In The Division 2, the light machine gun “Pestilence” is exotic, but not much else. That is set to change. Massive promises a buff.
This is the weapon in question: The light machine gun “Pestilence” is primarily a PvP weapon. You get the LMG as a random drop in the Dark Zone:
- If you hit an enemy 20 times with the weapon, you infect them. If the enemy is then killed, they leave behind a toxic cloud.
- Additionally, the weapon can apply a debuff that reduces healing and makes it impossible for enemies to go down – instead, they die immediately when their health points drop to 0.
The “Pestilence” was apparently intended in The Division 2 as a pure PvP weapon to kill enemies who rely on healing from teammates or self-healing. A sort of “healer scare.”
Here’s the problem with the weapon: The weapon is not used because players feel it is too weak. It doesn’t deal enough damage.
The current opinion about the weapon is: “Just dismantle it, it’s useless and use it to upgrade other Exotics”
It’s a shame when an exotic weapon turns out to be such a flop.
The problem is exacerbated by the fact that PvP in The Division 2 currently plays hardly any role.
Pestilence is getting stronger, but not in pure damage
This is what Massive says now: Massive announced in the latest State of the Game that they want to take a look at all exotic weapons in general. They will “across the board” strengthen the damage of Exotics in PvP. This also includes the Pestilence, which is highlighted and likely needs a buff the most.
Massive also states: The idea behind Exotics is not to deal high raw damage. Rather, they should enable an interesting playstyle that is fun.
The new Exotic “Nemesis” is supposed to allow players to see through walls:
What’s behind this: We don’t know the exact numbers yet, but it sounds like exotic weapons should offer “special gimmicks” and become effective and powerful through these special effects, not because they provide the highest DPS value.
The Pestilence will likely remain a PvP weapon and provide unique advantages here.
The usefulness of Pestilence will also depend on how attractive the PvP of The Division 2 becomes after the changes.
Currently, there are significant changes happening in The Division 2. Major balance changes are coming, game systems are being revised. Therefore, the raid is being postponed by a few days.
