‘The Division’ Developers Alter Two Popular Gear Set Bonuses, Announce Patch 1.3 Not Ready For PS4

In the most recent “state of the game” address by Massive Entertainment, developers of The Division sat down during the game’s maintenance to talk about the future of the third-person shooter, including what is coming with the next update. In the video, which can be viewed on Twitch, developers revealed that the Striker and Sentry gear set bonuses would be reduced, new weapon talents are planned for unique weapons, and patch 1.3 will not be releasing for the PlayStation 4 on time.

The most controversial topics covered during the state of the game was that the Striker and Sentry gear set pieces are being changed due to their popularity. On Thursday, developers of the MMO shooter noted that many players use the Striker and Sentry two- and three-piece bonuses over all other set piece combinations. Therefore, the two- and three-piece bonuses on both sets will be lowered. The value taken from the second and third bonuses on each set will be moved to a new fifth bonus.

According to the official website for The Division, these set bonuses were considered “too powerful” and the new five-piece bonus will allow players more customization in the future. Since several new sets will be introduced with the first paid expansion, it is likely that they were considered before the change was finalized.

“These sets were too powerful and their raw stat bonuses limited the design space for future Gear Sets. To recap, we are reducing the effectiveness of the 2 set and 3 set bonuses and adding it into a new 5 set bonus. This means that if you want to reach the same bonus values the sets had before you will need 5 pieces. Overall this creates freedom of choice and variety for both you as players and the devs in terms of design.”

In the latest state of the game address, developers of The Division also noted that new weapons will release when patch 1.3 goes live. New weapon talents and weapon changes will occur when the patch releases. As stated on the official website, players favor SMGs, Marksman Rifles, and Assault Rifles in the game while LMGs and Shotguns are rarely used. To combat this, Massive developers have opted to increase the damage output of Shotguns while lowering the damage output of the popular AUG and Vector SMGs.

Furthermore, with the release of new gear sets in patch 1.3, Special Ammo is being altered to do less damage than ever before. Explosive Bullets will do far less damage, while Incendiary Bullets will not last as long. After all, a new gear set introduced with the Underground DLC focuses on the use of Incendiary Bullets. Another set makes consumables shared with allies and makes it so that they are no longer consumed on use. It is no surprise that the game’s items would be adjusted to accommodate these new sets.

“With a few new gear sets focused on consumables we’ve taken the opportunity to adjust them overall.”

Finally, The Division developers confirmed that PlayStation 4 owners will not receive the 1.3 update on June 28. Although PC and Xbox One will receive patch 1.3 on June 28, as well as access to the Underground DLC, the base 1.3 patch will not release on PlayStation 4 as previously scheduled. PlayStation 4 players already have to wait until August 2 for the Underground DLC, but the base 1.3 patch, without paid downloadable content, was set to release on the console on June 28. Unfortunately, PlayStation 4 owners will not even receive that patch on time.

Looking for intel on the upcoming Weapon Balance in 1.3?

> https://t.co/4rgp3mLa7b < pic.twitter.com/Qe9CW8Ddwq

— Tom Clancy's The Division (@TheDivisionGame) June 24, 2016

This delay affects the special, free outfits offered by Ubisoft celebrating their 30th anniversary. As the Inquisitr reported, free outfits promoting other Ubisoft games were going to be released to players across all platforms on June 28. However, since the patch is not ready for a PlayStation 4 release, those console players will not have access to the costumes until patch 1.3 finally releases.

[Image via Ubisoft]