Editor’s note: Since The Division 2 is a massive game, I felt like it would be better to write up some of my impressions after playing the game over the last week, and then write up a full review once I hit the endgame.
The Division 2 is a continuation of the military loot shooter set in a world where society has fallen apart. While a quick glance of the game will give someone the impression that it’s just “more of the same,” there are enough changes to keep it feeling fresh while at the same making The Division fans happy.
To start out, we need to first discuss what The Division actually is. It isn’t your typical military third person shooter; it’s more of an action RPG where you collect loot and level up your character to become more powerful over time. I had a hard time wrapping my head around it until I heard someone describe The Division as “Diablo but with guns,” and then it all clicked.
Like Diablo, The Division 2 has “dungeons” that you run over and over to get better loot and experience. The dungeons in The Division 2 are your main missions, and then you have your side missions and dynamic events that pop up in the open world.
Sitting here writing up my impressions is rather intimidating to be honest. I’m having a hard time figuring out where to begin, because there is so much to the game. Let’s keep it simple and start with the story.
The Division 2 is set seven months after the “Green Flu” outbreak from the first game. The Green Flu outbreak was a strand of smallpox that was spread around New York City on Black Friday by money that was contaminated. This led to large scale deaths, a collapse of society, and anarchy in the streets. A secret governmental military group called the Strategic Homeland Division, or the Division for short, was called into the NYC to bring things under control.
But the fighting didn’t stop in NYC, and Division agents are called into Washington D.C. The Green Flu had spread down the eastern seaboard, and Washington D.C. is on the cusp of falling into the hands of different warring groups. But unlike NYC, society has started to rebuild in Washington D.C., so the city feels more alive than the cold, snowy streets of NYC.
Summer has also come to the nation’s capitol, so there is green overgrowth everywhere, the sun is blazing hot, and thunderstorms sweep through regularly. When I first learned of the new setting, I was put off a little bit. I loved the setting of the first game, and I wasn’t sure how well I’d like this new setting in Washington D.C. But after a few hours of running around the environment, I’ve already forgotten about the snow, and I’ve embraced the greenery.
One of the first things you’ll notice about Washington D.C. is some sort of semblance of society starting to rise from the ashes of the Green Flu attack. While you still have a base of operations (which is very appropriately the White House this time around), you’ll also be helping to build up settlements around D.C. These settlements operate as a safe area within D.C. to resupply your character, and they evolve over time as you complete missions that are assigned from different people living in the settlements. It is very rewarding to see the first settlement go from something that looked like it was cobbled together over a weekend to a fully fledged community. One thing The Division has always succeeded at is making you feel like you’re progressing and making a difference in the world, and I think The Division 2 takes this feeling to the next level with settlements.
As mentioned earlier, the “dungeons” in this game are your main missions, and a lot of missions appropriately take place in the different museums around Washington D.C. When you think of dungeons, you think of narrow corridors that lead into big open areas, and museums serve that purpose brilliantly. These missions are so much fun to play because you can take your time between firefights to actually look at the items in the museum. I just played a mission that takes place at the air and space museum, and I found myself just taking in the sights after each firefight. The level of detail in the game is ridiculously good, and it will make re-playing these dungeons satisfying.
After you complete a dungeon, you’ll get experience points and new gear to equip. The amount of gear and loot in the game is very impressive. I’m switching to new weapons on a consistent basis, trying to find which weapons I enjoy using while keeping my attack number up to deal with enemies that get stronger as you enter new areas of the world. I would also recommend spending some time exploring as you make your way between different waypoints. It’s easy to get lost in alleyways and the sewer, finding loot in every nook and cranny. Whereas other loot shooters feel like on the amount of loot in the open world, I’ve seen people complain about there being TOO much loot in The Division 2. Of course that’s an insane complaint, but it goes to show how full the game is with content.
A big complaint from the first game was enemies being “bullet sponges.” It’s understandable; it was always weird when a dude just wearing a hoodie took like 30 bullets to kill. This has been addressed in the sequel, and I believe in a very clever way. To start out, almost every level enemy has some sort of armor, whether it is body armor, a helmet, or just completely decked out from head to toe. This makes it more believable when you need to use a few extra bullets to take down an enemy. The big enemies will have armor that you need to chip away at to expose their body to the open, and then they go down in just a few shots. I enjoy this system so much more, especially the huge enemies with full armor. When you’re in a team, it’s fun concentrating all your firepower on just one guy.
They have also changed up how the dark zones work. Instead of one big dark zone, there are three smaller ones spread across the map. When you enter the dark zone, your gear is normalized, making it more equal when you run across enemies. It is supposed to help those single players in the dark zone to be lethal against other groups just trying to gang up on them. I really like this change as I avoided the dark zone in the first game because there would be groups just running around killing you every chance they got. This levels the playing field a bit, and makes me more inclined to actually go into the dark zone. Also, not all gear in the dark zone is contaminated, so if you keep getting killed by rogue agents, you won’t lose all of your loot, just the contaminated loot that needs to be extracted.
A new addition to the game are activities, which are events that will pop up in the streets. These include things like taking over a speaker that is broadcasting propaganda, or stopping a public execution. Completing these activities give you experience and loot, and it’s a nice way to keep the open world from feeling stale.
The open world definitely feels more active in The Division 2. It’s really impressive coming across a group of survivors that are looking for supplies, and they’ll recognize your presence. You’ll also stumble upon survivors engaging in gunfights with enemy factions. Unlike NPCs in other shooters, the NPCs in The Division 2 help you out significantly. A few bounties I completed were near a friendly control point, and it was nice knowing that the friendlies in the control point would be able to help me out.
In typical Ubisoft fashion, the map is full of different activities, and I never feel like they get tedious. There is always something happening around the corner. If you don’t like a game where you’re in combat for a large majority of the time, you may get tired of the constant gun fights. But for me, I think it is balanced well, and you still have plenty of time to explore the world.
I have been joking with some people that The Division 2 may be the only game I play this year, but as I dig more and more into it, it may end up being true. If it doesn’t end up being true, then it will easily be the game I put the most hours into this year. Massive has absolutely nailed the gameplay loop in this game, and I find myself having a hard time pulling myself from the game once I get settled in. It’s a game I can easily sit down and play for 3-5 hours without noticing how much time has passed.
If you enjoyed the first Division game, or have been let down by other loot shooters, I would highly recommend giving The Division 2 a shot. It’s easily the most content filled loot shooter at release. It is also very solo friendly, but the fun really comes from playing with friends or in a group, which can be done through a seamless matchmaking experience.
