Drop Rates Nerfed in Latest Patch for The Division

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After a massive and successful launch, the people behind Tom Clancy‘s The Division have been busy tweaking the game in an effort to improve user experience.

The Division‘s overnight server restart brought server changes, which will probably prove unpopular with players. On the official Ubisoft forum, Community Developer “Ubi_Yannick” revealed the drop rate for items and currency has been changed.

Early reports indicate that named enemies in the Dark Zone that used to drop 15 Phoenix Credits, now only drop only 1-3. Considering the Phoenix Credits are The Division‘s endgame currency, this is a significant decrease.

Because of the change to the drop rate, it will take players about five times longer to do anything requiring Phoenix Credits.  Many players took to the Ubisoft Forums to express frustration. User “Xuare” complains, “The Phoenix nerf was way to much, seeing how some weapons costs like 200+, and then recalibrating high-end gear costs a fortune too. I don’t wanna have to farm 50+ bosses to be able to recalibrate my helmet.” Most players agreed, suggesting the reward of 4-7 Phoenix Credits was more appropriate.

Many of these players have already reached The Division‘s level 30 cap. However, many players (including myself) have not. User ImmortalArbiter points out, “If I do Dark Zone, those that have spent days there gearing up already will be able to demolish me in a moment’s notice, while it will take me ages to make the same amount of progress they made in days.” It’s a pretty accurate description. Not only did Ubisoft toss a major roadblock in front of new players with the change to the Phoenix Credit drop rate, new players now also have to contend with changes to the drop rate on items.

Prior to the tweak, high level users were reporting yellow (high-end items) dropping at a rate of 3-4 an hour. The same users now report that has dropped significantly. User “Mozox” commented, “it’s Destiny all over again.”

I’m no expert in game design, but if someone compares your game to Destiny, you need to pop the brakes and reassess your decisions.

The server update also disabled the “Trained” talent on weapons, as “it could give an unfair advantage in end-game content and in the Dark Zone.” Ubisoft says the talent will still be visible on weapons but will have no effect until a further update where it will be replaced on existing weapons.

What do you think about the changes? Tell us in the comments, and tell Ubisoft on their official forums.