After having gained deeper insights into the mechanics of The Division 2 through the Private Beta, our author Tarek wants to explain why, in his opinion, it could be a feast for build creators.
The Division 2 will be a hefty game. The Private Beta alone offered a bunch of features, just a small glimpse of the game. Nevertheless, you could spend many hours experimenting with these activities alone.
I had a lot of fun trying out the various weapons and equipment that could be found. After all, there was also an endgame mission where you could play characters at max level 30, including specializations and stronger equipment.
During this, I constantly had to think about the possibilities that the system brings. But let’s first look at what we know so far about equipment and loot in The Division 2.
This is how equipment works in The Division 2
As in most loot games of today, there are different equipment slots in The Division 2:
- Mask
- Vest
- Knee Pads
- Backpack
- Gloves
- Holster
This equipment drops at different levels and with various rarity levels from gray (normal) to HighEnd (yellow). Exotic parts and gear sets have not yet been revealed, but they will probably be rated even higher than HighEnd.
Additionally, up to 3 mod slots are possible. But just because a piece of equipment has more mod slots, it does not automatically mean it is better. The fewer slots, the better the values of the equipment part. Nevertheless, modifications have some advantages.
This is how mods work: Equipment mods give you up to three bonuses per mod. Unlike the equipment mods from the predecessor, there is no longer a distinction between primary and performance mods. They provide you with arbitrary bonuses like “Protection from Elites” or “Explosive Resistance”.
The sum of your equipment including weapons will then be converted to your gear score starting from level 30. This shows how optimized the values of your equipment are, just like in the predecessor. Beta excerpts show that the highest gear score (with HighEnd equipment) probably lies at 350. However, this may not be final.
Brands bring fresh air
Every piece of equipment available in the game can belong to a specific brand. These so-called “brand” or equipment sets are new in The Division 2.
This is how brands work: If you combine several equipment pieces with the same symbol, you receive brand-specific bonuses. For example, there is the “Airaldi Holdings” brand, which gives you
- for one piece 10% precision
- two pieces 10% headshot damage
- and for three pieces 10% damage bonus for precision rifles.
Up to three brand pieces can be combined this way to unlock additional bonuses. Each piece can randomly have any brand. With corresponding loot luck, you can also fully utilize two different brands.
There are sets that are particularly suited for pistols, while others increase damage for shotguns. Thus, the brand sets support your preferred playstyle.
Just here, some might already feel overwhelmed. But there are still two other types of equipment to come: gear sets and exotic equipment, both already known from the predecessor.
Nothing is known about gear sets and exotics yet
However, there is still no information on exactly how they work. Therefore, I will just show you how they worked in the predecessor.
This is how gear sets and exotics worked in The Division 1: Gear sets are pieces of equipment that can only unlock certain set bonuses in combination. With the normal gear sets, you could combine up to 4 pieces and unlock interesting talents. Later, classified sets were added, which even allowed up to 6 bonuses.
This allowed you to create strong sets
- like the Classified Striker, the most powerful DPS set,
- the D3-FNC set, which turned you into a tank with a ballistic shield
- or the Reclaimer set, with which you could keep the team alive as a healer.
Exotic equipment consisted of 6 unique pieces, each with an individual ability. Some of these, like Larae Barrett’s vest, were extremely sought after at times because they were considered powerful.
So much build freedom like never before?
Additionally, there is the selection of weapons, with which mods you modify them, and which skills you use. Moreover, starting from level 30, you also unlock specializations with their signature weapons and skill mods.
With all these options and those we know nothing about, one can only speculate how much choice one has in assembling the equipment and adapting their playstyle. Just the math is already big:
- Equipment
- Brand Bonuses
- Equipment Mods
- Gear Sets
- Specializations
Theoretically, you can optimize your character on at least 5 levels and more. This also includes your choice of weapons and skills. For me, it currently sounds like a paradise for build creators. I can specifically play my favorite weapons and tailor my build to how I want to proceed.
The possible downsides
How is the balance looking? With such complex games, there is always the concern about the balance of all mechanics. Given the history of The Division 1, many may be concerned if it will continue this way.
As far as I can judge after the Private Beta, I am not worried about it anymore. This is largely due to how Massive handles the balancing between PvE and PvP. In PvP modes and the Dark Zones, your equipment is adjusted. All values are leveled to the same standard, thus normalized.
This way, you can adjust PvE and PvP independently of each other. The developers themselves have already announced that they will not nerf weapons that are particularly fun in PvE. Therefore, I think quick adjustments are possible in case of balance issues.
What else can we expect? There is already a small preview: Just recently, the Division developers gave a brief insight into their future plans. New specializations, gear sets, and exotic equipment are to come.
I am curious to see what the result will look like at release and how large the selection of sets will ultimately be. What I have seen so far makes me optimistic. The Division 2 could definitely be a feast for loot collectors.
Otherwise, I can still recommend this video by MarcoStyle, who explains all of this in more detail based on in-game scenes:
What do you think? Do you like the changes? Share your thoughts in the comments.
More information about the Private Beta:
- This is how The Division 2 Beta performs in the eyes of Mein-MMO author Robert
- The Mein-MMO readers also shared their impressions in their comments
- In the beta, a reference to Donald Trump and his Mexico wall was discovered
