In The Division 2, currently, 3 items are considered essential for damage builds and the developers announced that they will nerf these overperformers. In exchange, we will receive 4 delicious exo reworks and buffs.
The Division 2 shook up its entire gear game with the major “Warlords of New York” expansion. By now, we have been crafting new builds for over a month, and many agents focus on a strong damage build. 3 best-in-slot items are particularly in focus:
- “Prayer of the Fox” with damage against exposed targets
- “Service Gloves” with armor damage
- “The Invisible Man” with health damage
Many agents are likely to be looking for strong variants of these coveted armor pieces. However, the developers have already announced that all 3 will be weakened in one of the upcoming updates. In return, we will, however, receive 4 stronger exos. Check out the details here.
Nerfs due to incorrect value calculations
Why are they being nerfed now? These particularly strong items disrupt build diversity. According to the developers in the “State of the Game” from April 1, they have nothing against best-in-slot items, but these 3 are going a bit overboard.
Bruce Kelly, game designer at Division 2, stated that they worked with the “wrong numbers” for these 3 attributes. While he doesn’t elaborate further, he means that they want to remove these incorrect calculations from the game now.
Additionally, these items belong to brand gear that provides bonuses on specific weapons. So if we want to fully benefit from the values of these pieces, we are forced to play a rifle and an LMG. Indeed, a strong combination, but the developers wanted to avoid this “compulsion”.
What is meant by these wrong numbers? It is quite possible that the “wrong numbers” refer to the fact that these special talents increase damage “multiplicatively” and not “additively,” like most boosts to weapon or skill damage. Instead of simply being calculated as a percentage increase, these talents amplify the final damage once again by that value.
For example, with a 20% boost, a damage value of 200% would not go up to 220%, meaning added, but rather to 240%, as the final damage value is multiplied by 1.2.
3 BiS items against 4 strong exos in TU9
But there are also good balance news for TU9. We not only get the opportunity to upgrade our old exotics, but 4 exos also receive a really strong buff.
The Division YouTuber “NothingButSkillz” has already taken a closer look at the upcoming buffs in his English video and notes that these 4 exotics could then be a lot of fun:
- Sawyers Knee Pads
- Imperial Holster
- Diamondback
- Dodge City Holster
What can the Sawyers Knee Pads do after TU9? Currently, the only exotic knee pads in the game are pure tank items. If we stand behind cover for a few seconds without firing, we gain temporary immunity to damage until we take our next shot. Additionally, we are no longer knocked back by explosions.
The short immunity is nice, but in comparison, it does not provide good performance for what we would have to give up. Additionally, the knee pads only roll with defensive attributes.
With TU9, the exo then boosts the damage. Every second we remain stationary increases the total weapon damage by 3%, up to a maximum of 10 stacks. With the 30% damage buff, the exotic should become interesting for both tank and damage builds. The immunity from explosions is still retained by the item, by the way.
What can the Imperial Holster do after TU9? This holster is already quite strong and receives a little boost with TU9.
This exo is for fans of status effects. In a fight, all enemies within 20 meters receive the status “Burning” without us having to do anything. Nearby enemy groups that you start a fight with or bold bandits who come too close to you spontaneously burst into flames. This effect currently triggers every 40 seconds. With TU9, the cooldown will be reduced to 35 seconds.
Builds that rely on status effects can further benefit from the “Imperial Holster”.
What can the Diamondback do after TU9? This adjustment sounds particularly exciting as it could enable a whole new type of crit builds.
Previously, the weapon marked a random enemy. If we hit the marked target, the Diamondback guarantees us a critical hit on the next shot, which is increased by 20% (multiplicative damage).
Even after TU9, the rifle will still mark enemies. However, hitting an enemy will ensure that we have guaranteed critical hits for the next 5 seconds. With this “critical” capability, crit builds could focus entirely on crit and headshot damage, as one could secure a 100% chance for critical hits for a short duration.
It is still unclear whether the 20% boost will remain.
What can the Dodge City Holster do after TU9? The second exo holster also receives a buff and makes its ability available more often.
The longer we carry our pistol in the holster, the stronger the next shot with the secondary weapon will be. The numbers here are already remarkably strong – the boost can go up to 1000%. However, it takes 50 seconds for the buff to fully charge. In relation to what we have to give up, this boost for the pistol is unfortunately rather weak.
To make the talent more attractive, the buff will fully charge within 30 seconds. Every 0.3 seconds, the damage of the holstered pistol increases by 10%. This way, you can easily fire a strong shot from the sidearm and keep charging enemies at bay.
When will the changes come? These adjustments are planned for TU9, but that is not yet certain. The developers at Division 2 are currently working from home due to the ongoing Corona crisis but want to continue to keep us updated regularly with news and updates. In total, 2 updates are planned for April and TU 8.5 was already punctual. TU9 is expected to arrive at the end of April.
