Ubisoft's The Division To Introduce Loot-Trading And 'Endgame Runs' With Incursion Update
Tom Clancy's The Division has proved a major hit for Ubisoft as has become one of their very best new IPs. Given its MMO-like qualities, where does it go from here?
A new blog from Ubi has outlined the very first major update for the game and it's bringing at least one new function that could be a real game-changer. Incursion is the name of the update due in two weeks time and it's the first of two free expansions coming to The Division.
Ubisoft of course has a Season Pass for the game and that's already mapped out with more story-based content as well as beefing up the player versus player area known as the Dark Zone. Fans have already picked apart the game code and believe they've discovered new parts of New York we'll get to explore eventually, which includes an aircraft carrier.
An official live stream entitled 'Special Report - Update 1.1: Incursions' reveals more.
Highlights of the free Incursion update:
• Gear score boosts player stats beyond what the current player level cap of 30 permits, allowing endgame veterans to 'keep levelling' despite the hard cap.
• Loot trading will allow you or another member in your group to drop an item for them to pick up, and that includes Dark Zone treasures providing it is done inside the DZ gate.
• Gear set items which come in four flavours: Sentry’s Call, Striker’s Battle Gear, Path of the Nomad, and Technician’s Authority. Each set focuses on a particular play style and boosts stats accordingly and having four items from a set unlocks a "new, never-before-seen" talent. These sets drop from the incursion.
• Small and optional side goals called Assignments that refresh daily and weekly and reward Phoenix Credits and Division Tech when completed. They include objectives such as 'kill 10 Cleaners' for example.
• Supply drops will periodically fall into the Dark Zone but what's interesting is their items aren't contaminated and so can be used straight away and can't be stolen from your corpse. Tough enemies will guard these drops.
• Dead Agents can now haunt their team mates by following their camera. Ubisoft believe this will let you offer tactical advice, or try out your spookiest ghost impersonation.
• Aerial drones will now start plaguing the skies as enemies can deploy them, as well as a bullet-resistant armoured personnel carrier that'll require some creative and likely explosive thinking.
Aside from those significant changes, Incursion's big debut is the new squad-based endgame content missions that can be replayed. Falcon Lost is the name of the very first incursion and comes with two difficulty options: Hard and Challenging. No checkpoints are available so if you wipe then it's back to the start.
"Incursions will later be followed by another free update, Conflict, which adds a special incursion into New York’s Columbus Circle, as well as new Dark Zone features." - Ubisoft
Ubisoft's The Division is at something of a crossroads right now as the Dark Zone hasn't been nearly as treacherous and tense as they perhaps thought it would become. This is partly because 'going Rogue' has little benefit outside stealing items others picked up. This new supply drop loot seems to be a way to entice the wolves to come out.
Paid DLC expansions - Underground, Survival, and Last Stand - will be releasing throughout the year and introduce new areas, enemies and continues the story.This first free DLC Incursion will be releasing for PC, Xbox One and PlayStation 4 on April 12th.
