‘The Division’ 1.8 Update Raises The Maximum Gear Score With New Gear Optimization

Since World Tiers were introduced to Tom Clancy’s The Division, the way agents find high level gear has primarily been tied to the World Tier in which they play. In the highest tier, players can currently find the maximum level of gear at 256. When the next update releases, players will be able to equip gear up to level 286.

During the latest state of the game today, hosted on Twitch, the new maximum gear score was revealed as part of the upcoming Gear Optimization system. The fifth World Tier will remain the highest in The Division, but players can take their pieces of 256 equipment and improve their gear score through Gear Optimization. Instead of having to start over with new items in a new World Tier, players will collect Division Tech to upgrade their best gear to higher levels.

At the new Optimization Station, players can take pieces of 256 gear and increase each individual statistic with Division Tech. As an item reaches the maximum value for each statistic, the item’s gear score increases. After an item is perfectly rolled its new gear score will be 286, as noted on the game’s website. When players of The Division first log in after the 1.8 patch releases, players with a gear score of 256 will, at least, retain that level. If their gear is naturally well rolled, their gear score might be higher.

Existing gear is not alone in having a higher gear score. In 1.8, gear that drops in the fifth World Tier will also take an item’s statistics into consideration when displaying its gear score. Players will begin to find items with gear scores higher than 256 once the update is live. Although the difficulty of the fifth World Tier will not change, players will now have the control to improve their favorite gear letting them clear content they may not have otherwise been able to finish.

As the Inquisitr reported, the upcoming update will also provide players with new ways to earn Division Tech. Since the currency is used at the Optimization Station, all players need access to it. Although Dark Zone players have ready access to Division Tech, PvE players do not have a reliable way to accumulate it. In 1.8, the new West Side Pier PvE zones will reward players with Division Tech for completing alerts.

Although there is no tentative release date for 1.8 content in The Division, players are likely to see the patch first on the test server. The new patch will also introduce the new PvE Resistance horde mode and the new PvP-only Skirmish mode.

[Featured Image by Ubisoft]