In The Division the balance of power among submachine guns is greatly shaken up after update 1.3.
Since the launch in March, Division agents have sworn by a strong SMG as their primary weapon. The Vector and AUG models are preferred, with the AUG submachine guns leading the pack.
Update 1.3 now introduces extensive weapon balance changes, particularly targeting these two SMGs. In addition to the altered bonus, both the Vector and the AUG will be weakened by 10% in base damage. The other SMGs will not receive any damage reduction.
What impact will this have on the power dynamics in 1.3? Will the Vector and the AUG remain the best submachine guns? Or will others emerge?
The best submachine gun after update 1.3
YouTuber Skill Up has explored this question in more detail and created the following graphic: It shows all submachine gun categories and lists some interesting values. From left to right: Rate of fire, magazine size, reload time in seconds, scaling, base damage in 1.2, and base damage after update 1.3.
“Scaling” here refers to a complex value that indicates how much damage increases based on the weapon attribute. Here, both the AUG and Vector have the best values.
It can also be seen that the AUG and Vector had outstanding damage values before update 1.3 – an important reason why they are favored by agents. After 1.3, however, the values will be reduced by over 600 damage points, making them no longer overwhelmingly superior to the other SMGs. From now on, the T821 will have the highest base damage.
However, the T821 has a significantly lower rate of fire than the AUG and the Vector, which is why these two weapons will likely remain preferable over the T821. Another submachine gun is, however, pushing itself more into the foreground: The MP7. Its base damage is only slightly lower, but its rate of fire of 950 is extremely high. The magazine size is lower than that of the AUG, but it is identical to that of the Vector.
Therefore, Skill Up believes that the MP7 will be the best SMG after update 1.3.
But: With the MP7, one has to reload more frequently and the high rate of fire must also be brought under control. Nevertheless, the base values are convincing.
If you have extremely high weapon values, the Vector and the AUG remain favorites for the throne due to the “scaling.” Otherwise, the MP7 now leaves a better overall impression.
Conclusion: Vector and AUG remain strong submachine guns despite the nerf. However, they now face strong competition from the MP7 for the title of “best submachine gun”.
Which weapons the majority of agents will use after the balance changes will only become clear after the launch of 1.3.
What do you think? Which weapons will dominate after 1.3?
