On March 15, 2019, “The Division 2” released to anxious fans. The game was met with bated breath – the first game had plenty of flaws which made the game bad to some and okay to others.
The beta had given people hope, as it showed that the game had potential already in its early stages.
Once there, our agent meets up with Manny Ortega, the city’s Division branch controller. After nicknaming us “Sheriff,” he sends us out on our first mission to find the SHD node and get it back online.
The story picks up roughly seven months after the events of The Division, after the deaths of Agent Keener and Charles Bliss. Our agent is defending a settlement when the Strategic Home Division network goes down and they receive a distress call from the White House in D.C.
After reactivating the network, we learn that there may be information for a cure somewhere in the city and it’s our job to find it. There are several twists and turns along the way, with some unexpected results.
A new add-on to the game is Clans, groups that allow players to team up with their friends and complete missions and events while gathering experience for their clan.
The game rewards clans who actively play with rewards and higher tier items as well as clan exclusive items. Clans can be up to 50 accounts, with each one being allowed up to four characters, so there are plenty of chances to join up and make new combinations of firepower.
In order for a clan to become active, however, there must be four players in the clan. This doesn’t mean one person with four characters – it has to be four separate Xbox, PlayStation, or PC accounts per clan for it to be considered active.
Two voice channels allow 25 players at a time, meaning your clan can split to keep things calm and even. Certain levels of clan gear allow you to sport your clan’s insignia, so you can show off who’s the coolest group around.
While the AI in the game is responsive and for the most part, effective, there are a few issues.
During hostage missions, the hostage AI can tend to become a problem, as they seem to have no programming for staying away from the enemies and instead will run straight into enemy fire.
Occasionally the enemies will freeze up and T-pose, making it impossible to clear a room. They also have a tendency to run past the fighting zone and escape, leading to a chase to clear the room.
It’s not just AI that can break, however. One of the items an agent can use is known as a “hive.” It has several settings, but the most useful in firefights is the healing portion.
On rare occasions, however, the hive will drop, make the noise, but not actually activate and pick up the player character. This bug can last from a single occurrence to the entire session.
After reaching level 30, the maximum level cap for the game, players reach “endgame,” which breaks the world into tiers. Each world tier is controlled by a stronghold, which requires the player to reach the gear score before being able to complete the mission. Each advancement resets the world, making the enemies stronger.
“Endgame” enemies aren’t the same ones that players have been dealing with all game either. With most of the faction leaders dead, a new force called “Black Tusk,” a private military company, has taken over.
They’re stronger and better equipped than the previous enemies, making the factions we faced before seem like a joke. The final mission of the “endgame” activities takes place in Tidal Basin, the current final stronghold of Black Tusk and one of the most formidable bases in the game.
After beating the Black Tusk forces, the player advances to world tier 5, the final level for now. Massive, the creators of the game in tandem with Ubisoft, have promised more content to come for world tier 5, such as the 8-person raid coming in the near future.
According to PCgamer, the raid has been pushed to May, a change from its original release date of April 25. The raid, titled “Operation Dark Hours” will be free for all players. Stay tuned to Ubisoft social media for more information on the raid coming soon!
Jeri Hensley
Graphic Designer