The Division had countless bugs, exploits, and balance issues in its past. A year ago, on April 12, 2016, the major concerns began.
Actually, Ubisoft’s shared-world shooter has never run completely smoothly. Even at launch, agents found an overpowered weapon in the Midas or encountered a Bullet King that let loot rain down. Cheats and hacks were also a serious issue early on. Massive had to act immediately after release against exploits, glitches, and balance issues and respond with bug fixes. Even today, corrections are necessary in many areas of the game.
However, the real problems began on April 12, 2016. This day saw the release of Update 1.1 – the first update for The Division.
Update 1.1 brought Gear Sets – The origin of the major problems
Agents had high hopes for Update 1.1 “Incursions”. It was supposed to bring the long-awaited endgame content that was lacking. Everyone was particularly curious about the first Incursion “Falcon Lost”. In addition, Gear Sets, the introduction of the gear score, weekly and daily missions, supply drops in the Dark Zone, and the Observer camera were announced. Everything sounded tempting; the agent community was eager.
However, reality struck quickly: The Incursion “Falcon Lost” was bugged, glitches and exploits were rampant. Massive took weeks to get these issues under control. The mobile cover, which allowed players to glitch through walls, was particularly problematic. Players complained: The Incursion was unplayable. Criticism of the developers grew louder.
Really serious problems began with the introduction of certain items: the Gear Sets. These were supposed to provide variety and build diversity, but the opposite was true. The first four Gear Sets were the Vigilance, the Striker’s Battle Gear, the Tactician’s Authority, and the Nomad’s Way. It became apparent after just a few days that these were extremely unbalanced. But before Massive could bring them into balance, the next four Gear Sets arrived with Update 1.2.
Thus, it came to pass that “Vigilance” was regarded as the overpowered set for months, excelling in endgame activities. Although adjustments were made to the sets with Update 1.3, simultaneously 5 new sets were introduced! By that time, the balance had been completely destroyed, and it seemed hopeless that Massive could ever address all these problems they had been chasing for months. As soon as one problem was solved, 10 new ones appeared.
By the way: Actually, the SEEKR set was supposed to be introduced with 1.6, but it turned out to be “broken” on the PTS. There seems to be a curse on the Gear Sets in The Division. And they originated with Update 1.1. The developers could no longer keep up with the flood of problems.
With 1.6.1 everything is supposed to get better
With each update (1.1 to 1.6), not only were bug fixes applied but also new content that came with fresh bugs. Massive announced a few weeks ago the Update 1.6.1, which is supposed to change things. This update will bring exclusively bug fixes, balance adjustments, and improvements that should enhance the agents’ experience.
The full focus should be on the current issues, without having to deal with new gameplay content. In retrospect: Such an update would have benefited the game right after 1.1 …
The talents of all Gear Sets can be found here.
