The Division 2 Tidal Basin update - full patch notes, Tidal Basin Stronghold, World Tier 5
Endgame just got even Endgame-er
Tidal Basin, the first major content update of The Division 2, was released to agents everywhere on 5th March. Offering up a great many changes, features, and adjustments, from the new Black Tusk Stronghold and World Tier 5 to an overhaul of the weapon mod system and smaller quality of life and UI alterations. Our The Division 2 Tidal Basin update guide will walk you through all the major changes that have taken place with this bountiful new update, starting with the full patch notes and then going into detail with some of the most important new features we've found.
If you're after a more general overview on Tom Clancy's latest open-world loot-n-shooter, check out our main The Division 2 guide, which is packed with beginner's tips and links to our sections of our guides series, from The Division 2 best perks to all The Division 2 factions you can encounter during your travels.
The Division 2 Tidal Basin update guide
Massive has crammed a great deal of changes and new features into this The Division 2 content update, so we're gonna start with the full patch notes before going into a little more detail about some of the major changes that the Invasion: Battle for D.C. patch notes have introduced into The Division 2. Click on any of the links below to skip ahead to a particular section.
| The Division 2 Patch Notes (Invasion: Battle for D.C.) |
| New Tidal Basin Stronghold mission |
| World Tier 5 and Heroic Difficulty now available |
| Weapon mod changes |
| NPC damage nerfs and FOV slider |
The Division 2 Patch Notes (Invasion: Battle for D.C.)
First, let's get a look at the full patch notes for this The Division 2 update. Simply click on the box below to expand it and view the patch notes in full. When you're done, take a look lower down and you'll see we've talked a bit about some of the new features and adjustments that have arrived with the Tidal Basin update.
Alright; now that you've had a little read through, let's highlight some of the more - ahem - massive changes that have taken place with this update.
New Tidal Basin Stronghold mission
The big new feature is, of course, the eponymous Tidal Basin - the final Black Tusk Stronghold, and the mission which once completed will unlock the final World Tier of The Division 2's Endgame.
The Tidal Basin Stronghold mission, much like the previous Strongholds you'll have had to conquer to get to this point, requires you to complete a side mission before it is unlocked - and you'll need to have a Gear Score of at least 425 in order to start this journey towards World Tier 5. The Stronghold itself is quite predictably filled with Black Tusk faction members, including a great deal of Elites and a series of objectives with ever-escalating stakes.
The whole mission should take you between 45-90 minutes depending on your gear score, playstyle, and whether you're in a squad or solo; and most players have found that it isn't actually too much more difficult than some of the previous Black Tusk Strongholds, so it shouldn't take you too long to crack this final mission and unlock the final portion of The Division 2's Endgame.
World Tier 5 and Heroic Difficulty now available
World Tier 5 will unlock upon completion of the Tidal Basin Stronghold mission. This final World Tier is where the Endgame caps out - at least for the time being. The Gear Score cap will be raised to 500, and - quite anticlimactically, I'll admit - the Black Tusk suddenly return in droves across the map, coercing you into spending even more of your time cleaning up the streets and buildings of Washington DC. This is helped along by the addition of new weekly Invaded Missions, which you'll have had to fight your way through in order to reach the Black Tusk Strongholds.
With this update comes a new Heroic Difficulty mode as well, which severely limits the number of checkpoints you have for missions, as well as providing a general boost to the overall power of your Black Tusk enemies.
Weapon mod changes
One of the big adjustments we've seen rolled out with this update is an overhaul of the weapon mod effects. Before, these mods nearly always came with a positive and negative effect, forcing you to get creative with the direction of your build and allowing you to be more extreme with your stat leanings. Now, however, nearly all of the negative effects of these mods are gone, leaving you with just the positive effects.
To compensate for this drastic change, the positive effects of the mods have been nerfed - understandably, since otherwise every player's Agent would suddenly have become much more powerful, throwing the difficulty curve of the game for a loop. But it means you may need to revisit your build with the new update and make sure that the mods you've equipped are the most effective for your build or style of play. Below you can see the full list of changes to weapons mods in The Division 2. There are quite a few of them, so I'd advise using the search box to filter between them.
| Type | Subtype | Name | Attribute (positive) | Attribute (negative) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Magazine | Belt | Nimble Link Belt | 5% Fire Rate | |
| Tactical Small Pouch | 20% Reload Speed | |||
| Non-disruptive Link | ||||
| Calibrated Link | 15% Stability | |||
| Large Pouch | 35 Extra rounds | |||
| 5.56 Magazine | Light Extended 5.56 Mag | 10 Extra Rounds | ||
| Sturdy Extended 5.56 Mag | 20 Extra Rounds | 10% Reload Speed | ||
| Tactical 5.56 Mag | 10% Crit Damage | |||
| Infantry 5.56 Mag | 30% Optimal Range | |||
| Balanced Spring 5.56 Mag | 20% Stability | |||
| 7.62 Magazine | Light Extended 7.62 Mag | 10 Extra Rounds | ||
| Sturdy Extended 7.62 Mag | 20 Extra Rounds | 10% Reload Speed | ||
| Weighted 7.62 Mag | 20% Stability | |||
| Precision 7.62 Mag | 7% Headshot Damage | |||
| Thin 7.62 Mag | 20% Reload Speed | |||
| 9mm Magazine | Oversize 9mm Mag | 10 Extra Rounds | ||
| Extended 9mm Mag | 20 Extra Rounds | |||
| Heavy Spring 9mm Mag | 10% Crit Damage | |||
| Segmented 9mm Mag | 20% Reload Speed | |||
| Special Forces 9mm Mag | 10% Damage to Elites | |||
| .45 ACP Magazine | Extended .45 ACP Mag | 10 Extra Rounds | ||
| Oversized .45 ACP Mag | 20 Extra Rounds | 10% Reload Speed | ||
| Short Spring .45 ACP Mag | 20% Reload Speed | |||
| Force Feed .45 ACP Mag | 10% Damage to Elites | |||
| Precision Feeding .45 ACP Mag | 20% Stability | |||
| Marksman 7.62 Magazine | Tightly Packed Marksman Mag | 5 Extra Rounds | ||
| Lightweight Marksman Mag | 20% Reload Speed | |||
| Sturdy Marksman Mag | 20% Stability | |||
| Compact Marksman Mag | 10% Damage to Elites | |||
| Mended Marksman Mag | 20% Optimal Range | |||
| 7.62 Integrated | Compensated Integrated Spring | 20% Reload Speed | ||
| Overbalanced Integrated Spring | 20% Stability | |||
| Stiff Integrated Spring | 5% Damage | |||
| Underbalanced Integrated Spring | 10% Damage to Elites | |||
| Revolver drum | Speed Loading Revolver Drum | 20% Reload Speed | ||
| Pistol mag | Extended Pistol Mag | 11 Extra Rounds | ||
| Field Pistol Mag | 30% Optimal Range | |||
| Police Pistol Mag | 20% Reload Speed | |||
| Tubular | Hard Tubular Spring | 5% Fire Rate | ||
| Counter-Clockwise Tubular Spring | 10% Damage to Elites | |||
| Flexible Tubular Spring | 20% Reload Speed | |||
| Muzzle | 5.56 (5.7) | Loud Vent Brake 5.56 | 10% Optimal Range | |
| Muzzle Brake 5.56 | 5% Damage to Elites | |||
| Compensator 5.56 | 10% Stability | |||
| Flash Hider 5.56 | 5% Crit Damage | |||
| Large Suppressor 5.56 | 10% Accuracy | |||
| Omega 5.56 Rifle Suppressor | 20% Stability | 10% Optimal Range | ||
| 7.62 | Loud Vent Brake 7.62 | 10% Optimal Range | ||
| Muzzle Brake 7.62 | 5% Damage to Elites | |||
| Compensator 7.62 | 10 % Stability | |||
| Flash Hider 7.62 | 5% Crit Damage | |||
| Large Suppressor 7.62 | 10 % Accuracy | |||
| Omega 7.62 Rifle Suppressor | 20% Stability | 10% Optimal Range | ||
| 9mm | Loud Vent Brake 9mm | 10% Optimal Range | ||
| Muzzle Brake 9mm | 5% Damage to Elites | |||
| Compensator 9mm | 10% Stability | |||
| Flash Hider 9mm | 5% Crit Damage | |||
| Small Suppressor 9mm | 10% Accuracy | |||
| Osprey 9 Suppressor | 5% Crit Chance | |||
| .45 ACP | Loud Vent Brake .45 | 10% Optimal Range | ||
| Muzzle Brake .45 | 5% Damage to Elites | |||
| Compensator .45 | 10% Stability | |||
| Flash Hider .45 | 5% Crit Damage | |||
| Small Suppressor .45 | 10% Accuracy | |||
| Osprey 45 Suppressor | 5% Crit Chance | |||
| Optics | Short | EXPS3 Holo sight | 8% Damage to Elites | |
| Russion Red Dot Sight | 5% Crit Damage | |||
| T2 Micro Red Dot Sight | 10% Accuracy | |||
| PRO Red Dot Sight | 5% Stability | |||
| Small RDS Scope | 15% Stability | 5% Accuracy | ||
| Reflex Sight | 20 % Crit Range | |||
| Low Reflex Sight | 10% Damage to Elites | 10% Optimal Range | ||
| Rugged Mini Reflex Sight | 5% Crit Chance | |||
| Long | Acog Scope (4x) | 20% Optimal Range | ||
| CQBSS Scope (8x) | 30% Headshot Damage | |||
| Digital Scope | 45% Headshot Damage | 5% Crit Damage | ||
| C79 Scope (3.4x) | 5% Damage to elites | |||
| 552 Holo Sight | 10% Accuracy | |||
| MK5 Scope (15x) | 40% headshot damage | 20% Reload Speed | ||
| VX1 Scope (12x) | 35% Headshot Damage | 10% Reload Speed | ||
| Iron Sights | Streamlined Iron Sights | 10% Reload Speed | ||
| Weighted Iron Sights | 10% Stability | |||
| Open Iron Sights | 10% Accuracy | |||
| Underbarrel | Short | Angled Grip | 10% Stability | |
| Laser Pointer | 5% Crit Chance | |||
| Small Laser Pointer | 7% Crit Chance | |||
| Vertical Grip | 10% Accuracy | |||
| Long | Short Grip | 5% Crit Damage | ||
| Handstop | 10% Reload Speed | |||
| Gadget | Compact Coupled Laser Pointer | 10% headshot damage | ||
| Compact Coupled Small Laser Pointer | 10% Crit Chance |
NPC damage nerfs and FOV slider
Finally, a brief word on a couple of minor but lovely changes that many people might have glossed over. First: NPCs have received a couple of much-needed damage nerfs. Specifically, to NPCs carrying either Auto-Shotguns or SMGs. And this makes perfect sense in my mind, because both these weapons were previously capable of melting you down into a big puddle of "hey, no fair!" in the space of a second if you were caught moving between cover.
And secondly, if you take a look in the Gameplay section of the Settings menu, at the bottom you'll see a new Field of View slider which allows you to bump up your FOV to 25 degrees higher than the game's default value. Good news for those of us who like playing at 100+ FOV in games such as these.
That should be all of the major aspects of The Division 2 Tidal Basin update out of the way. As you can see there have been a great deal of new features and adjustments, some of which may force players to reconsider their current equipment and style of play; and many of which give us oodles of new content to explore and baddies to assassinate. I guess it's time to get back into DC and dive into that final Stronghold, agent.