'The Division' news: Patch 1.5 and 'Survival' DLC now available on PTS

"Tom Clancy's The Division" promo image.Ubisoft Massive/ Tom Clancy's The Division

The game developer has released the patch notes for "The Division's" Update 1.5. PC players with the season pass can also access the "Survival" DLC on the Public Test Server (PTS) for a taste of what is to come.

Update 1.5 brings in several game changes. These include an additional World Tier 5 bracket (230+ GS), which will include level 34 enemy NPCs. The maximum Gear Score is now 256, and Heroic Incursions will now be available only in Tier 5.

Named Gear items are now functional. Each player can load a piece on each Gear Slot, and every piece comes with its own Talent. These items will only be dropped in World Tier 5 or in the Survival game mode, and it includes Ferro's oxygen mask, Shortbow championship pads, Colonel Bliss' holster, Skulls MC gloves, Barrett's bulletproof, and a NinjaBike messenger bag.

NPCs can now drop crafting materials, and higher quality is available on advanced World Tiers. Scavenger crates in the Base of Operations are also dependent on the World Tier level that a player is in during the game. Ubisoft also adjusted the Credits and Phoenix Credits rewards that a player can get from the Main Missions, High-Value Targets, and Incursions, which, again, are dependent on the World Tier level.

Meanwhile, the upcoming "Survival" game mode will offer two game modes, PvP Survival and PvE Survival. Players need to help each other out in order to finish the game and no killing of each other is allowed in PvE mode. In PvP mode, it is the opposite. The surviving player will also receive 20 percent more points on the final score that is redeemable via the sealed caches, WCCFTech reports.

There will be 24 players per "Survival" mode game, and they will all start with a handgun each; no gears, and no extra clothing. Players will have to find everything in the playing field, craft their gears, and survive the blizzard. Game fans will also experience the cold and hunger mechanics in action.

The studio has provided instructions for gamers who are interested in joining the PTS.

"The Division" is an online-only open world third-person shooter video game available for the PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and Windows PC. The third DLC, "Last Stand," originally scheduled to arrive during the latter part of 2016 will now be released by early 2017.