The Division 2’s Title Update 5, which also introduces the DC Outskirts: Expeditions content to the game is now live to download on all platforms, and Ubisoft has shared the patch notes so players can take a look at what’s changed ahead of the server downtime ending.
The patch notes break down several changes and additions to the game, including two new exotics — the Diamondback Exotic Rifle and BTSU Exotic Gloves — and an extensive overhaul of the entire skills system, including skill mods power levels, and some base numbers.
The Diamondback is a lever-action rifle with a five round magazine and 100 RPM. Its first Talent, ‘Agonizing Bite,’ randomly marks an enemy and deals additional critical damage to them if you shoot at them. ‘Deep Fangs’ feeds into this. After hitting five marked enemies, you gain 50% reload speed, 20% total damage, and all shots fired are guaranteed crits for 10 seconds.
Finally, ‘Shedding Skin’ grants a 20% bonus armor for three seconds each time a round is loaded while the Diamondback is drawn. If it’s holstered, each time you reload or cycle your current weapon, you’ll gain 8% armor for two seconds. You can see the BTSU Exotic Gloves’ Talents down below.
- ‘Elemental Gadgetry’
- Skills that apply status effects gain +50% status effect duration and +50% skill haste
- ‘Energy Infusion’
- Whenever you apply a status effect, your gloves become infused with that for 60s. While infused, you gain +10% skill damage, +10% skill healing and repair and +10% skill duration for each Utility (yellow battery) on your gear.
- ‘Charged Proxies’
- Whenever you throw a skill, 1.25s after landing, it creates an explosion applying the infused status effect to all enemies within 6m. Enemies affected by the infused status effect take 50% more damage from your skills.
The bulk of The Division 2’s Title Update 5, however, comes in the form of the overhaul of the entire Skills system. According to the developer comments on the patch notes, the developers realized there was no build that “actually relied on good skill mods driven by skill power.”
As a result, Skill Haste is a new system that replaces Cooldown Reduction. This is a percentage that will reduce the rate of cooldown in the same terms as speed. A 100% Skill Haste would grant a 50% cooldown. The patch notes also detail a number of base changes to all of the Skills in the game. Check them all out here.
On top of all of the behind-the-scenes changes to make things more balanced, The Division 2’s Title Update 5 also adds in two new missions in the form of the D.C. Outskirts: Expeditions content. Players will head to both Manning National Zoo and Camp White Oak in order to put the Outcasts and Black Tusks back in their place.
Additionally, Expeditions are new, free events that tasks players with working together to discover new lore, and solve a variety of environmental puzzles and unique boss mechanics. Two new Classified Assignments — Central Aquarium and NSA Site B13 — have also been added into the game. A Discovery Mode difficulty has also been introduced for the Dark Hours raid.
The Division 2’s Title Update 5 is now available to download on Xbox One, PS4, and PC and weighs in at 11 GB on PS4, but server downtime is still expected to last for another 30 minutes or so. You can check out our guide wiki for more tips, tricks, and information on the game.
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