Red Horizon reshapes how builds come together in The Division 2, and the numbers tested on the Public Test Server show the meta shifting well beyond the usual Striker default. The goal is straightforward. Instead of nerfing the most popular damage set, the developers buffed its competitors so more gear sets and brand sets are worth building around.
Quick answer: Several damage gear sets get large talent buffs (Aces & Eights, Breaking Point, True Patriot, Ongoing Directive, Negotiator’s Dilemma, Tipping Scales, Hotshot, Ortiz: Exuro, Concentrated Company), and most brand sets receive reworked 2pc and 3pc bonuses. These are PTS values, so the final patch notes may adjust them.
The PTS ran on PC through Ubisoft Connect and has now closed, so the values below reflect what was live for testing rather than a shipped update. No official launch date for the Red Horizon season is confirmed yet.
Gear set changes in Red Horizon Y8S3
Most of the movement here is on the damage side. True Patriot finally gets the debuff scaling players asked for, Ongoing Directive doubles its Hollow-Point payoff, and Negotiator’s Dilemma turns its critical hit stacking into something far more aggressive. The table lists the specific values that moved.
| Set | Bonus or talent | Previous | New |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ortiz: Exuro | Chain Combustion spread range | 2m | 10m |
| Ortiz: Exuro | Heatstroke amplified damage | 25% | 40% |
| True Patriot | 2pc bonus | 30% Ammo Capacity | 15% Weapon Handling |
| True Patriot | Red debuff (damage amp) | 8% | 15% |
| True Patriot | Blue debuff (damage cut) | 8% | 10% |
| True Patriot | Waving the Flag rotation | 1.5s | 1s |
| Aces & Eights | 2pc MMR and Rifle Damage | 15% | 30% |
| Aces & Eights | Dead Man’s Hand amp | 30% | 75% |
| Aces & Eights | No Limit (chest) | 30% to 50% | 75% to 100% |
| Breaking Point | 2pc MMR and Rifle Damage | 25% | 30% |
| Breaking Point | On Point duration | 10s | 20s |
| Breaking Point | Point of No Return (chest) | 10 to 15 | 20 to 40 |
| Hotshot | Headache first headshot bonus | 20% | 80% |
| Concentrated Company | Camaraderie mark duration | 7s | 10s |
| Concentrated Company | Camaraderie crit hit damage per stack | 2% | 3% |
| Negotiator’s Dilemma | Crowd Control crit damage on kill | 2% (up to 20 stacks) | 10% (up to 10 stacks) |
| Ongoing Directive | Hollow-Point Ammo amp | 20% | 40% |
| Ongoing Directive | Parabellum Rounds (chest) | 50% | 60% |
| Tipping Scales | Throttle Control crit damage per stack | 4% | 5% |
| Tipping Scales | Snowball (backpack) | 4 to 7 | 5 to 8 |
A few of these have important fine print. Hotshot shifts its 30% Weapon Handling bonus from the 2pc to the 3pc, so the piece count you run changes what you get. True Patriot’s backpack talent, Patriotic Boost, now raises the Red debuff from 15% to 30%, White from 2% to 5%, and Blue from 10% to 20%, though the developers flagged that these debuffs may be limited to your sub-group, which could force further tuning. Ortiz: Exuro’s Heatstroke bonus is an amplifier despite its in-game text calling it increased weapon damage.
Yellow core brand set changes
Skill and status builds see the biggest reshuffle among yellow cores. China Light and Electrique are the ones to watch, with China Light pushing a 3pc Skill Haste bonus and Electrique swapping its 2pc and 3pc entirely.
| Brand | 1pc | 2pc | 3pc |
|---|---|---|---|
| China Light | 15% Explosive Damage | 20% Status Effects (8% PvP) | 30% Skill Haste (20% PvP) |
| Electrique | 10% Status Effects | 20% Hazard Protection (20% PvP) | 8% Skill Efficiency (6% PvP) |
| Empress | 10% Skill Health | 13% Skill Damage | 8% Skill Efficiency |
| Hana-U | 10% Skill Haste | 13% Skill Damage | 18% Weapon Damage |
| Murakami | 15% Skill Duration | 13% Skill Damage (8% PvP) | 52% Repair Skills (50% PvP) |
| Richter & Kaiser | 10% Skill Haste (10% PvP) | 40% Explosive Resistance | 52% Repair Skills |
| Wyvern | 8% Skill Damage | 20% Status Effects | 45% Skill Duration |
Blue core brand set changes
Tank and support brands lean harder into threat and elite protection. Belstone now carries a 100% Increased Threat 2pc and a 36% Protection from Elites 3pc, while 5.11 and Palisade pick up Protection from Elites and Threat bonuses of their own.
| Brand | 1pc | 2pc | 3pc |
|---|---|---|---|
| 5.11 | 12% Protection from Elites (10% PvP) | 100% Increased Threat (100% PvP) | 30% Hazard Protection |
| Badger | 12% Shotgun Damage | 10% Armor on Kill (12% PvP) | 15% Total Armor (12% PvP) |
| Belstone | 1% Armor Regen | 100% Increased Threat (100% PvP) | 36% Protection from Elites (20% PvP) |
| Gila | 5% Total Armor | 20% Hazard Protection (15% PvP) | 2% Armor Regen |
| Golan | 20% Explosive Resistance (20% PvP) | 1.5% Armor Regen | 150% Increased Threat (150% PvP) |
| Habsburg | 13% Headshot Damage | 24% MMR Damage | 25% Status Effects |
| Palisade | 10% Armor on Kill | 24% Protection from Elites (15% PvP) | 1 Skill Tier |
| Lengmo | 15% Reload Speed (15% PvP) | 24% LMG Damage (12% PvP) | 30% Weapon Handling (30% PvP) |
Red core brand set changes
Red cores get the widest reworking, with several brands trading old 2pc and 3pc lines for weapon-type damage. Ceska, Royal, and Imminence stand out as the new meta candidates, and multiple 1pc weapon-damage bonuses bump up by a couple of points.
| Brand | 1pc | 2pc | 3pc |
|---|---|---|---|
| Airaldi | 12% MMR Damage | 13% Headshot Damage | 5% Damage to Armor |
| Ceska | 8% Crit Chance | 24% Shotgun Damage (12% PvP) | 30% Hazard Protection (30% PvP) |
| Douglas | 24% Pistol Damage | 20% Skill Health (20% PvP) | 50% Accuracy |
| Fenris | 12% AR Damage | 32% Magazine Size (20% PvP) | 50% Stability |
| Imminence | 6% Weapon Damage | 48% Pistol Damage (22% PvP) | 30% Skill Health (30% PvP) |
| Legatus | 15% Magazine Size (10% PvP) | 24% SMG Damage (12% PvP) | 105% Optimal Range (75% PvP) |
| Petrov | 12% LMG Damage | 15% Weapon Handling | 50% Ammo Capacity |
| Overlord | 12% Rifle Damage | 30% Accuracy | 30% Weapon Handling |
| Royal | 5% Weapon Handling | 24% LMG Damage (12% PvP) | 50% Accuracy (40% PvP) |
| Sokolov | 12% SMG Damage | 13% Crit Damage | 8% Crit Chance |
| Unit Alloys | 5% Rate of Fire | 24% AR Damage | 50% Magazine Size |
| Urban Lookout | 5% Weapon Handling (10% PvP) | 24% MMR Damage (12% PvP) | 45% Skill Duration (30% PvP) |
| Walker, Harris | 6% Weapon Damage | 5% Damage to Armor | 10% Damage to Health |
| Zwiadowka | 15% Magazine Size | 24% Rifle Damage | 30% Weapon Handling |
What to expect before the season goes live
Every number here comes from the test build, and the developers were explicit that values can still move before the season ships. True Patriot’s sub-group question is the clearest example of a change that could be re-tuned, and the PvP figures in parentheses reflect the ongoing Global PvP Balance pass covering skills, set bonuses, and talents. Treat these as the direction Red Horizon is heading, not the finished numbers, and check the official patch notes once they publish to confirm anything you plan to build around.
