With TU9, a major update for The Division 2 was released on April 21. The reactions to it are intense – unfortunately in a negative sense. Especially one change and how it was handled annoys the agents tremendously: the harsh nerf of the popular weapon M1A Classic.
Why are the players so angry? In the Title Update 9 for The Division 2, which was rolled out to the servers yesterday morning, on April 21, some unpopular changes were included. Adjustments to three strong damage items, which the developers apparently made a calculation error in implementation, were announced a while ago.
However, the agents were prepared for these 3 nerfs. Even after the nerf, the named parts were still usable, as they bring another multiplier into the damage equation.
What made many players really angry was a different change. The harsh 40% nerf of the M1A Classic. This also affects the named weapon “Bakers Dozen”. This change was
- first, not communicated beforehand
- second, only appeared as an addendum in the patch notes.
“This is unacceptable,” some players think and voiced their frustration on social media.
Update April 23 – 6:45 AM: In the “State of the Game” on April 22, the developers talked about the M1A nerf and how it came about. As a consequence, the nerf will be completely reversed in PvE. Later this week, but no later than the weekly maintenance on Tuesday, April 28, the M1A rifles will regain their old power. In PvP, the nerf will be somewhat mitigated. Instead of 40%, it will then be around 20%.
Little Understanding for Communication Blunder
What are the reactions to this? The reactions to the initially “secret” change are angry and drastic. Some players are disappointed that after the major gear overhaul with “Warlords of New York” they lose a strong item they had farmed for a long time. The nerf was too harsh for them. Others are more upset about the manner in which the nerf came. First unannounced and then secretly.
- BeNikPlays in the Ubisoft Forum: “[…] this is totally fun… farmed for hours and then all for nothing! Thanks.”
- Nghiatito@nghiatito on Twitter (translated): “My maximum damage potential decreased from 3 million to 1.5 million – this is unacceptable.”
- Patrick Bauder on MeinMMO: “With every update, playing becomes less enjoyable! 40% nerf on my M1A plus the nerfs to my gloves and knee pads lead to about a 50% reduction in my damage.”
- bf_pheno on reddit (translated): “The M1A needed a nerf (at least in PvP). But I did not expect it to be completely killed.”
Also YouTuber “Charles”, who has released many German YT videos about Division 2, published a new video titled “The Division 2 – WE’VE HAD ENOUGH!! Stop fooling us.” His focus is not so much on the nerf, but on the communication. He feels deceived.
Are there any other opinions? The current topic surrounding the M1A nerf does not polarize as much as the DPS glitch. Especially the fact that it was not included in the first patch notes version leaves many players shaking their heads.
But some can understand the issues. When so many people work on a project, occasional mistakes can happen. Furthermore, the developers and responsible persons at Massive are currently working from home due to the Corona crisis. However, understanding remains limited for many.
What does Massive say about this? In the addendum of the patch notes, the developers apologized for the oversight:
This change was planned and we apologize for not having listed it in the original patch notes. Due to a communication error, it was not shown on the list.
Community Team’s comment on the 40% nerf of the M1A – Source: Ubisoft Forum
The statement indicates that it was an oversight, and the nerf was actually supposed to be part of the notes. Somewhere in the processes, there was an error that led to this small but important fact being omitted.
Update April 23 – 6:45 AM: The developers spoke in the SotG stream extensively about the nerf and how the bad coordination came about. It was apparently the result of “poor processes.” Internally, the M1A rifles had already been on the nerf list for some time. Before “Warlords of New York”, this strength had not been noticed due to the overpowering “Eagle Bearer” and this fact was not considered after WoNY.
However, there was still a deadline for the weakening of the M1A rifles, which has now expired. They did not go into the exact processes behind this. However, this deadline, together with the currently difficult work-from-home circumstances, likely led to the nerf ending up in the update but not appearing in the patch notes.
Additionally, they mentioned that for all nerfs, buffs, and balancing adjustments coming in the next weeks, they will always keep the second raid in mind. It is still planned for June.
Nerfs Dominate the Topic TU9 – Exotics and Bugs Take a Backseat
What else is there to say about TU9? There is positive news on the exotic front. Thanks to the new reconfiguration options at the bench and the increased loot level of exotics, players are enjoying intense re-rolls of their old and new exotics. At least in this regard, Massive has hit the mark with the agents.
However, unfortunately, this cannot be said about TU9 so far. In addition to the nerfs, a number of bugs were introduced into the game. With an unscheduled maintenance on the evening of the patch day, Division 2 responded directly to some progress blockers. Overall, many agents are likely to receive TU9 with rather negative feelings.
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