Agents,
With another successful Public Test Server wrapped up, and all the feedback coming from the community as a result, we are happy to release Quality Update 1.6.1 to the Live servers on May 23. There is a ton of bug fixes and balance changes in the update, and the full patch notes will be published on our website as we get closer to release.
On The Fly
With Update 1.6.1 also comes one of the most requested features in The Division – Loadouts. No longer will you have to change every item in your inventory manually in order to switch your build; instead, you can save each build as a separate Loadout and switch between them with the click of a button (as long as you are out of combat). In total, you can save six different Loadouts.
Your Loadouts also include your Skills, Talents and mods so you do not have to worry about manually switching those either. You can also choose a name for your Loadouts, making it easy to tell them apart at a glance. Each Loadout will also display the Gear Score of the gear in it.
While originally planned for Update 1.7 this summer, we know our players have been waiting for this feature for a long time and we are happy to bring it to you early.
Other Improvements
While Loadouts are a big part of the update, they are not everything coming in Update 1.6.1. For example, we are introducing better group management for Last Stand, allowing you to inspect and mute all eight members of your team.
Another new feature in Last Stand are Proficiency Marks, rewarding the player who performed the best in a given role during a match with extra points. You will be able to track Proficiency Marks on the scoreboard during a match and if you are performing really well, you might be able to get multiple ones at the same time.
We have also added rewards for completely clearing a Landmark in the Dark Zone. You will get DZ experience and currency for doing them, but most importantly, you will get a non-contaminated item directly into your inventory – no need to extract it. Significant level design changes have been made to parts of the Dark Zone, like in the infamous “Coward’s Corner”, in order to limit unfair encounters.
Bugs and Balancing
As mentioned above, Quality Update 1.6.1 includes many bug and balance fixes. We will not list all of them here, since it is a hefty list, but do take the time to read the patch notes as soon as they are published!
The balance changes include removing aim assist hip firing with a controller and changes to certain Talents. Again, we refer to the patch notes for full details of the final changes, but we want to thank the community for all their feedback. It continues to be incredibly important to us and we are very grateful that so many players take the time to play on the PTS and share their impressions with us.
We are looking forward to running Public Test Servers for PlayStation 4 and Xbox in the future to involve even more of you in the process.
Summary
Quality Update 1.6.1 is a part of our new philosophy, where we do not wait for major updates to the game in order to release major bug and balancing fixes. We will follow this up with more patches during the year, while also focusing on big updates and new features with Update 1.7 and 1.8.
With Update 1.6.1, we are taking our time to fix longstanding bugs and adding one of the most requested features – Loadouts - to The Division. It helps to set the stage for the next step, Update 1.7, which will be coming this summer.
Thank you again to all the people that helped us test the update on the PTS, and to all the people that discussed it on our forums and in other places even if they could not play it. You are all instrumental to the future development of the game.
See you all in Manhattan!
/The Division Development Team