Massive wants to improve one of the most annoying aspects of the predecessor in The Division 2. Enemies should no longer feel like massive bullet sponges.
Many were bothered by this in the predecessor: Numerous agents who have already served in The Division 1 surely know this feeling all too well.
Here come heavily armored enemies with flamethrowers towards you, which you engage with several LMG magazines. In doing so, you barely manage to take down their shield.
The enemies, especially bosses, had so many health points and absorbed so many bullets that it would be enough for an entire army.
Many fans were annoyed by this situation – especially since The Division also claims to be a tactical cover shooter. Here, The Division 2 aims to improve.
This is how The Division 2 aims to reduce the bullet sponge feeling
In an interview with GamesRadar, the Creative Director of The Division 2, Julian Gerighty, explained how they plan to reduce the bullet sponge feeling in the second part. They are working on a whole range of factors:
The health points: As Gerighty revealed, there will be more bosses in Division 2 with a reasonable number of health points. This means that you will generally no longer need to pump so much lead into the enemies as you did in the predecessor.
Extensive changes were already made in this area for the Open Beta, as shown in the relevant patch notes here.
The time to kill: Additionally, the global time to kill has been adjusted. You will be able to kill enemies in The Division 2 much faster. However, they will also bring you down more quickly. This should emphasize the cover shooter aspect more.
The enemy animations: The many new enemy animations in The Division 2 also contribute to this. Especially the new hit and movement animations now help to reduce the bullet sponge feeling that comes with RPG elements.
Because even in other shooters, there are so-called bullet sponges, according to Gerighty. However, you often do not notice it as intensely because enemies sway or are pushed back when hit. This is now also the case in The Division 2.
Skills: Some new skills, like the Chem-Launcher, are excellent for dealing with heavy enemies and eliminating them faster. This launcher can create a corrosive cloud that literally devours the enemy’s armor.
The new armor system: The Division 2 features a new, strategic armor system for enemies. For many enemies and bosses, certain body regions like arms, torso, and head are visibly armored.
These armor components can still take a lot of damage, but there is now a clear reason for that – after all, it is armor.
And if you focus on it, the armor parts will eventually break, revealing a weak point where the enemy becomes vulnerable. If you concentrate on this spot, the enemy will quickly go down.
Were you also bothered by the bullet sponges in The Division? What do you think of these innovations and changes?
