With Title Update 4, Massive will make some changes to the specializations of The Division 2. Particularly, one new feature is liked by the fans.
What are specializations? These are essentially the classes of The Division 2. They have their own skill tree and can be switched anytime at the operations base. Currently, there are a total of three in the game:
- the Destruction Expert
- the Sharpshooter
- and the Survival Specialist
On the PTS (Player Test Server), the fourth specialization, the Gunner, can now be tested. This will come to the live servers with Title Update 4. But Massive is not only bringing a new specialization, but also revamping the other three.
What will change with the update regarding the specializations, we summarize for you.
Massive fulfills a fan wish with the skill trees
This is changing for the perks: One of the biggest changes is the overhaul of the skill trees. Here, Massive has introduced new options for all specializations.
- The skill trees have been expanded with multiple branches
- Each specialization can now invest points in up to 3 different weapon damage bonuses.
- Previously, one could only enhance specific weapon types with each specialization, like the rifle for the sharpshooter or the assault rifle for the survival specialist
- With this change, players will have the freedom to enhance the weapons they play without making compromises.
Additionally, there is now the perk for sniper rifle damage, allowing you to specifically enhance this weapon. This is how a skill tree looks:
You can upgrade a maximum of three weapon types to the maximum, as no more than 45 points can be invested in this area of the skill tree. We have marked that in the image above.
Ammunition is being revised, crossbow and sniper buffed
This is changing with the weapons: Massive fulfills another fan wish with the signature weapons, as the crossbow and sniper rifle will be enhanced. This change is not yet on the PTS but should come soon.
In the future, the damage of the signature weapons will scale with the world tiers. So there should be a significant boost for these two weapons.
Especially the sniper rifle has been criticized in the past and has been significantly outperformed by the exotic Nemesis. Whether that will change remains to be seen. How high the buffs will be is not yet known. There is also a catch with the sharpshooter. Their best perk, which brings bonuses to weapon handling, will be weakened.
- The +30% reload speed bonus will be removed.
- For many, this bonus was previously the main reason to play this specialization.
- So while the damage for snipers is increased, the advantages of the specialization will be slightly weakened overall.
This is changing with the ammunition: In the future, there will be no more random drops. Instead, there will be a new display to the left of your ammunition.
- A bar fills up when you or your group trigger an action that depends on the specialization (headshot kills for the sharpshooter and so on)
- When this happens, the bar continues to fill up
- When the bar is full, you get ammunition for your signature weapons.
This aims to make the system more understandable and provide players with enough ammunition. It is still unclear how this will work in action.
Fans are excited, looking forward to more build freedom
This is how the community reacts: In the Subreddit of The Division 2, players discuss the announced changes. Especially the expansion of the skill trees is being positively received. Many are excited and curious about the possibilities that will open up in the future.
In his post, user killuminati989 thanks the developers: “Thank you, Massive, for allowing us to upgrade every weapon type with any specialization!” His post has since received over 1300 upvotes (June 6) and numerous responses agreeing with him.
People are especially glad that the fans’ feedback has been implemented in this case. Many fans are feeling more optimistic after the last difficult weeks.
As Goopymeat writes: “This is smart. Well done, Massive, a big thank you for responding to the fan base and their feedback.”
There are also a few additional suggestions that go further. User TakinaPizz suggests making all specializations into one large skill tree that splits into multiple areas. Players should be able to collect a maximum number of points but distribute them freely.
That the sharpshooter loses its reload speed is bad news for many. They loved this buff and some played the specialization just for that reason. However, most can accept it since there are buffs for the signature weapon. Additionally, snipers will also receive a damage bonus for their precision rifles.
When is Title Update 4 coming? It is currently only known that the update is expected to arrive in June. Since it is currently being tested on the PTS, it will likely take until the end of the month.
You can read the current PTS build and the patch notes on Mein-MMO:
