Ubisoft reveals that Update 1.1 of MMO shooter The Division guarantees players a High-End item drop from named NPCs over level 30, as well as some changes to crafting costs.
Since its release in early March, Ubisoft's highly-anticipated multiplayer RPG/shooter hybrid The Division has proved to be a tremendous success, with the title incredibly close to living up to the hype that surrounded it pre-release. However, even the most popular or well-received game could still do with tweaks here and there. As such, the title's Update 1.1 is bringing with it a number of changes, including one that improves a player's chances of getting a valuable item drop.
Ubisoft has confirmed that there are going to be some changes to the way in which players can expect to get High-End items in The Division. With Update 1.1, defeating a named NPC at level 30 or above will automatically grant the player a High-End drop. This makes a big change to the way in which players could expect to get their hands on High-End gear.
The actual score of the item will be determined by the level of the NPC in question. As an example given by Ubisoft, a level 30 named NPC will guarantee the player a gear score of 163 High-End. Ubisoft has also designed new drop tables, with named NPCs now giving more chances to grant a specific type of High-End item, allowing players greater control over their loot focus. Those interested in reading the entirety of Ubisoft's thoughts on Update 1.1 can do so over on the official The Division website.
This change to loot drop dynamics is far from the only one that Ubisoft is implementing with Update 1.1, however. With an increase in focus on NPC drops, the company has instead decided to also bump up the overall costs in crafting. Here is a rundown of the upcoming crafting material costs:
Increased costs for converting crafting materials and crafting High-End items:
10 Standard (Green) materials instead of 5 to craft 1 Specialized (Blue) material
15 Specialized (Blue) materials instead of 5 to craft 1 High-End (Gold) material
10 High-End (Gold) materials instead of 8 to craft 1 lvl 31 High-End (Gold) item
Changed deconstruction yield of Standard (Green) and High-End (Gold) items:
Deconstructing a Standard (Green) item yields 1 Standard material instead of 2
Deconstructing a High-End (Gold) item yields 1 High-End material instead of 2
This is meant by Ubisoft as a way to try and get players to utilize their low-level materials when leveling up, instead of saving them up for when they reach level 30. Whether this means that players will actually follow this path remains to be seen, or whether further loot cave exploits will prove to be just as popular as before.
The statement adds some context to the patch notes for Update 1.1 that were previously released, when fans raised eyebrows over the increased costs for crafting. However, until gamers have got their hands on the game post-update it remains to be seen whether Ubisoft's new strategy truly works as hoped. One thing's for sure: with the introduction of Incursion challenges so difficult even the developers themselves cannot beat them, gamers are going to need all the High-End items they can get.
The Division is out now for PC, Xbox One, and PS4.
Source: The Division