In The Division 2 a clip is circulating from the test server that shows shields now absorb considerable damage and even deal damage themselves when the right build is played. Will tanks become playable with Title Update 5?
This is the clip: The clip on reddit shows approximately 35 seconds of a player with a shield withstanding fire from a heavily armed elite enemy. The agent’s shield absorbs the machine gun hits while the player shoots at the enemy with a pistol.
Because the player is using a “Deflector Shield,” the enemy inflicts damage on itself.
This is how players react: They seem positively surprised at first. One player is already fantasizing about how they will build a pistol “Liberty” to become a tank.
Other players make fun of the enemy:
- “What an idiot, he’s killing himself.”
- “Stop hitting yourself.”
Mod now reflects 100% more damage instead of 20% more
What’s behind the clip? The shield skills in The Division 2 are designed for defensively playing players, for the tanks. But until now, they have not been a viable option.
Those playing as a tank in The Division 2 felt: “I deal less damage and can withstand a few more shots, but then I’m dead without having done anything first.”
Until now, it has not been a sensible decision to play as a tank, as Massive itself has admitted. But this should change with the current Update 5 that is on the PTS.
This is the aim of the new update: Update 5 should make not only DPS builds but also skill builds and tank builds useful.
Until now, Massive has mainly talked about the skill builds. However, the shields have also been significantly overhauled. A tank typically plays with a ballistic shield in The Division 2, which is further refined through mods:
The bonuses increased here for many skill mods from around 20% directly to 100%. This is also true for the mod “Thermoresponsive Polymer,” where now 100% more damage is reflected instead of the previous 20%. This is noticeable in the game itself.
One can be curious whether the build variety will really increase as much as it seems. At the moment, Title Update 5 looks really good and is getting more attractive with news to news.
