📍 Weekly Wrap — Week 28 of 2026 | Rise Up Week 8 – Everything That Dropped This Week
Date: April 26, 2026
Report Status: Weekly Series – Community Debrief
Source: The Division Dispatch
Tactical Intelligence Focus: Cherry Blossom Event launch and full breakdown, Title Update Year 8 Season 1.1 patch changes, 3× XP farming window, Manhunt Week 4 Scout objectives, Prototype drop rate fix
📋 THEMATIC OVERVIEW
🔶 WEEK 28 IN REVIEW — THE CHERRY BLOSSOM EVENT CHANGES EVERYTHING
Week 28 of Rise Up was one of the biggest content weeks of the season. The Cherry Blossom Event went live on Tuesday April 22 alongside Title Update Year 8 Season 1.1 — bringing Kitsunebi squads, Ronin bosses, 40 corrupted lanterns, a cross-platform community challenge, a new named weapon, and a full event vendor to Washington D.C. On top of that, a 3× XP multiplier launched simultaneously, the Prototype drop rate was officially fixed making Escalations viable again, and Manhunt Week 4 sent agents into the East Mall with new lore dropping in the background. This was not a quiet week — and the event is still running. If you missed anything, this is your full field debrief.
🔶 PATCH & UPDATES — TITLE UPDATE YEAR 8 SEASON 1.1
The Title Update dropped Tuesday April 22 alongside the Cherry Blossom Event. Several significant changes went live with this patch that directly affect builds and farming efficiency.
Key changes:
* Prototype items with Skill Tier cores now grant 1.5 Skill Tiers per piece — and this change is retroactive across all existing items
* Escalation Prototype drop rates increased significantly across Tiers 2, 3, and 4
* Prototype items added to the Daily Targeted Loot rotation in Escalation
* Compensation Cache delivered to all agent mailboxes — 1× Prototype Core Cache and 1× Optimization Cache
* Bug fixes: Prototype items no longer lost on upgrade at max inventory, Abridge Talent corrected, optimized attributes no longer reverting in Raids and Incursions, inventory compare button fixed, Daily and Weekly projects now progress correctly with Level 3 Retaliation active
The Skill Tier change is particularly significant for agents running Prototype-focused builds. Four Prototype pieces with Skill Tier cores now delivers a full +6 Skill Tiers — a build ceiling that was previously out of reach without the right combination of gear. The retroactive application means agents who already invested in Prototype gear benefit immediately without any additional farming required.
🔶 CHERRY BLOSSOM EVENT — FULL BREAKDOWN
The Cherry Blossom Event runs from Tuesday April 22 through Monday May 12 and is the most content-dense event of Year 8 Season 1 so far. Washington D.C. is under a new kind of threat — and there is a lot to unpack.
Kitsunebi Squads and Ronin Bosses:
* Every roughly 10 minutes, squads of five Kitsunebi Named Enemies spawn and hunt agents across the open world
* Kitsunebi use a Shared Health Link mechanic — damage dealt to one enemy is distributed across the entire squad
* Watch for tech malfunction effects that shock individual enemies — that is the window to break the link and eliminate them one by one
* Defeat enough Kitsunebi and the Ronin bosses arrive — Fox Ronin for solo agents, Fox Ronin and Red Ronin simultaneously for groups
* Ronin drop Event Keys and exclusive Skill VFX skins — Fox Ronin drops Drone and Turret skins, Red Ronin drops Hive and Seeker Mine skins
Event Vendor and Rewards:
* Free Rising Sun Headgear for all Level 40 agents who log in during the event — no grind required
* Apparel Cache — 30 items across 5 outfit sets including Horned Oni, Kitsune, Tiger Boxer variants, Kintsugi Fox Mask, and Iron Fox Mask — no duplicate system, spend 30 keys and the full set is yours
* Gear Cache — highlights include the new First Bloom Named PDR with the Blossom Harvest talent, returning named gear, Exotics, and a rare chance at Prototype items
* Community Cache — global cross-platform goal of 5 million keys with milestone rewards at 1 million (Ronin Outfit), 3 million (Ronin Gloves), and 5 million (Ronin Mask)
* Personal donation rewards — donate your own keys for four exclusive arm patches: Sakura (10 keys), Koi Fish (20 keys), Great Wave (40 keys), and Bamboo (80 keys)
The First Bloom Named PDR is worth highlighting — its Blossom Harvest talent deals 3.3% more damage for every 10% of HP and Armor the enemy has remaining, making it a natural tank killer that pairs perfectly against the Kitsunebi health link mechanic.
🔶 LANTERN HUNT — ALL 40 LOCATIONS AND THE FARMING LOOP
The 40 corrupted lantern locations are one of the core progression systems of the Cherry Blossom Event and are tied directly to key farming efficiency.
How the lantern system works:
* Each lantern triggers enemy waves on interaction — kill the Katsina waves first before the lantern can be activated
* Every lantern run delivers approximately 4 to 5 keys with a floor of at least 2 per lantern
* 29 lanterns in a single session yields 50+ keys based on personal testing
* Watch out for Katsina snipers — they are the weaker unit but can two-shot agents caught in the open
* Use Foam Grenades on Ronin and do NOT deploy drones — Ronin will hack them
* Complete all 40 to unlock the Herald of Spring Distinction and the exclusive cat arm patch
* After clearing all 40, three lanterns reactivate every daily reset at 08:00 AM UTC for continued farming
All 40 coordinates in order, starting from West End and working down the map:
(1) 2417 – 1451 | (2) 2172 – 1384 | (3) 2029 – 1121 | (4) 2376 – 1785 | (5) 2045 – 1661
(6) 1978 – 1513 | (7) 1912 – 1881 | (8) 1476 – 1412 | (9) 1355 – 1181 | (10) 1489 – 1787
(11) 1402 – 1978 | (12) 0935 – 1797 | (13) 1197 – 2234 | (14) 0951 – 2722 | (15) 1247 – 2771
(16) 1421 – 2491 | (17) 1813 – 2238 | (18) 1813 – 2254 | (19) 2005 – 2238 | (20) 2263 – 2428
(21) 2273 – 2715 | (22) 2339 – 2920 — Underground in sewers | (23) 2294 – 3188 | (24) 1822 – 3500
(25) 1630 – 3480 | (26) 2211 – 3829 | (27) 1852 – 3895 | (28) 1889 – 4189 | (29) 1936 – 4511
(30) 1514 – 4521 | (31) 1280 – 4319 | (32) 1264 – 3713 | (33) 1159 – 3530 | (34) 0987 – 3855
(35) 0848 – 3390 | (36) 0620 – 4012 | (37) 0903 – 4396 | (38) 0810 – 4429 | (39) 0481 – 4435
(40) 0514 – 4567
If a lantern will not give an interact prompt, log out and back in or swap into a group member’s session. This bug is common — now you know how to handle it.
🔶 KEY FARMING — THE OPTIMAL STRATEGY
For agents focused on stacking keys efficiently, the current open world meta revolves around three high-efficiency spawn points rather than random roaming.
The Big Three farming spots:
* The Shop — most reliable, spawns roughly every 5 minutes, anchor point for the loop
* Jefferson Trade Center — turn around on spawn, check the left street and the manhole
* DCD Headquarters — solid fallback when the other spots are on cooldown
If normal enemies are present when you arrive, clear them first — event squads will not spawn in occupied areas. Rotate between all three, reset your instance aggressively by logging out and back in if nothing spawns, and run 4-piece Striker’s Battlegear with St. Elmo’s Engine to exploit the Shared Health Link and delete entire squads in seconds. Best case scenario is two keys from a single engagement — one from the Kitsunebi squad and one from the Ronin.
Credit to Kamikazevondoom for the original Big Three breakdown.
🔶 3× XP EVENT AND PROTOTYPE DROP RATE FIX
Two additional systems running alongside the Cherry Blossom Event are worth dedicated attention this week.
3× XP Event — ends Tuesday April 29 after daily reset:
* Triple XP applies to the first 100 levels of SHD, Season Pass, and Expertise progression
* Top solo XP method: National Bond Armoury Classified Assignment — approximately 70 levels per hour
* Open world chain: Public Executions and Propaganda Broadcasts for consistent XP flow between assignment runs
* Expertise boost: Printer Filament and junk gear donations at 3× proficiency gains — one of the best windows of the season to level your library
* Stack Heroic difficulty with directives for maximum multiplier — even 3 directives gives strong returns if 5 is too challenging
Prototype Drop Rate Fix:
* Before the fix, agents were averaging four to five Prototype drops across an entire week of play
* After the patch, players are reporting four to six Prototype drops in a single mission run
* Tier 3 and Tier 4 Escalations are the sweet spots for volume
* Stack Escalation farming with Cherry Blossom key runs and the 3× XP window for one of the most efficient combined grinds currently available
🔶 MANHUNT WEEK 4 AND MISSION BACKSTORIES — HUNTER ORIGINS
Two additional content posts dropped this week covering Manhunt Scout #4 and the ongoing Mission Backstories series.
Manhunt Week 4 — Scout #4:
* Activate your scout before deploying — nothing counts without it
* Objective 1: Capture two Control Points in East Mall — Crash Site, Solar Farm, Sinkhole, or Metro Ruins all qualify
* Objective 2: Donate 200 materials to Control Point Officers at captured East Mall Control Points
* Objective 3: Complete the American History Museum mission — normal or invaded version both count
* Narrative unlock: New comm between Mari and a survivor revealing elevated phosphorus levels upriver — a slow-burn threat of algae bloom, fish die-offs, and toxin damage to D.C.’s water pumping systems
Mission Backstories — Week 28 — Hunter Origins:
* Hunters consistently demonstrate advanced combat training above Division agent level, ISAC disruption capability, skill interference, and awareness of agent positioning
* No official records confirm their origin — but three theories align with observed behavior
* Pre-Collapse Black Ops: contingency operatives activated during the crisis, operating outside normal command structures
* Anti-Division Counter Unit: a group specifically designed to monitor or eliminate Division agents if SHD went rogue
* Independent Third Party: an unknown organization with advanced tech operating beyond both SHD and Black Tusk
* None are confirmed — but each fits what the evidence shows
🔶 AGENT DEBRIEF — HOW TO PRIORITISE THIS WEEK
With the Cherry Blossom Event still live and the 3× XP window closing Tuesday, here is how to prioritise the remaining days of Week 29:
* Tuesday is the hard deadline for 3× XP — run National Bond Armoury and donation sessions before daily reset closes the window
* Donate 80 personal keys before May 12 to earn all four exclusive arm patches — Sakura, Koi Fish, Great Wave, and Bamboo
* Run Tier 3 and Tier 4 Escalations for Prototype gear while drop rates remain elevated
* Complete all 40 lanterns for the Herald of Spring Distinction before May 12 — this reward is event-exclusive and will not return
* Track the community key challenge — 5 million keys unlocks the Ronin Mask for everyone
The event runs until May 12. There is still time — but the XP window is almost gone. Prioritise that first.
🔶 WEEKLY REMINDER
⏰ 3× XP EVENT ENDS TUESDAY APRIL 29 AFTER DAILY RESET — Run National Bond Armoury, chain open world activities, and stack Expertise donations before the window closes. This is one of the best progression opportunities of Year 8 Season 1 and it will not return until a future event.
⏰ CHERRY BLOSSOM EVENT RUNS THROUGH MAY 12 — All 40 lanterns, 80 personal key donations, and Herald of Spring Distinction must be completed before the event ends. Plan your remaining sessions accordingly.
🛰️ SHD PROTOCOL SUMMARY
“Week 28 of Rise Up delivered the largest content drop of Year 8 Season 1 — the Cherry Blossom Event launched Tuesday April 22 alongside Title Update Year 8 Season 1.1 and runs through May 12 bringing Kitsunebi Named Enemy squads with a Shared Health Link mechanic spawning every 10 minutes across the open world Fox Ronin and Red Ronin bosses dropping Event Keys and exclusive Skill VFX skins on defeat 40 corrupted lantern locations hidden across D.C. each triggering enemy waves and key drops with a floor of at least 2 keys per lantern and 50 plus keys confirmed across 29 lanterns in personal testing all 40 coordinates listed in post order starting West End working down the map with coordinate 22 located underground in the sewers three lanterns reactivating daily at 08:00 AM UTC after full completion free Rising Sun Headgear for all agents on login Apparel Cache covering 30 items with no duplicate system Gear Cache featuring the First Bloom Named PDR with Blossom Harvest talent and a community challenge targeting 5 million keys for the Ronin Mask Title Update patch retroactively increased Prototype Skill Tier core values to 1.5 per piece delivering plus 6 Skill Tiers at four pieces Escalation Prototype drop rates fixed from roughly 4 drops per week to 4 to 6 per single run Tier 3 and Tier 4 are the priority farming tiers Compensation Cache with Prototype Core Cache and Optimization Cache delivered to all mailboxes 3 times XP event active through Tuesday April 29 with National Bond Armoury Classified Assignment as the top solo method at approximately 70 levels per hour Manhunt Week 4 Scout 4 requires two East Mall Control Point captures 200 material donations and American History Museum completion with new lore comms revealing phosphorus contamination threatening D.C. water supply Mission Backstories Week 28 covered Hunter Origins with three unconfirmed theories pre-Collapse black ops anti-Division counter unit or independent third party none confirmed but all consistent with observed behavior”
Key Takeaways:
✅ Cherry Blossom Event live through May 12 — Kitsunebi squads, Ronin bosses, 40 lanterns, community key challenge, and new named gear
✅ All 40 lantern coordinates listed in this post — complete the full set for the Herald of Spring Distinction before the event ends
✅ Personal farming result: 29 lanterns yields 50+ keys — at least 2 per lantern guaranteed
✅ 3× XP event ends Tuesday April 29 — National Bond Armoury is the top solo method at ~70 levels per hour
✅ Prototype drop rates fixed — Tier 3 and Tier 4 Escalations now deliver 4 to 6 drops per run
✅ Manhunt Week 4 Scout #4 — East Mall Control Points, 200 material donation, American History Museum mission
✅ Hunter Origins lore — three theories, no confirmed origin, all consistent with observed field behavior
Report Compiled By: The Division Dispatch
Date Published: April 26, 2026
Series Status: Weekly Series – Rise Up Season Debrief | Next update Week 29
Next Week: Cherry Blossom Event continues — community key challenge update, ongoing lantern farming, and Week 29 content incoming
📡 The Division Dispatch – Where Lore Meets Tactical Intelligence
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