The Division update 1.3 has nerfs, automatic shotguns, and weapon talent re-rolls

Ubisoft detailed some of the upcoming changes coming to The Division as part of patch 1.3 during a recent livestream, and those of you wearing Sentry and Striker gear will especially want to take note. And, if you were in need of a good shotgun or wondering what to do with weapons statted out with talents you don't like, there's good news on that front as well.

First, the Strikers and Sentries: instead of having a two, three, or four-piece bonus, patch 1.3 will apply a five-piece bonus to these gear sets instead. That means you'll have to wear more of the set to get the better perks, and an overall nerf in terms of what the gear offers you. If you're having trouble following along, here's an example:

Let's say the current perks of the Striker's Battlegear set are a 20 percent bonus to enemy armor when wearing two pieces of gear from the same set, and a 50 percent increase in critical hit damage when wearing three pieces of gear. When update 1.3 goes live, Striker and Sentry gear will no longer have those bonuses, and will only have a bonus when you're wearing five pieces of the same set.

On the offensive side of things, you'll be able to recalibrate weapon talents much like you can currently do for gear talents. So, for example, if you pick up a fancy new rifle that you really like, but it comes with a talent you don't like, you'll be able to recalibrate it to get a talent that better suits your playstyle.

For instance, say you get the Responsive talent, which increases damage when within 10 meters of an enemy. But if you play more like a sniper, aiming for headshots from a distance, you might want to recalibrate so you can get something like Brutal, which increases headshot damage.

Lastly, the Showstopper shotgun, which was scheduled for update 1.2, will finally make its debut in this upcoming patch. What's so special about another gun in a game ostensibly about guns? Well, this one is fully-automatic. So. Yeah. It's pretty powerful.

If you want to watch the whole livestream, Ubisoft has it archived on The Division's Twitch channel. The patch is slated to go live on Xbox One and PC on June 28, and on PS4 on August 2.

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