Ubisoft Tweaks ‘The Division’ Dark Zone Ahead Of Beta, Over 10,00 Bugs Fixed From Alpha

The Division closed beta is closing in for the PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and PC at the end of this week. The open-world shooter has been in alpha testing leading up to the beta. Ubisoft revealed Monday what changes were made from that testing along with how the Dark Zone has been tweaked.

Developer Ubisoft Massive squashed more than 10,000 bugs during the alpha, leading into the closed beta kicking off Thursday. The Division fixes range from addressing audio issues to objectives not being completed correctly to missing textures and odd graphical glitches.

However, The Division players can look forward to some improvements to the social shooter, as well. In addition to balancing of weapons, enemy NPCs, and character progression, the game’s performance for loading textures and models has been improved.

Weapon swapping has been modified, as well. Players will need to single tap the button associated with swapping weapons to switch between the primary and secondary weapon. Double tapping the weapon swap button will bring out the character’s sidearm.

Additionally, The Division will now allow players to manage their weapon and item mods directory from the inventory screen. This previously took a longer route to change out which mods were equipped and active.

Changes to the Dark Zone in The Division is now a whole different matter. Ubisoft Massive has billed the PVP area of the game as a free for all between players/squads. However, it is now clear there will be different instanced versions of the Dark Zone based on player level.

For the closed beta, The Division will match up players in the level 4-7 range together in the Dark Zone. Those that reach the beta level cap of 8 will be separated. These level ranges not only affect players, but also the NPCs that spawn inside the Dark Zone.

The Division will have a level cap of 30 when it is released in March. How the Dark Zone will split out level differences at that point has yet to be revealed. Up to 24 players are allowed to be in the PVP zone at the same time, with the enticement of rare loot dropping inside.

While the closed beta for The Division will allow players to explore the entire game world of Manhattan, getting into the Dark Zone is a little more difficult. Players have to either enter through a security checkpoint or climb over the fence. Ubisoft Massive has made it easier to get in through the security checkpoint by adding another gate.

New landmarks have also been added to the Dark Zone. According to Ubisoft, these will help you “find more challenging encounters rewarding you with better loot.”

The following is the complete list of improvements and fixes made from The Division alpha test.

Interface

• Added support for multiple in-game languages:
  • All platforms: English, French, Italian, German, Spanish
  • PC, PS4: Japanese
• Weapon and Item Mods can now be changed directly from the inventory screen
• [Xbox One and PS4] Changed weapon swap button mapping to:
  • [Tap] Primary/Secondary weapon
  • [Double Tap] Switch to Sidearm
• UI improvements for better readability and usability

Gameplay

• Additional balancing of weapons, enemy NPCs, and character progression

Dark Zone

• Added another Dark Zone gate to the Beta Map area
• Changed Dark Zone brackets level range
  • Depending on your level, you will now be matched with level 4-7 players and enemies, or level 8 players and enemies
• Landmarks have been added to the Dark Zone Map area
  • With these landmarks you will find more challenging encounters rewarding you with better loot

Performance

• Loading of textures and models should no longer suffer delays on console

Bug fixes
More than 10,000 bugs have been fixed, including many of the most reported bugs during the Alpha.

• Missing sound with specific weapons and mods combinations
• Repeating audio when opening the Mega Map
• Mission objectives not completing correctly
• Floating characters and weapons
• Character loading stuck at 95%
• Broken textures

The Division is set for a March 8 release on the PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and PC. Microsoft’s console will receive the closed beta first on January 28, followed by the other two platforms a day later. Beta entry can be gained by signing up on the game’s website for a chance at being selected, or guaranteeing entry by pre-ordering the game from major retailers.

A live-action short film called The Division: Agent Origins was recently made available to view on Amazon Prime. Produced by Ubisoft in collaboration with YouTube content creators Corridor Digital, RocketJump, and devinsupertramp, the 30-minute film follows four Division agents as they explore the backstory of Manhattan in the grips of an epidemic. An Amazon Prime membership is required to watch.

[Image via Ubisoft]