When The Division originally released it was met with mixed reception from players and critics. Despite boasting an impressive open world, there wasn’t much to do after the credits rolled. Developer Massive Entertainment spent the next couple of years enhancing and fleshing out virtually every aspect of this game. Now three years after the original launched, The Division 2 is set to release on March 15 and deliver the endgame experience many users want.
Recently, we got a chance to learn some new information about The Division 2 and speak with Ubisoft Red Storm’s Creative Director Terry Spier. Keep in mind, we were not able to actually play The Division 2, this was simply a presentation.
For the unfamiliar, The Division 2 is set in Washington D.C. 7 months after a deadly virus swept across the nation. Players assume the role of Division Agents, who are tasked with helping establish safe communities and dealing with problematic factions. Boasting roughly a 40-hour long campaign, players will get to fight and explore a 1:1 recreation of this historic city.
During this adventure, Division Agents will need to establish and grow their Base of Operations. Maintaining this base will be vital to a player’s success since unlocking new skills, managing your inventory box, and crafting gear is tied to this location. There are additional settlements players can also liberate and help grow. Spier explained to us that every action we take will affect the world in some way. If players are in trouble they will be able to call upon friendly settlers to help them even the odds during tricky firefights.
We also got a brief glimpse at the different factions we would be facing off against. During the main campaign, players will combat the Outcasts, Hyenas, and True Sons. Additionally, once the story is completed a powerful endgame faction known as the Black Tusks will arrive. This paramilitary organization will introduce 8 new enemy archetypes, release drones throughout the city, occupy different areas of the Dark Zone, and unlock a variety of new activities for players to enjoy.
Their arrival will kick off The Division 2’s post-game, which has been the primary focus for developers Massive Entertainment and Ubisoft Red Storm. Spier explained to us that The Division 2 was developed with an “endgame first” mentality. Alongside this new faction, users will have hostages to rescue, endgame variants of campaign missions, the Dark Zone, PvP, and a variety of side activities.
Division Agents can also test their skills against enemy Strongholds, which act as heavily defended bases that can be captured. These Strongholds will be controlled by both the normal enemy factions and the Black Tusks. There was also a ton of content that Spier breezed past and if you were a fan of The Division then you’ll be happy to learn that all of the previous game’s features will be in this latest installment.
Raids will not be available at launch, but the development teams are determined to deliver “the most challenging group content,” available in The Division 2. I followed up with Spier about what players should expect from The Division 2’s raid when it eventually releases. “We’re going to kick you when you’re down. We’re going to really challenge you to figure out these encounters and we’re going to make it fit within the universe.”
Of course, most raids are more than just facing off against waves of difficult enemies, as many boast intricate mechanics and puzzles that users have to solve on the fly. “When you talk about some of the technology that Shade Agents have and then you talk about some of the things that Black Tusks – the endgame faction – will bring to the world, we’re going to lean into technology as much as we can. It’s still going to be set in a plausible fiction.” Spier then explained that the Black Tusks will “have a lot of things players haven’t seen before” and that The Division 2’s raid “will have puzzles too.”
The controversial Dark Zones also got a rework to ensure that it’s more enjoyable and balanced for all players. “Over the course of the post-launch of the original game, we instituted normalization. We’ve been able to really reapproach that and how we handle normalization in The Division 2 – especially when it comes to PvP. Build choices are always going to be the number one priority. What we do with your stats, we’re bringing people on an even playing field. Plus or minus depending on how far below or above you are of that normalization line.”
Spier went on to state that “players will feel more comfortable going in there knowing that ‘Me as a user that only has a 100 hours can play with you in the Dark Zone and have a fair fight when you have 3,000 hours.'” Looting and obtaining gear has also received an overhaul. Previously, players would need to extract all of the loot they discovered via helicopters. Not only was this dangerous, but it often led to users getting killed and their items stolen.
The Division 2 changes this by only requiring players to extract contaminated loot which is “very rare and sought after.” Anything else discovered in the Dark Zone will go directly to the inventory, which should reduce some of the frustrations this mode caused. Spier confirmed that any non-contaminated item found will not vanish from a user’s inventory if they die. This sequel will also boast three separate Dark Zones, however, the size of these activity spaces is currently unknown.
Competitive PvP also features a robust balancing system to ensure that well-geared players cannot stomp all over newcomers. “We’re using a very skill-based matchmaking system this time. Your level applies, your PvP level applies, and your kill-death ratio applies. A bunch of stats are going into it and how we put those buckets in place all come into play.” The Division 2’s PvP will also sort users based on if they are in the endgame or not.
This separation is mainly due to the brand new Specializations that open up once you finish the campaign. Acting as a way to enhance a player’s existing agent, Specializations provide unique skill trees and weapons that can help turn the tide of battle. Unlike traditional classes, players aren’t bound to a Specialization. They will be free to swap between them, however, each one will need to be individually leveled up.
There will be three Specializations at launch and Spier confirmed that more will be released for free later down the road. When the game launches, players will have access to the crossbow-wielding Survivalist, grenade launcher toting Demolitionist, and the Sharpshooter who uses a .50 caliber sniper rifle. These Specializations were designed with the endgame in mind and maxing out all their skill trees will be vital to a player’s success.
With a little more than a month left before The Division 2 releases, it’s clear that both Massive Entertainment and Ubisoft Red Storm are looking to really build upon the foundation set by the original game. The sweeping changes made to the post-game and infamous modes like the Dark Zone all appear to be a step in the right direction. Even though we still haven’t gotten our hands on The Division 2, this preview has certainly answered some of our major concerns.
Yet, the real test will be when players finally get to try out The Division 2. There are a lot of changes that have been made and it will be intriguing to see if they all cohesively work when the game launches on March 15.