First of all you should know that investing anything in Expertise or Proficiency or Grades is completely optional

Exactly, thats why I will give up expertise same as I give up optimalization. Absurd cost of materials not worth effort. Right now I missign about 70 mats for SMG optimalization to make my favorite SMG maxed out. But. I need dismantle SMGs like crazy to get those mats, or spend a lot of mats to craft that specific ones. I will not play summit or any different specific location with SMG as targeted loot. Im not slave of the game working for it. Game is here to give me fun, and fun is that I will play what I want and like, but not what I need to get something. Thats reason why I highly dissagree locking anything behind specific content, like raids. It will be never force me to play it just becouse of gun or gear if I do not like it.

For casual players who do not want invest few thousand hours in it, expertise and even optimalization do not exists at all. Just look at first game. Even casula player was able to get 4-6 optimalization steps per day just doing daily assigments like craft three items, do 10 headshots, kill 10 rikers in DZ or collect 3 division techs.... 20-30 minutes...Now I need at least 2-3 hrs, just for single optimalization step,farming SMG targeted loot location.

Optimalization comes late and really expensive for players who are not dedicated daily Division players. Expertise is same... But those players will really like more power on their builds. Hardcore players do not need it as they sailng that current content is easy, but I do not like Legendary nor Heroic difficulty. It is not fun to play, sure I can easily handle hard/challenging difficulties for just chill after hard day in work and I will like to have more powerfull build to do it easily, becouse I do not look for challenge as many other players just chilling and be strong as much is possible is good feel and satisfaction.

Perhaps these changes aren't for us, the power players. We don't need it.

Exactly, Im casual player, I never played raids nor legendary missions.Not becouse my gear is bad, but becouse I do not enjoy that content. I like to shoot some NPCs in open world or mission on hard/challenging difficulty, just for fun, nothing competitive or challenging. More power to my build.. why not, but for that requirements it will be imposible to get few levels as maximum. When I found that to rank up proficient item I need proficient levels on lot of other gear, I give up expertise similar as I give up optimalization becouse how expensive it is.

I dont touch it but watched few videos. Game mode itself looks fine. Nice environment, nice shooting... no mechanics needed team coordination. But.. 8 players.. it will be hard to get into mode couple weeks after release in non player peek hours.

I would like to see four man squads maximum and possibility to play it solo with proper scaling to squad size, and difficulty settings/directives for extra rewards.

And personally, I hate timer. When I playing games I want to chill, no pressure needed, so toggle for timed/no time limit version will be great for many players. You can scale XP and rewards for time limited and unlimited mode.

leave optimization to the equipment you desperate want to have optimized, eg your main build and favourite guns

Yes I know what to do, but for example, I missing last step on my favorite SMG, I did few optimalizations on it before. Now It need 70 or so materials which is random drop from deconstructing SMG, I can craft that materials but for absurd amount of materials. I will not play content with SMGs as targeted loot if I want to play different content. I want to have fun, not hard work. I liked optimalization in Division 1. 50 Division techs for one step. You was able to make 50 div. techs on each character in just 5 minutes (crafting, combat daily assigments), and even another 25 for daily DZ assigment, no effort, no time constraints.

Expertise and optimalization comes late to game for me. Im close to 1100 SHD with 730hrs in game. Far away from 3000+ from first Division 1. But I spend most of that 730 hrs in year one and after WoNY DLC. II played maybe 50 hrs after optimalization comes into game. I do not want to play 5-10hrs of specific content to just make my SMG 0.8% CHC better, same as I will not farm top difficult content just for chance to get higher rolls. So I give up optimalization. Maybe I will collect enough mats for that upgrade in future, maybe not. I just do not mind.

Exact same for expertise. At current cost I will get maybe 2-3 levels on few pieces of gear/guns before I give up whole Division game. But for new players it is much better as those plaqyers will progress that expertise from the start

@as1r0nimo Well I do not play PTS for good reasons, just seen videos. If you can run it solo or with less than 8 players it is fine... if it will provide correct scaling.

It needs to let players choose all modifiers, not random which you can see when you start it. If devs wants to preset something, they can do it in similar way as Destiny 2 does, they change it each day.

For sure toggle no time limit seems fine option to many players.

@dutchlmb4ever Yeah, I liked Destiny 2 for that.. you do not need worry if you miss some loot drop, everything is handled to postmaster to pickup/dismantle later.

@latenitedelight I care if I will get killed by rogue. I do not lose any gear becouse I do not collect it. it was really annoying in Divsion 1 when I get killed and have to respawn and go back to fight same landmark, or even wait for landmark respawn, I will be fine with PvE DZ without any loot, I just looking for fun to kill something in different areas, but DZ is behind PvP wall.

I cant go into DZ to support devs.. if i will be present in DZ, it will prove that players will step into even PvP enabled

@latenitedelight glad to hear you enjoying DZ.

Extractions? I have all gear I want, I do not need extract anything from DZ

Extraction? It is just for loot, right?. I have my build and do not need loot anymore = no reason to extract/farm anything anywhere.
But I do not like to be killed by someone when engaging landmarks which ruins experience for me. I learned it from Division 1 when there was no PvE content outside DZ, so I do not participate on it in Division 2 as there is at least many random open world activities.

@as1r0nimo At first DZ is PvP enabled which means: enjoy it if you like it, but I'm not fan and will not touch it, you like pressure, enjoy, I like chill. Yes there is LZ, same as huge part of map with PvE content called DZ, right.I played story part which brings you to DZ and later I just visit each DZ once to see DZ maps and locations for which I paid. I never touched it again as I do not want participate on any kind of PvP in this game. I'm proud of my 0 minutes in Conflict.

If there will be PvE toggle, many players will enjoy DZ areas and Landmarks as map extension with PvE content. Sure it will not statisfy hardcore players for long time, but which game does... This PvE togle will be easy to implement. I personally will spend many hours in each DZ toggled to PvE, zero with PvP enabled.

@iObliteRon
Additional stash space (or even another character slot), even if it requires an in-game purchase, seems like a slam dunk way for Ubisoft/Massive to get players to spend some $. I know I would happily purchase.

I guess it will never happen. When preorders was going on, there was extended stash space for paying seasson pass, they do not say how much, but due to feedback, that it is "pay for win" they changed it that during story you had one stash perk active without paying points for it, if I remember correctly. So no increased maximum stash, but you was able to use bigger stash more quickly, but, who really have use for big stash during leveling...

First of all you should know that investing anything in Expertise or Proficiency or Grades is completely optional

Exactly, thats why I will give up expertise same as I give up optimalization. Absurd cost of materials not worth effort. Right now I missign about 70 mats for SMG optimalization to make my favorite SMG maxed out. But. I need dismantle SMGs like crazy to get those mats, or spend a lot of mats to craft that specific ones. I will not play summit or any different specific location with SMG as targeted loot. Im not slave of the game working for it. Game is here to give me fun, and fun is that I will play what I want and like, but not what I need to get something. Thats reason why I highly dissagree locking anything behind specific content, like raids. It will be never force me to play it just becouse of gun or gear if I do not like it.

For casual players who do not want invest few thousand hours in it, expertise and even optimalization do not exists at all. Just look at first game. Even casula player was able to get 4-6 optimalization steps per day just doing daily assigments like craft three items, do 10 headshots, kill 10 rikers in DZ or collect 3 division techs.... 20-30 minutes...Now I need at least 2-3 hrs, just for single optimalization step,farming SMG targeted loot location.

Optimalization comes late and really expensive for players who are not dedicated daily Division players. Expertise is same... But those players will really like more power on their builds. Hardcore players do not need it as they sailng that current content is easy, but I do not like Legendary nor Heroic difficulty. It is not fun to play, sure I can easily handle hard/challenging difficulties for just chill after hard day in work and I will like to have more powerfull build to do it easily, becouse I do not look for challenge as many other players just chilling and be strong as much is possible is good feel and satisfaction.

It would've made sense if this expertise was created instead of the optimization station.
But this game is too old for long-term players to grind this much.
Maybe it's doable for new players that decided to make this their long term game to play yes.

That is exactly what is in my mind. New players can progress game and get expertise, but veterans played too much to play even more to get some bonuses which are nice, but not mandatory to enjoy game and not enough new content to push players back to game for that long time

Just remember Division 1 optimalization station, One step for 50 div. techs. No increment to that. Jut daily combat, crafting and DZ assigments grant 75 div. techs per day and character. So with four chars and just few minutes, you was able to optimize item six times without need to farm division techs in DZ or play any difficult content to get caches with div. techs inside. 1hr of gameplay convert trash piece of gear to max. out. Quick and easy progression even for casuals with limited time.

With all that materials for optimalization and expertise in Division 2 it is mostly impossible for casual players to get something from those system, especially if there is increase for required materials with each optimalization station use on same item and for each expertise level.

leave optimization to the equipment you desperate want to have optimized, eg your main build and favourite guns

Yes I know what to do, but for example, I missing last step on my favorite SMG, I did few optimalizations on it before. Now It need 70 or so materials which is random drop from deconstructing SMG, I can craft that materials but for absurd amount of materials. I will not play content with SMGs as targeted loot if I want to play different content. I want to have fun, not hard work. I liked optimalization in Division 1. 50 Division techs for one step. You was able to make 50 div. techs on each character in just 5 minutes (crafting, combat daily assigments), and even another 25 for daily DZ assigment, no effort, no time constraints.

Expertise and optimalization comes late to game for me. Im close to 1100 SHD with 730hrs in game. Far away from 3000+ from first Division 1. But I spend most of that 730 hrs in year one and after WoNY DLC. II played maybe 50 hrs after optimalization comes into game. I do not want to play 5-10hrs of specific content to just make my SMG 0.8% CHC better, same as I will not farm top difficult content just for chance to get higher rolls. So I give up optimalization. Maybe I will collect enough mats for that upgrade in future, maybe not. I just do not mind.

Exact same for expertise. At current cost I will get maybe 2-3 levels on few pieces of gear/guns before I give up whole Division game. But for new players it is much better as those plaqyers will progress that expertise from the start

Perhaps these changes aren't for us, the power players. We don't need it.

Exactly, Im casual player, I never played raids nor legendary missions.Not becouse my gear is bad, but becouse I do not enjoy that content. I like to shoot some NPCs in open world or mission on hard/challenging difficulty, just for fun, nothing competitive or challenging. More power to my build.. why not, but for that requirements it will be imposible to get few levels as maximum. When I found that to rank up proficient item I need proficient levels on lot of other gear, I give up expertise similar as I give up optimalization becouse how expensive it is.

our Expertise level is currently 0 (Left of screen) when that becomes level 1 then you can upgrade your gear to 1 and so on for level 2 etc.

So you have to upgrade to rank 10 to become proficient and then it is not just materials to upgrade as first 10 ranks, but gameplay with item? Uff. Ok, I got it...

@bneusis Exact same issue, not possible to upgrade saying: Insufficient Expertise level

@latenitedelight Sorry, but any punishment to rogues does not solve my reason to not enter DZ. WHen only real PvE content in Division 1 was DZ, I really hated when I was fighting landmark and someone killed me. Or just when I was moving from one landmark to another and someone willing do PvP with me. I just stop moving and let him kill me, but it is time consuming to respawn and go back. I visited DZ in Division 2 few times to look how nice place it is, but got killed few times when fighting landmarks.. So i forget that DZ exists as there is more contnet around open world. But I miss that nice areas a lot.

@sorata__kanda damm, so they will overtune it and make it really hard, then they will tune it down... Current difficulty seems to be right for me and for most of players base. I think that there is not that huge player base playing heroic all day long. Casual players will chilling in normal/hard difficulty with no time pressure. Just shoot something to be satisfied after hard day

@raciaiadhesive  think no matter what they do with Countdown, it will get repetitive and stale. 

But this is normal for hardcore players in any game. For players who will spend maybe 50-100hrs in game, it is fine. You cant make happy players which will play for thousands of hours...

 into the dark zones as random DZ events like DZ drops

If there is lot of players hating any kind of PvP will never touch it. I will run countdown for at least few times, here and ther, but never will put my [censored] into DZ