The Division 2’s Title Update 3 is now available, and the full patch notes for the update are now available.
As we already know, the standout addition in the update is Operation Dark Hours, the games (and the series) first 8-player raid. We knew that the raid wouldn’t be available as soon as the patch went live, but Ubisoft has now confirmed that the raid will become available on Thursday 16th May at 5pm BST/12pm ET/9am PT. There’s also a new Apparel event to commemorate Operation Dark Hours, introducing new outfits, masks, emotes, and weapon skins to the game. For Year 1 Pass owners, the update also adds the first two Classified Assignments to the game. Classified Assignments are exclusive missions that are only for those who paid more, and completing them will earn players exclusive Backpack Trophies and allow you to learn the “stories behind the fall of DC”.
A number of playtime/dedication-related Commendations have also been removed, as Ubisoft feels that the nature of them meant that you could lose out on them through no fault of your own, or in my opinion, by simply having a life. Examples of this include the Distinguished Service Ribbon, which requires players to play for at least an hour on 30 consecutive days, and the Supreme Response Distinction, which tasks players with completing 4 main missions and rescuing 5 civilians on seven consecutive days. As you can imagine, a lot of people will be unable to earn these Commendations as they simply cannot commit to playing every single day (apparently there are things more important than gaming, so my girlfriend keeps telling me), so Ubisoft has wisely removed them. To compensate, Ubisoft has added new Commendations that still allow players to show off their dedication to the game, with requirements such as completing all missions and Strongholds on Hard and completing 30 hours of playtime.
Aside from the raid, perhaps the most important new addition in the update is the new Post Mission Activity Summary screen, which will allow players to see a summary screen of their statistics when they complete an activity. This should allow players to see how effective they have been in each activity, and I’m sure groups of friends will use it to compete with each other and to secure bragging rights. There’s nothing wrong with a bit of friendly competition!
There are also a number of changes to how loot will drop, including certain activities now guaranteeing Gear Score 500 drops for any player that has already reached Gear Score 500, and there are an unbelievable amount of balance changes, more than I would ever have time to list, with countless changes to Weapons, Armor, Talents, Skills, the Conflict game mode and more. You can read all about them and the numerous quality-of-life improvements in the full patch notes here.
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