From nerfing popular builds to banning players for using a damage exploit in PvE, The Division franchise has made a few decisions that frustrated players. This week, however, it seems the developers at Massive Entertainment may have taken things a little too far.
As part of Title Update 9, Division 2 developer Massive Entertainment nerfed the Classic M1A rifle. Easily one of the most popular weapons in the game, the Classic M1A was an essential piece of any build, but post update it became a shell of its former self. Post-update, the rifle dealt out 40% less damage than it did before, bringing it on the same level as less desirable versions of the marksman rifle.
On its own, the Classic M1A rifle nerf was enough to frustrate players. Because of the gun's popularity, a nerf ruins a lot of popular Division 2 builds and for some players makes the overall experience less fun. Many found that the Classic M1A was the only option when it comes to surviving Division 2's hardest content, especially on console where response time is slower and accuracy is lower.
Division 2 Damage Control
But what made the nerf such a talking point, and even a breaking point, was the fact that Massive left it off of the patch notes. Arguably the biggest change in all of Division 2's latest update, and it wasn't included in the notes. According to Massive, this was merely a miscommunication between the community team and the dev team, and not a stealth nerf. Because there have been stealth nerfs before, some players are not buying the explanation, but Massive wanted to ensure that players didn't think there were devious intentions.
Shortly after the update went live, The Division 2 forums and subreddits were filled with posts from frustrated players. Even though Title Update 9 was supposed to bring some exciting new features to the game, like the ability to reconfigure exotic gear, the Classic M1A nerf was all anyone could focus on. Talks of boycotts and abandoning the game flooded the Internet, and it looked like for a lot of players this was the straw that broke the camel's back.
As mentioned, Massive tried to calm players by explaining that the intention was not to stealth nerf the Classic M1A marksman rifle in Division 2. The item didn't make it onto the patch notes but was eventually added, and the 40% nerf was clarified. Still, a nerf this hefty to a weapon that popular was always going to be met with raised eyebrows (at the very least).
The Classic M1A is Still Getting Nerfed
Massive Entertainment then clarified that the nerf was never going to be this significant. According to follow-up correspondence, the 40% nerf was just a first pass at balancing the Classic M1A, with plans to fine tune the changes before pushing Title Update 9. Unfortunately, the current pandemic threw a wrench in those plans and the additional passes at balancing the Classic M1A never happened.
With a response this strong, it seemed practically a given that Massive was going to have to respond but few expected them to revert back to the way things were. Nevertheless, the Classic M1A went back to its original damage numbers in PvE and the nerf dropped down to 20% in PvP.
This is only a temporary measure, though, and the planned nerfs to Classic M1A will eventually go live in a few weeks. It won't be as drastic as a 40% reduction in damage, but it could still impact the utility of the weapon. For now, the pitchforks are no longer out, but there pessimism still permeates The Division 2 subreddit.
Many loot-based and live service games have a tipping point where the community's frustrations boil over and there is talk of moving on. Whether these people represent a significant portion of the player base is unclear, but it was hard to overlook the amount of negativity surrounding Division 2 on Tuesday.
There was a lot of excitement surrounding The Division 2 when the Warlords of New York expansion released, but eventually the new content blends in with the old. The grind to collect loot can only sustain players so long before they start to poke holes in the experience. It's up to the developers to keep things feeling fresh without drastically changing things. Unfortunately, this nerf to the Classic M1A was seen as far too drastic.
The Division 2 is available now for PC, PS4, Stadia, and Xbox One.