very high-end gear, it would be difficult for these players to find the upgrades they are looking for. But the existence of a new bracket specifically for these players should make it easier.

Loot drops for this bracket include:

• Named NPC Level 32 (DZ01 and DZ02): 1x 182/204 High-End or 214/240 Gear Set
• Named NPC Level 33 (DZ03 and DZ04): 1x 182/204 High-End or 214/240 Gear Set
• Named NPC Level 34 (DZ05 and DZ06): 1x 204 High-End or 240 Gear Set

For a deeper dive into The Division's forthcoming loot changes, check out the full blog post.

Ubisoft also confirmed today that Clear Sky's Challenge mode will not be available at launch on Tuesday; instead, it will come at a point in the future to be announced later. Finally, Ubisoft announced that the full 1.2 patch notes will be published this coming Monday, May 23.