Ubisoft revealed that The Division (opens in new tab) will get "Gear Scores" in the big April 12 update, and now we know how exactly they will work. The patch notes (opens in new tab) for update 1.1 reveal a post-level-cap progression system that will be pretty familiar for Destiny players, with a few notable differences.
Only agents who are level 30 will find items with a Gear Score value (as in pre-Taken-King Destiny). Items with a higher Gear Score are more powerful, and all of your equipment will determine an overall Gear Score which is displayed next to your health bar in multiplayer. Don't worry, vanity items won't have a Gear Score: feel free to keep rocking that Trendy Pom Pom Beanie you've had since level 5.
Tough end-game challenges will require a minimum overall Gear Score to access, so you don't have to worry about getting matched up with randos who can barely damage standard opponents (I totally did that in a daily Challenge Mode mission once, sorry). Not only that, the Dark Zone will also get a new tier just for agents with a Gear Score of 160+, which should mean more interesting fights for them and fewer on-high smackdowns for everybody else.
The Division Update 1.1 will also add the first-ever Incursion (opens in new tab), a four-player mission titled Falcon Lost intended for high-level players.
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