[2019] My thoughts about TU6.

Still a lot of the same gear, yes... But more build opportunities, more combinations to try, more loadout slots to keep works-in-progress...

More ways to more finely optimize more playstyles.

If you're like me and want to make a Wizard Build with Hard Wired and BTSU, you can.

If you want to make a Blitzer Build that never stops moving and shooting, you can.

If you want to combine True Patriot with a Liberty Pistol Build for the most patriotic loadout possible, you can.

All fair, though a lot to address that needs to be looked at one point at a time. Pardon the jumbled quoting, some of your points refer to similar concepts, though separated.

So basically you've just made the itemization even more complex, or complicated rather?

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I mean if you really developed this game for an amount of number crunching nerds that is equal to the amount of developers, then I'd say you're right on track.

That sort of depends on how you want to define complexity, especially in relation to another similar (but different) term: depth. If we understand complexity as the number of different things that go into making a build (how many gear slots, weapons, talents, attributes, skills, etc.) TU6 brings very few increases to this. Yes there are now more gear items as a result of opening up the previous slot-constrained brand sets, by adding a choice few new weapons...

But...

When we talk about depth, that's more in the spirit of how many different things that, when combined, those different elements can actually do. Previously, with stacking things like DTE or Explosive damage on builds that used 1 of 3 best-in-class weapons, all of that complexity was being used to accomplish staggering little depth by comparison. I would, personally, argue that now the game is less geared towards that number-crunching, and more beneficial to those with malleable playstyles, who are able to take 3 Talents that all increase build effectiveness conditionally, and can adapt to consistently get the most out of their setup. Of course, that remains to be seen as we move forward.

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And even the ones who might want to give it a shot again, I guarantee you that a lot of those folks are outright scared to have to get an updated degree in Division 2's gearology again first.

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But if you ever want this game to grow again, you HAVE TO make it more accessible, and unf*ck all of your dysfunctional systems, concepts, and ideas in terms of gear.

We've said on several occasions that meta/gameplay changes on this scale are not something we plan on doing (or want to be doing) with any type of frequency. That said, these changes that are being made now needed to happen for the overall health and benefit of the game.

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Like who is this game even for? Don't you realize that your clusterf*ck of an itemization, along with boring gear sets and exotics, is what made people leave this game behind for good?

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The gear sets in The Division 1 were fine, and so were most exotics. The first game had a very comprehensible and accessible system for quickly and easily determining the quality of your loot. But sure, if you're hell-bent on dying on this hill of fake complexity, when in reality all the gear just feels more lackluster now, then by all means, stay seated on this throne of colossal failure.

The gear sets in The Division and The Division 2 (as well as Exotics) are made to fulfill inherently different goals. Exotics in The Division were largely (though not all of them, and not entirely) a BiS version of a weapon. TD Gear Sets then became 'BiS playstyles' in a way. You either ran Hexotic, or one of the main Gear Sets, and that Gear Set didn't just influence how you played, it determined it. These sets were the meta... any build using more than a couple High-End gear pieces was not running optimally.

Exotics in TD2, especially after this update buffing the talents, give unique spins on particular tactics, and offer slight but helpful buffs even when not using them. Gear Sets in TD2 open up entirely new roles to perform when in a squad or moment-to-moment firefight objectives wen playing solo. Yes, the TD Gear Sets did something similar, especially when talking about Classified Sets, but with the change to only needing 3/3* pieces in order to get to the unique stuff, we should see a wealth of new Gear Set usage opportunities in TU6.

But ultimately, we'll see how it all performs in TU6. As always, we will be keeping an eye out for your feedback regarding all these changes and far more. Always happy to discuss this kind of stuff!

*Edit: Typo on my behalf. TU6 sets take 4/4 pieces for full rewards as per Patch Notes. Apologies for any confusion!

For that build, it's not about running optimally. It's about wielding the powers of fire and lightning.

I can have other builds for when the going gets tough, but the wizard comes out when the Raiders are asleep.