According to The Division 2 , the defensive skills are apparently too weak, as Massive now acknowledges. Therefore, hardly any agent plays a so-called “Tank.” Massive aims to change this with the next patches.
This is how it was intended: The build diversity in The Division 2 was supposed to be the strength of the title: The Division 2 was meant to be a paradise for build enthusiasts.
The game was supposed to be characterized by the use of as many different builds as possible, granting various advantages. Loot was meant to feel meaningful and bring a lot of variety to the gameplay.
The three “main builds” of The Division 2 should be as follows:
- Players can prefer weapon damage (the red talents) to deal the most damage with weapons, like in a classic shooter – like with a sniper build
- Agents can prefer items that increase skill power (the yellow talents) to excel with their skills, control enemies, or heal teammates – a kind of tech specialist
- and players can focus on defense (the blue talents) to draw fire, endure a lot, and create space – these are the tanks
That was at least a theory: Within these 3 main areas, there could have been different variations.
Offense is the best defense in The Division 2
This is what Massive says about the tank problem: In practice, “Tanks” are too weak, as Massive now admits.
The developer agrees with fan complaints that “tank builds” in The Division 2 currently are not worthwhile. There are too few advantages to go for hit points and armor.
Massive states: The problem lies in the fact that the best way to avoid damage in The Division 2 is to eliminate enemies as quickly as possible:
- Those who are dead deal no damage
- when enemies are dead, they do not shoot at you, you do not have to crouch in cover and can deal more damage yourself
- the problem gets worse the further you progress into the endgame – the damage you deal becomes increasingly important
However, Massive does not want to make “Tanks” necessary by simply increasing the hit points of enemies and prolonging fights. Because that would cause the enemies to feel like bullet sponges again – this is something Massive definitely wants to avoid.
After all, it was one of the major criticisms of Part 1, why a guy in a hoodie can take eight shots from a machine gun.
This is how The Division 2 plans to solve the problem: In further patches, they aim to overhaul the talents overall. Defensive skills on gear should become significantly stronger, so that every “Defensive” role also feels important.
Massive wants to take a look at the overall balance and adjust it so that more builds play a role in The Division 2.
Especially at higher difficulties, they want to adjust the lethality of enemies to ensure a better experience. Healing should also become more important.
One can be curious about how The Division 2 will change in balance in the coming weeks and months.
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