The Division Update 1.2 Will Buff Loot in All Activities

This week’s State of the Game stream confirms that the next major update for The Division will improve the quality of loot players receive as rewards.

After an initial wave of enormous success, the past few weeks have been a testing time for The Division and its players. However, the team at Ubisoft Massive is committed to fixing what’s broken, and it seems that the quality of loot being received by players is a top priority.

Once players have seen everything there is to see in The Division, most will concentrate on replaying various pieces of content for the rewards offered upon completion. Of course, some might take the shortcut of hanging out in the Dark Zone to pinch rewards earned by other players once they’ve been gunned down.

The point is that high-level players are likely going to be either replaying content or risking trips to the Dark Zone in order to improve their gear. These activities can turn out to be very frustrating if the rewards offered up don’t seem to line up with the time and effort being put in.

Fortunately, it seems that Ubisoft Massive is sympathetic to the feedback players have been offering up. Once the 1.2 patch is applied, high-end weapons and gear will drop more often during all activities available in the game — during supply drops, while players are attempting Incursions,over the course of Dark Zone runs, and more.

Previously, items with a Gear Score of 182 or 163 were the norm in terms of drops during missions. Once this upcoming update is in effect, players will be more likely to see weapons with a Gear Score of 204 and equipment with a Gear Score of 240.

Generosity is apparently the theme of the impending update, and it should result in players getting more out of their time with the game. However, it remains to be seen whether this kind of fix will keep players invested in The Division.

The game has been marred for many by an onslaught of cheaters using exploits and hacks to gain an unfair advantage. While the patch will help level the playing field somewhat, it also accelerates the in-game arms race by making it easier for all players to get better gear — meaning they’ll run out of things to do quicker.

Maintaining an online experience like The Division is no small feat, and it’s clearly been a learning experience for the team at Ubisoft Massive. The 1.2 patch could well be a decisive moment for the future of what briefly looked like gaming’s next big franchise.