This week, The Division 2 World Tier 5 unlocked with the Invasion update, bringing a new Tidal Basin stronghold, the first gear sets, and a new Gear Score cap. For most players, the Division grind has simply continued but there are a few changes that they should be aware of, especially when it comes to increasing Gear Score in World Tier 5.

Previously, The Division 2 developers revealed that the Gear Score for a players’ drops was influenced by all of the items in their inventory including those in the stash. That way players could use their best gear regardless of Gear Score and still get loot drops that are higher Gear Score. For World Tier 5, however, things don’t seem to work that way.

Division 2 Gear Score Cap for World Tier 5

Instead, The Division 2 World Tier 5 drops only seem to take into account what a player has equipped. This could be an unintended byproduct of the Invasion Update for The Division 2 or it could simply be how World Tier 5 works. It’s weird, though, that previous World Tiers would have an easy upward trajectory and World Tier 5 would be so focused on RNG.

Still, we recommend equipping the highest Gear Score items for now and working towards the soft cap of 500 Gear Score. It’s still possible to go above 500 Gear Score but only through the Invaded Missions, Proficiency Caches, and Dark Zone caches.

Division 2 players have voiced their frustrations over the Gear Score leveling in World Tier 5 already, saying that once they hit 500 they should have guaranteed high end items at 500 Gear Score. That is how previous Gear Scores worked but that is not the case in World Tier 5. It does make the Gear Score climb more reliant on luck but it also creates a real grind for the best loadout.

It will be interesting to see how Ubisoft and Massive Entertainment respond to criticisms of The Division 2's Invasion Update and whether they make any changes. Some players have felt like changes and nerfs were made simply to favor Dark Zone PvP, which was a problem for The Division 1. There should be a State of the Game stream soon and players should get their answers.

The Division 2 is available now for PC, PS4, and Xbox One.