Ubisoft recently released patch notes for The Division 2‘s next major update, which makes a plethora of changes right before the game’s first raid, Operation Dark Hours, launches.
There’s a release date for the Raid now too. Operation Dark Hours will be available starting May 16 at 12pm EST, after a lengthy delay while Ubisoft handled some nasty bugs. Ubisoft is still keeping fairly quiet about what the Raid might entail, though as earlier leaks suggested, it will take place at least partly in the DC Airport.
Year 1 pass holders gain access to the first two Classified Missions with this update as well, which unlock Backpack Trophies and tell the story behind the fall of DC.
The notes don’t actually mention a lot about fans can expect the first The Division 2 Raid, as mentioned. However, they do include new trophies connected to the Raid and a new Apparel Event — opportunities to snag exclusive gear and skins — tied to it as well.
Operation Dark Hours is also getting some new Commendations, but like the trophies and Apparel Event, there’s no concrete detail about what to expect from them.
Speaking of Commendations, the development team removed several in this update. Commendations tied to consecutive logins over a specific period of time are no longer in The Division 2, since they were deemed unfair if players had circumstances preventing them from logging in on a given day.
In their place are five new Commendations (not tied to Operation Dark Hours):
- Full Deck Distinction – Acquire all Snitch Cards.
- Distinguished Service Distinction – Complete 30 hours of service.
- Supreme Response Distinction – Complete all main missions and Strongholds on Hard difficulty (or above).
- Control Point Takeover Merit – Take over 50 Heroic Control Points.
- Invasion Service Merit – Complete 10 Invaded Strongholds.
There’s a new Vendor in the Base of Operations as well, Inaya al-Khaliq, and a change to Gear Scores for exotic items upgraded via crafting. They will now automatically be given the highest Gear Score available for the tier level associated with the Crafting Bench used.
Loot is getting some similar changes to make life easier for agents. New loot will be skewed towards the higher end of the item’s Gear Score so there are fewer chances players will come across items below their Gear level.
NPCs received a fair bit of attention in this new update too. They’ll actually act like they have intelligence and try to preserve their lives from now on — for example, wearing protective gear, trying to help themselves if they’re taken hostage, and not stealing players’ cover spots.
The full notes are quite extensive and can be found here for those interested in seeing them.
