With the public test server opening this week and the game-changing 1.4 update coming in October, The Division team is ready to talk more about the update’s content in a Special Report stream. In a four-hour presentation today, developers walked players through a preview of the new public test server and the 1.4 patch.

The Special Report stream, which can be found on the game’s official Twitch channel, follows a fresh level 30 character on the public test server. As developers take the character through the public test environment, World Tiers, skill changes, and other features of the update are obvious in the gameplay.

After a player reaches level 30, the whole New York City map will become level 30 as well. This is due to the new World Tier system that completely revamps endgame in The Division. A fresh level 30 starts in World Tier one where enemies can drop up to level 163 items. World Tier two opens up to players after they reach item level 158, and this bracket lets players find up to level 182. In the stream, the developers show that World Tier three opens after the player reaches 177 and World Tier four opens after hitting a gear score of 199.

Enemies won't hit as hard or take as long to kill [Image via Ubisoft]

World Tier four is the highest level bracket in the game with update 1.4. Items dropped in this bracket can be up to item level 229. As the Inquisitr reported, 229 is the highest level an item can be after the update. Items that are 268 currently will be 229 after the update goes live. These items are not necessarily less powerful with the new item level; however, having them the same item level as high-end means that players can use high-ends mixed with gear sets for more build diversity.

Another highlight of the stream included the new Field Proficiency Caches and Combat Assignment Caches. At the max level, players continue to earn experience that fills up the Field Proficiency bar. After completely filling it, players will receive a Field Proficiency Cache that contains random items. In the video, a Field Proficiency Cache is opened by a character in World Tier one with a gear score less than 163. The cache contained a level 163 weapon, a level 163 Tactician gear set piece, and more than 20 Phoenix Credits. After completing a daily assignment, the character received a Combat Assignment Cache, giving players even more chances at loot upgrades.

All sets have a chance to drop from everywhere in the game with 1.4 [Image via Ubisoft]

Even a few quality-of-life features were touched on during the Special Report. Again, The Division developers noted that weapon skins will no longer take up inventory space and players will only need to collect one skin to use on all of their weapons. Not to mention, all characters on the account have access to the collection of skins.

In addition to the lengthy stream, a new developer blog is now posted on the official game website. The piece focuses on character balance, gear changes, and skills. Much of what is in the post is a reiteration of the content discussed in the extended Special Report with more specific details. After the update, gear in the game will include all three primary statistics at max level. Skill bonuses, like a percentage increase to Supply Station, will no longer appear on gear. Instead, backpacks, holsters, and kneepads have performance mod slots to let players choose which skill they improve.

The PTS servers for The Division are coming on September 26th to PC. Will you be jumping on? #TheDivision pic.twitter.com/vNI80g9pwT — The Clancy Report (@TC_Report) September 21, 2016

The blog also touches on specific changes to skills like Smart Cover which no longer buffs players damage but instead improves characters’ weapon handling. Moreover, turrets are stronger and more durable. The First Aid delay is gone and the Defibrillator mod will revive dead allies. For a full preview of all these changes, be sure to check out the recaps on the official site.

The Division public test server is opening this week to PC players that applied to the Elite Task Force. On Monday, September 26, the public test server will open to all owners of the game on PC. Characters from the live server will copy to the public test server, giving testers a chance to try out the new content with their familiar characters. As of this writing, update 1.4 for The Division is still planned to release sometime in October.

[Featured Image by Ubisoft]