It has been three weeks since The Division 2's release date, and a new update has recently brought a number of changes to the looter shooter, along with the highly anticipated addition of World Tier 5. While indeed many players have been excited to jump into The Division 2's World Tier 5, endgame content for those with high Gear Scores, some are voicing frustration about how loot has been implemented in this new content.

Specifically, fans have been noting that Gear Scores for loot in World Tier 5 are variable — meaning that loot that drops in this new World Tier can be below a player's current Gear Score. By contrast, players that had been working toward The Division 2's best builds, and had reached 450 Gear Score in World Tier 4, would never receive high-end (yellow) items below 450 Gear Score or purple items below 440 Gear Score.

The fact that loot in World Tier 5 can drop with a lower Gear Score means that there is an additional element of randomness to acquiring powerful items in The Division 2 and reaching World Tier 5's max gear score of 500. Now, not only do players that want to maximize their characters' power levels need to hope for high rolls on attributes and talents, but they also need to get lucky and have the item drop at the highest possible Gear Score.

This is what has led to the current dissatisfaction amongst the community, and some have taken to forums, such as Reddit, to indicate that variable Gear Scores simply add too much randomness to acquiring new loot. Furthermore, there are other players that do not take issue with the idea of variable Gear Scores, but they do find its introduction problematic after World Tier 4 consistently granted max level items.

In a recent live stream, Massive Entertainment briefly addressed this concern, stating that World Tier 5 in The Division 2 is "not guaranteed to drop exactly your gear score at all times." While this may not be the response frustrated players hoped for, it does confirm that loot is working as intended and is not bugged.

Up to this point, players that have changed World Tiers in The Division 2 have been met with a very generous loot system, which is part of why World Tier 5's variable Gear Scores has made some waves with the playerbase. While Massive could certainly still alter this implementation, this may simply mark the beginning of a new level of grinding for endgame players.

The Division 2 is available now for PC, PS4, and Xbox One.

Source: Reddit, Reddit