Scheduled for release on March 15, 2019, Tom Clancy’s The Division 2 is the second installation of the P2P online third-person shooter RPG that was originally released by Ubisoft in 2016. In this rendition, the game will be open world with new foes for the Strategic Homeland Division (aka the Division) to overcome while trying to fulfill their objectives. The game is set in the summer, which also adds a slightly different feel and look to the game.
Plot
Tom Clancy’s The Division 2 takes place seven months after the events of the previous title. While order has pretty much been restored in Manhattan, a new threat rises in Washington D.C., with the city caught in a civil war between the surviving civilians and the True Sons who are a paramilitary organization being led by a former member of the Joint Task Force (JTF). Although not specified, we can assume that the Green Poison or a similar GM virus was released upon the city and devolving it into chaos in the same way that Manhattan was previously. Of course, the stakes are higher this time, as Washington D.C is the seat of power for both the US Government as well as the Division itself. This means that if Washington D.C. falls, so will the major force in the West.
Gameplay
Players will be able to decide whether they would prefer to play solo or in teams of 2-4 players. They can also decide which missions to play solo and which to play in teams, including the endgame content. But this does not apply to the new Raid Mode, which will require eight-player teams.
As for the game itself, players will start the game by reclaiming their main Control Point from enemy forces. The control point seems to be the Presidential Plane.
The game map is setup according to the real layout and size of the real Washington D.C., which is meant to provide players with a realistic, immersive experience. They did take some creative license to add more foliage and nature-zones than there are in the real D.C. The end result is that the narrow streets of Manhattan are now replaced with wider plains, allowing for both enhanced perspectives and increased vulnerability. Ubisoft has also stated that the map will be 20% bigger than in the previous game, all of which leans towards a very different playstyle and gaming experience to the earlier game. This means that gameplay will be highly dependent on cover- and crouch-based combat.
Outside of the main campaign, Ubisoft plans on releasing free DLC for players over time, including new side-missions, map expansions and possible modes. The Private Beta will be open to certain community members who pre-order the game, with a demo planned on being released for the Xbox One in the near future.
As characters progress, they will be able to interact with the NPCs to acquire side missions. Players will again be able to access a digital 3D rendering of the city map that will indicate all open main and side-mission sites that they can choose to pursue in any order that they would like.
In terms of HP, both players and NPCs can wear armor to increase their resilience to attacks. However, the armor will be worn down and eventually destroyed as combat progresses, at which point the characters themselves will begin to receive real damage.
Another new feature will be that new settlements will sprout up as each area is reclaimed from enemy forces. These settlements can then serve as a secondary base for the player’s character. Extra bonuses include new NPCs with trading posts and additional side quests.
The Ubisoft team has further hinted that there will be enough in-game options and choices for players to make, that they will want to replay the game in order to experience the options and specializations that they weren’t able to during their first run. One of these choices includes choosing between one of three signature weapons, namely the grenade launcher, crossbow and 50-caliber sniper-rifle. The Raid Mode will also only become available once the player has reached the endgame. Furthermore, as with The Division 1, there will also be a PvP mode available upon completion of the endgame, although the exact details have yet to be announced.
Character Customizations
Characters will now be further customizable with the introduction of three possible specializations and skill trees. They will be unlocked once the level 30 cap is reached. Fortunately, they are interchangeable, which progression in one skill-tree in no way impacting that of the other two specializations. These specializations are: Sharpshooter, Demolitionist and Survivalist. Each of these have different weapon, skill and talent sets. No details have been released regarding initial character design, but we have at least seen that there will at least be options for both male and female characters of varying ethnicities.
Weapons, Skins and Other Unlockable Content
There will be six main weapon slots, three of which will unlock as the character levels up. There are also other unlockable side-slots for smaller items. Weapon mods and slots will be unlocked by completing missions, rather than through grinding loot drops and will be applicable to all weapons. Furthermore, all weapons will have positive and negative stats for more balanced play, regardless of which playstyle a player wants to attempt. They also can’t be lost and don’t need to be unequipped to be applied to other weapons. Ammunition does still fall as a loot drops though, so players will need to keep track of their stock and give some thought to the weapons and number of shots that they choose to fire.
Skins for equipment and weapons will also be unlocked through quests and can be chosen on a weapon-by-weapon basis. This will allow players more creative freedom with their character’s customizations.
Tom Clancy’s The Division 2 will also be introducing shields to the game. These are awarded upon completing certain missions with new missions and associated shields being released every month. Each shield will also unlock exclusive content such as weapons, gear sets, Phoenix Credits, Cypher Keys and more.
As expected, there will also be some new skills and features, such as a support drone that players can use to gather intelligence and to launch long-range attacks. They can be operated remotely, which could mean that players will be able to fight two fronts at once, although the exact uses of the drone has yet to fully shown.
Standard Edition vs Other Editions
There are six possible editions that players can choose from. All new DLC will be available to all game owners, regardless of which version that they purchased. The only difference will be the original extra content that pack purchasers will receive.
This extra content varies from pack to pack, and will minimally include the base game. Pre-orders will also gain access to the Private Beta as well as a Capitol Defender pack. Further content could include 3-day early access, a Year 1, a customizable figurine of a field agent, a World Map, and Art Book, game soundtrack, other in-game skin and item packs. The exact details can be found on the Ubisoft Store page.