The Division 2 – Review

The time has finally arrived with many buggy betas and tons of media, The Division 2 has arrived on Xbox One, PS4, and PC. Ubisoft did an astonishing job in its predecessor tasking you and three other players or solo to take on the worn torn streets of Manhatten, NY. This time around you’re in the nation’s capital of Washington DC, first impressions are stunning. The level details are superb, the map looks smaller than the first game but it is embedded with a fuck ton of activities and loot for you to find. Whilst playing with my friend he mentioned that playing in the same game as I am is like following the breadcrumbs as there is so much for you to explore and find, but we will elaborate on that some more later on in the review.

Some backstory from the first instalment, The Division was set after the events of a virus outbreak during Black Friday where the US currency (Dollars) were infected with Smallpox and the virus spread across the country. This led to a group of agents known as The Division to claim back the city and take out the rogue factions that were tearing apart the city. Each faction has a speciality from flame gangs to rogue mercs to ex-cons. This time however there are new factions each with similar agendas but a hell of a lot more menacing. You have the Hyena, True Sons and The Outcasts. You can develop the story more playing the game and gain a better understanding of what their agenda is but what we can say is they’re tough and there are new types of enemy this time around.

You have the new heavies with special weapons…well in this game they are. You have heavies with sledgehammers, chainsaws, and axes. Each with the ability to instakill you if you meet the end of their weapon. We can’t lie meeting one of these tough bastards is definitely a heart pulsing moment. It gave me the impression Mr X was chasing me again in Resident Evil 2. You have the heavy machine gunners who now take different actions by laying on the floor to gain a better advantage over you, and trust me when they’re shooting you feel it and hear it!

The rushers are more advanced now…like we needed that! You have some rushers from the Hyenas who ingest a toxic drug that gives them a boosted health, you have the True Sons that have the regular shotgun rushers and the Outcast have kamikaze rushers who have fire bottles attached to their chest.

We can’t lie meeting one of these tough bastards is definitely a heart pulsing moment. It gave me the impression Mr. X was chasing me again in Resident Evil 2.

As mentioned previously the map isn’t as big as the first game but there seems to be a hell of a lot more to do. Ubisoft has certainly improved on previous mistakes and updates to the first outing have made their way to the base of this game. When you level up now you’re granted with a gear cache which was added a fair few months after the original was released, this gives you a better chance to get new gear in the early stages. You can also create a clan within the game and gain bonuses however these aren’t detailed as of yet.

The Division 2 have parts to the expansions with Year one releasing content over the coming months. It is reported that the DLC will continue into 2020 which gives The Division a real sustainable market. You can access the new unrevealed content 7 days before others, gain exclusive customisation options and additional activities. There is more to be revealed but this will be on the horizon in the next few months. Staying with the map we now have three dark zones (DZ) areas all with missions associated with them which is really interesting. This gives the player a feel for what the DZ is and also learn some paths to make boss runs. Unlike its older sibling, the DZ’s are scattered across the map of DC so you haven’t got one big chunk of land that is a war zone you can select either of the three zones and we’re sure that they will add more with regular updates. There are also Strongholds which are tied to the story missions which are accessible to players with a higher level, we haven’t got to these but there will be a similar feel to the incursions from the previous game that’re associated to these.

Perks and classes are the main part of building your character in The Division 2.perks are a way of gaining the ability to carry more armour packs and grenades and also gaining extra XP. you can also extend your inventory space and stash space. To do this you need SHD tech credits which are granted after completing missions or just roaming the map looking for them. SHD is also used to advance the skills you unlock. Skills are a way for you to advance your offence, from turrets to seeker bombs, some of the old skills are still around but the new ones are awesome.

• Pulse – Scanner / Remote / Jammer
• Seeker Bomb – Explosive / Burster / Demolisher
• Turret – Assault / Incinerator / Sniper
• Shield – Bulwark / Crusader / Deflector
• Hive – Restorer / Stinger / Reviver / Booster
• Chem Launcher – Reinforcer / Firestarter / Riot Foam / Oxidizer
• Firefly – Blinder / Burster / Demolisher
• Drone – Striker / Defender / Fixer

These are the skills you can unlock and in the endgame, you can access bonus sets with the gear class you choose from.

Gear you obtain from the game is pretty intense and there is a huge mass of option out there. You can get the same in class from before, Common, Uncommon, Rare, Exotic and High End. like the previous game was with the Light Green gear class system all items above Uncommon have gear boosts on them so owning three of the same brand of gear with grant you boosts to health, critical chance etc. You can also add mods to your gear like the previous game but now you can add dye’s to give it a bit more customisation.

Scattered across DC there are settlements that are a safe haven for the survivors of this recent outbreak. You have to visit them and assist them with focused work and upgrades through missions, by doing this you can build more on the Base of Operations which is the White House… pretty cool.

The game sounds are decent but with hints of lag here and there. There are also some rendering issues and this has been the case with both versions of the Xbox, unsure if it is the same with the other devices. The Division 2 has a unique weather system, unlike before you aren’t just stuck in the snow all the time, it is bright, sunny but there are various effects from cloudy days, rain, fog, storms they all affect the way you play as well, we found a few times where we were right in front of a group of enemies and they never saw us the joy of fog. The common issue with The Division 2 is the number of damage enemies can take in the early stages a headshot barely deals damage but it all depends on the weapon but still, a bullet to the head is instant death. They have shields that can defect so much offense it is silly.

Conflict is the PvP mode that is currently active within The Division 2, there are two options available from Domination and Skirmish.

Domination you’re required to capture locations to score points whilst holding of the opposing team. Skirmish is The Divisions version of team deathmatch, both teams have a respawn limit. Both modes feature chests containing power-ups and special ammunition that you can use to gain the upper hand.