The looter shooter we should have had the first time.

Looks more intriguing this time around.
I still don't like the idea of pumping 2 AR clips into an enemy that's only wearing a hoodie,
then they run behind cover and throw a grenade.
Also it just seems like the surrounding world should improve as I'm completing missions.
Yet I'm still gonna cop based on the squad shooting aspect.

Yellow bars still suck, especially the ones with sledge hammers.

the gameplay loop is good. loot is fine. not crazy about trade-off bonuses (+ 20% attribute x but -10% attribute y) but that just makes min-maxing more of a gamble. i'm level 9 and have yet to receive a drop better than rare. that's a good thing imo. makes low % drops that much more meaningful. i'm still trying to find a gun i love but what i have now works fine

i love how the game plays. default controls are very good and can be tuned into something more desirable. shooting feels great. guns have a heft to them in iron sights via recoil. there is a very slight pushback on the bigger guns when standing still. hitting an enemy with bullets provides great feedback, which i imagine is tough to achieve with a numbers-driven shooter like this

the enemy encounters are a lot of fun and extremely engaging. they flank you, try to flush you out with explosives, or just charge at you to push you somewhere else. you have to keep your wits about you and maintain spatial awareness or you're going to get torn up. i've learned to keep moving and use the cover switch mechanic regularly. as a result i've been getting through missions much more easily

i'm surprised at how much i like this game. all the reviews said "bad story, great mechanics," which is exactly what i'm looking for in a game so i took a chance on it. i'm happy with my purchase

(+ 20% attribute x but -10% attribute y)

Every gun I seem to pick up has a good and bad. Every mod I put on it is a gift and a curse. New Scope, +15% accuracy/ -20% stability. New hand stop, +10% Stability/ -20% Critical..etc, etc.
Gun wise, the MDR hasnt let me down but Im hoping to find a bigger clip soon. 20 rounds is never enough in a thick fire fight.

..and a shotgun as my second weapon completes my set-up. Stops those in their tracks who run up on you swinging sticks (I hate them)

Well articulated as usual (sorry, i lurk).

My brother and I ran through Div 1 recently to get us prepped for this.

We were waiting on a sales drop. Can't look at Steam since it's only on Uplay, if i'm not mistaken.

You saying it's worth the $60 right now?

i think part of the reason that i'm so into it is that i haven't played a good loot game for a minute. mostly it's how well the game plays. it feels good to control your avatar and the core loop is compelling. you want to complete missions to level up so you can get better gear so you can create or alter your build so you can do more missions, etc. there seems to be a lot variance in effective builds (at least below level 30) too. i'm working with a rifle + a marksman rifle and i'm rarely hitting fail conditions. i'm sure i could come up with a LMG + SMG build that would be effective given the right mods (mostly stability). this isn't even taking into account the different skills — and skill mods — and how they interact with enemies, other players, and your avatar

this might be a hot/generic take but i see a lot of dark souls in this game:

• the aforementioned flexibility in builds

• no score or soundtrack in the open world when you're exploring; just your footsteps and ambient sounds

• there are hidden/obscured paths leading to secret areas and/or chests, which incentivizes exploration

• you can create shortcuts by dropping "ladders" (rappelling ropes)

• dark zone is a weird asymmetrical vs./co-op pvp/pve mode where you're unsure of the other players' intentions

there is a lot about this game that appeals to me. i like this game so much that i haven't even started sekiro: shadows die twice, which i have been looking forward to since it was announced

https://www.polygon.com/2019/4/3/18293804/the-division-2-tidal-basin-patch-weapon-skill-mods-rework

Massive Entertainment will release The Division 2’s anticipated first patch this Friday, April 5. The patch brings the game’s fifth world tier — the final endgame difficulty level — and the fourth stronghold. In its April 3 State of the Game stream, Massive announced that it will also make two requested changes with this patch: The studio is reworking skill and weapon mods.

Skill mods will have their skill power scaling reworked. All mods will now have an attainable level of skill power. According to the team at Massive, players were having a hard time meeting the skill power requirement.

Skill power is going down across the board, and Massive warned players that they may see a reduction in their own skill power when they log in on Friday. It seems skill mods will still have the same kinds of perks on them. But players should have an easier time hitting the threshold to make them useful.

Weapon mods are getting an even larger overhaul. In The Division 2, mods had both positive and negative attributes. For example, a magazine in the current version of the game might increase the amount of bullets you can carry, but at the cost of your critical hit chance. Thanks to feedback from the community, Massive will retool the system on Friday.

Every weapon slot will have at least one weapon mod without any negative effects. Massive will balance negatives based on how useful the mod is. For example, a magazine mod may give you fewer bullets than before, but without negatives. A different magazine may give you even more bullets, but come with a small penalty to headshot damage.

The rest of the patch will also balance various weapons and skills. However, Massive was clear that this is not a patch focused on balance. Instead, it’s waiting on players to experience the full endgame of World Tier 5 before it makes any serious adjustments.

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finally i can use all these skill mods i've been collecting. i like having one weapon mod that has no negatives too

I wonder how crazy they are going to be in this - especially with an 8 man team.