Recently, Division developer Massive published a first dev blog entry about The Division 2. In it, they provided a more detailed look at weapon mods and the revamped grenades.
What is the blog about? The developer blog “Intelligence Annex” for The Division 2 aims to inform fans about various topics on a monthly basis.
In addition to weapon categories and talents, it also discussed mods and grenades and how they function in The Division 2. Compared to its predecessor, these have been significantly reworked.
Mods are unlocked, not looted
The biggest change is likely the way you acquire mods. Mods are no longer part of the general loot in The Division 2.
How do you get mods? You can unlock them during your gameplay. Once you have unlocked a specific mod, you can attach it to multiple weapons at any time.
However, not every mod can be attached to every weapon, as weapons have different calibers, and not every suppressor and magazine is compatible with all weapons.
Therefore, this step was taken: In The Division 1, there were several weapon mods that were generally considered must-haves.
This made the modding system as a whole less motivating, as everyone was just looking for that one specific category of mods.
Overly large numbers in magazine sizes would have made reloading less important. Stability and precision altered weapon handling too much. Instead, mods are intended to support various playstyles in the future.
Weapon mods have fixed stats, not just advantages
In The Division 1, all bonuses obtained from mods had a minimum and a maximum value. A suppressor could vary between +16% and +18.5% headshot damage at its highest level. Stats also only had positive effects.
How does it work in The Division 2? Each weapon mod will have fixed, non-variable stats. Additionally, each mod will have a negative effect alongside the bonus.
The blog shows several examples of how
- a reflex sight with +20% crit chance and -15% precision
- or a C79 sight with +15% crit chance and -20% reload speed
There will also be no percentage values for extended magazines. So anyone who hoped for the +121% magazines known from part 1 will be disappointed in The Division 2. Instead, magazines will be increased by a fixed number of bullets.
What is this change intended to achieve? Massive hopes to create more realism in weapon usage. Players will now have to weigh more carefully which mods to choose and which negative effects they want to accept for their playstyle.
While an extended magazine provides additional shots, it decreases reload speed due to weight. Reloading takes on an overall more important role and will have more influence on gameplay in PvE and PvP.
Grenades are getting a major overhaul
While there are six different types of grenades in The Division 1 that can be used at any time, The Division 2 will reduce this number.
What is changing? There will only be a total of four different grenade types. However, you will not be able to use all types simultaneously. Three of the four types are linked to your chosen specialization except for one.
What are specializations? Specializations are a new feature in The Division 2 and are unlocked once you reach the maximum level. They allow the player to focus on specific playstyles.
These grenade types you can use:
- Destroyer – Incendiary grenades (From level 30)
- Sniper – Flash grenade (From level 30)
- Survivor – Fragmentation grenades (From level 30)
- Shock grenade – All
Some grenade types are better suited for certain activities than others. Therefore, the choice of specialization also matters here.
How do these changes sound to you?
