Added a table - CTRL + F "Updated"
With the recent news about more Division 2 content coming in 2021 and 2022, we could say that this is a surprise. The death of Faye Lou and various other signs were signaling Division 2’s end. So, although new Division 2 content have been stated to be in the early stages, let’s take advantage of that. A lot of this stuff won’t really be new, but I think it’s best to reintroduce the ideas.
Incursions
“Fresh content” are some of the words within the recent statement, however, the first suggestion, and likely a lot of this OP, for new Division 2 content isn’t fresh per say, but more so the return of staple features, and the first are incursions.
Nothing was wrong with adding raids to Division 2. It was a new pinnacle endgame activity that was a step up from incursions. If anything, one more raid is in order.
However, the problem with raids was that incursions were completely removed in favor of them. For a long time, a gap existed in the PVE endgame, in my opinion..
Open world (Including bounties, etc) > heroic missions > ____ > Raids
Players went straight to raids from heroic missions, since heroic was the highest PVE difficulty at one point in time. This was a huge spike in difficulty, in my opinion. It wasn’t until TU8 / WONY that Legendary difficulty returned, filling the gap. Some may opt to have every main missions offer legendary, but despite what I have said previously, incursions would be a lot more “fresh” in Division 2 compared to more legendary missions.
Four man heroic or legendary only matchmake-able Raid-lite, pinnacle endgame activity. That was a mouthful, but it is the only way that I could describe it. Having that existing as a destination before an actual raid only gives new and returning players a smooth transition into the more difficult activity, or at least an activity with a different kind of difficulty. They can act as an introduction into the eight man (split into two groups of four) mechanics found in raids.
Here is where the first Incursion in Division 2 could take place: The Thomas Jefferson Memorial.
The latter two were taken long ago
And even with that, incursions do not need to be located on different maps, like Summit or National Zoo, or the proposed Thomas Jefferson Memorial. Much like Dragon’s Nest, locations that are already in the game can be repurposed for incursions. Location doesn’t matter in the end, the activity itself is what matters. Here are a couple examples and they’re right next door to the white house:
Point is that incursions have the opportunity to return in 2021 / 2022. They were staple Division 1 activities that brought a perfect balance between challenge and fun.
Classified-like gear
With the optimization station being in the game now, you gotta raise the endgame ceiling. You gotta give the hardcore players something to grind for. Some sort of 2-3% drop that aren't just exotics. Things like:
- Classified weapons / exotics with bonuses that only work with certain gear sets / brand sets
- Reworked classified gear / brand sets that makes them strong, but not meta, like additional effects to something like skills
- Stronger version of existing exotics / perfected exotics
There needs to be something that will satiate the players who have nothing else to grind for at the moment. Give them something that will keep them busy for a while. These classified items would be a way to raise the ceiling for hardcore players without actually raising the level cap for those who do not wish to regrind their builds over.
At the moment, I’d say we’re doing just fine with the gear we have, so these classified items won’t really be a necessity like they were in Division 1 to force players to regrind builds if they don’t want to. They’d be for those who just need something to grind for.
These new pieces of gear can be possible Summit key room rewards, Global Event cache rewards much like in Division 1, incursion rewards, DZ landmark rewards, etc.
Bring Back Removed Holstered Talents *Updated*
We are in a new gear atmosphere (gear 2.0), and what would also be fresh within this new gear atmosphere would be those removed holstered talents being brought back into fray. Have them appear on new named items, improvised gear, or incorporated into specializations. Most of them were utility rather than build defining, so with some slight rework, they can be incorporated into gear 2.0.
And, despite being old, they would become new things to grind for and improve build diversity even further, especially if they appear on non backpack and chest items. This would give builds another talent slot to think about, but in a good way. This will also bring back some remnants of gear 1.0 / Division 1, with talents appearing in other gear slots, but without those talents being build defining.
Imperial Dynasty could have been mitigated earlier in PVP if Stop Drop and Roll existed on holsters, for example.
*Update*
I have made this section a bit more clearer of what I meant. I did not mean something like Berserk or Critical to return, but holstered gun talents and some other utility talents. Here is a table depicting where those talents can be placed:
Talent Description Gear Slot Dialed In While aiming, weapon stability is increased by x% of your weapon accuracy High-End Mask Fill'er Up Reloading from empty reloads all weapons High-End Gloves Cannon Throwing distance is increased by x% High-End Gloves In Rhythm Enemy kills have a 5% chance to refresh active skill cooldowns. Can occur once every 60s. High-End Gloves Recharged Skills deployed at full armor have +x% duration, charges, and ammo High-End Mask Stop, Drop and Roll Rolling removes burn, bleed, and poisoned status effects. Can occur once every 60s. High-End Holster or Knee Pads Wascally You are able to resist 5 ensnare attempts. Can occur once every 60s. High-End Holster Transmission Shock / Any status applied to the Agent transfers to an enemy within 10m. Can occur once every 60s. High-End Kneepads Greased Weapon swap / reload speed is increased by 10%. High-End Gloves Cloaked When your armor is depleted, nearby enemy skills are disrupted for 10s. Can occur once every 30s High-End Kneepads Knee Cap Shooting an enemy in the legs has a 10% chance to apply bleed High-End Gloves Everlasting While in cover, regenerate 2 ammo every 5s. High-End Holster Destructive 5% Explosive Damage High-End Mask Hard Hitting 5% Damage To Elites High-End Mask Braced While in cover weapon handling is increased by x% High-End Knee Pads
These talents will not be build defining, but make builds perform more efficiently. Hard hitting and Destructive are risks, however, the other talents will not provide any flat damage increase like a chest or backpack talent would do otherwise. Braced is a talent that currently exists on chests, but I highly doubt anyone is using Braced over any other damaging chest talent. So, having that return to knee pads, even at a significantly lower percentage, would instantly make it a viable option.
The same goes for talents with "x" percentages. These would need to find a new balance within gear 2.0.
Bringing back these talents, as mentioned, will only improve build diversity.
Settlement Upgrades
I would like to take the opportunity to bring this up, again. Settlement upgrades should serve some purpose in the end game. I believe that purpose should be Trinket exchanging.
As a Division agent, I have no need for trinkets. What am I to do with a toy car? A child would need that more than I do.
What am I to do with a screwdriver or a hammer? Woodworking at the Campus needs these more than I do.
So why not allow us to trade trinkets for goodies? For example:
Hammer, tape measure, tape, screwdriver in exchange for field recon data, outcast recon data, SHD calibration, and outcast keys. The gear reward could be any sort of general loot reward. Maybe even a random piece of curated loot or a possible classified piece. This could be a biweekly thing so that we aren’t just sitting in the menu constantly exchanging the trinkets we’ve collected and saved up over the years in one sitting.
Another example:
A pencil, antibiotics, insulin, and pain killers in exchange for Alps crafting components, a random or curated gear mod (preferably healing related), backpack and chest weave.
The point of the exchange is to bring both trinkets and settlement upgrades into the endgame loop and reward things that are relatively related. This leans into the worldbuilding aspect of Division 2, with civilization requiring resources to operate, much like control points. Because the idea is to have multiple settlement upgrades allow for trinket exchange, biweekly rewards seemed like a good way to balance it, as well as give players time to recollect trinkets.
Additionally, as mentioned, it prevents players from simply standing in one spot and exchanging what they’ve saved up. The rewards should also incorporate new items, i.e possibility of new exotics and classified-like items. And let’s not forget about commendations tied to this exchange feature.
Course, I'm not a game economy balancer, so any requirement number seen above is simply a mockup. We would finally have reason to get rid of trinkets from our inventory in a more meaningful way.
Daily and Weekly Project Rewards Need Improvement
Here is a more consolidated version of a thread posted a while back about daily and weekly projects. tl;dr: daily and weekly projects should reward curated loot. Consider the spoiler for more comprehensive look.
Spoiler: Show
Conflict / Dedicated PVP
This should definitely be a top priority area to bring content to. Twitch chat is often begging for PVP content because the area has been so starved of it for so long.
New conflict maps are always welcomed, but conflict really needs new game modes. Simple team deathmatch and free-for-all. Two basic PVP game modes to get things started.
Additionally, what has plagued conflict for so long has been full groups being matchmade against solos. This has to change. Group playlists, solo playlists, and a quick play playlist that doesn’t separate them, much like we have now, must be made.
For last stand to return would require locations. For that, consider the spoiler, as I have spoke about it before:
Last Stand
Spoiler: Show
Quality of Life
The first quality of life suggestion I’d like to propose about sharing items. Sharing items without picking them up and placing them in our backpacks would save so much time. If I inspect an item drop from a boss or crate, please allow me to share it on the spot within that HUD.
Barber 2.0 is the second quality of life suggestion. Getting more options for hair, possibly faces, scars, tattoos and even gender change would be refreshing without having to create a new agent.
There is a lot more that could have been said in this post, but I am not the only player who plays. If one believes in Massive, I encourage you all to let your voice be heard.
Thanks!Originally Posted by SoulBrotherNr3 Go to original post
Closest thing we can get to survival is a revamped hardcore mode. There's already a temperature mechanic is Iron Horse.Originally Posted by Metal_Greg Go to original post
Though, I left hardcore revamps out of this post because that could get an entire dedicated post.
Indeed. It's one of the many Division 1 suggestions. It would give the hardcore players something new to grind for without having to force players to refarm their entire builds. I think this is the sort of space where Division 2 should be exploring now.Originally Posted by xcel30 Go to original post
What did the gear set do again before it was changed? I don't remember.Originally Posted by xcel30 Go to original post
With the rifle, though, Distracted doesn't really specify it must be used with the gear set. The proposal would emphasis more communication between the two: you must being wearing this [4 piece] gear set in order to activate this weapon's talent.
BLIND gear set was meant to be the main baller gear set from the underground update, that's why the cosmedic rewards are still named BLIND and stealth, while the BLIND rifle (later Urban MDR) didn't force the plaeyr to use the gear set it was obviously related to it. The gear set was something like this:Originally Posted by Merphee Go to original post
Set bonus (2): +20% Pulse Critical Hit Damage
Set bonus (3): +100% Blind/Deaf Resistance
Set bonus (4): Talent: B.L.I.N.D. System - Killing a target creates a flashbang effect at the targets position.
It instantly became a trash gear set because flashbangs had the same radius as melee pretty much, making so the 4 piece talent was useless since you never blinded enemies, the Urban MDR got bugged and only got released after the set was reworked into that atrocious banshee DZ set.
But yeah i'm not against having gear set weaposn, a gun that can print Hollow points and has double the capacity for special ammo would be perfect for OD, A burst fire extremely accurate sniper could be interesting for A&8, an SMG that heals the team like cadeceus for negotiator and so on.
Really good concepts about expanding the game, Merphee.
Maybe you should put it in the Official Div2 Reddit sticky post here too:
https://www.reddit.com/r/thedivision...es_and_dreams/
Your ideas deserve much more attention!