All players that participate in the free weekend for Tom Clancy’s Rainbow Six Siege may carry over their progression, acquired in-game content, and continue to play uninterrupted if they purchase the game. Players will also benefit from a discount up to 70% off on the Base game (available on PC only), Deluxe, Gold and Ultimate Editions between the 11th of June and the 17th of June depending on the product and platform. Players may also benefit from an additional 20% discount on PC if purchased through the Ubisoft Store.

Additionally, any player that owns Tom Clancy’s The Division 2 and participates in the June Free Weekend for Tom Clancy’s Rainbow Six Siege will unlock a 5-piece “Thermite Outfit” for their agent in The Division 2. Division 2 players who don’t own R6S or haven’t previously participated in a past Free Weekend may still unlock the reward during the June Free Weekend. Any existing R6S player that already owns TCTD2 will already unlock the reward in Ubisoft Club. Also, as a continuing promotion from April, Rainbow Six Siege players can still earn the Ela The Division 2 Set by playing a free trial or the full The Division 2 game.

Now live on the Test Server, the upcoming Operation Steel Wave introduces a new Attacker and Defender, Ace and Melusi from Norway and South Africa, plus a new secondary gadget for Defenders, the Proximity Alarm. The map House has also been entirely reworked with a new look and improved navigation and flow.

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Current The Division 2 players will be able to purchase the expansion on its own, whilst new players can purchase the Standard Edition, which includes The Division 2 base game and The Division 2 Warlords of New York expansion. The Ultimate Edition, which gives players both the game and the expansion, as well as all of The Division 2’s Year 1 content, classified assignments and unlocked specializations, will also be available. All players must be at Level 30 and have reached World Tier 5 to join The Division 2 Warlords of New York. As such, each edition of the game will come with a Level 30 boost that players can activate if they wish to do so, to immediately jump into the New York expansion. After completing The Division 2 Warlords of New York campaign, Agents can then fast travel freely between Washington DC and New York City to enjoy the entire range of The Division 2’s content.

All players pre-purchasing** the expansion will be granted a free Level 30 boost that they can use at their discretion to jump their character to Level 30 in The Division 2, ahead of the expansion’s release.

A Narrative Expansion to Discover a New Area in New York City

In Tom Clancy’s The Division 2 Warlords of New York, Division Agents will go on the ultimate manhunt for Aaron Keener, a former Division Agent who has now gone rogue. Keener, along with his network of Rogue Agents, is now a major threat to the rebirth of civilization. To track down Keener, Agents will roam the untamed living open world of Lower Manhattan, a former Dark Zone recently hit by a devastating hurricane that hit New York City harder than anywhere else in the US. Agents are tasked to explore new zones, each with iconic locations such as Two Bridges, Chinatown, and Wall Street. To get to Keener, players must take down each of his Rogue Agents.  Each Rogue Agent has their own unique back story and skill – which you discover once you take them down. 

The Ultimate Vision of Tom Clancy’s The Division 2 Warlords of New York

After taking the time to hear and gather community feedback, core gameplay enhancements have been implemented across various areas, including build diversity, gear streamlining and even more meaningful loot.

Along with The Division 2 Warlords of New York, Title Update 8 will include an RPG overhaul, allowing players to read and manage their gear inventory more easily. The UI screen will be updated to always show the roll ranges for each stat on a piece of gear or weapon. The overhaul also includes the return of god rolls, improving readability and helping players make better decisions on the gear’s usefulness to their build. Additionally, players will see a more streamlined gear recalibration system, with item and stat usefulness indicators, as well as permanent attribute and stat storage at the recalibration station. This will allow Agents the flexibility to plan the perfect build. 

The existing Dark Zones in The Division 2 are also being revitalised, returning to a simpler rogue mechanic. The focus is on rewarding player-to-player interaction, whether it’s fighting against each other, or helping a fellow Agent against a tough Rogue player.

In The Division 2 Warlords of New York, the players’ level cap will increase from Level 30 to Level 40, but it doesn’t stop there. The Division 2 Warlords of New York is also introducing an infinite progression system, the SHD level, and 4 new skills that can be used throughout the game. Owners of the expansion will also get access to new gear and new weapons.

Introducing Seasons, including Leagues and the Return of Global Events

The expansion will also introduce a new post-launch philosophy: Seasons – a 3-month-long themed endgame event with a new main target and his network to track down, introducing them at a regular pace, each with their own stories and unique rewards. The first season begins one week after the release of The Division 2 Warlords of New York. In addition to the Seasonal Manhunt, Seasons will offer new in-game activities. 

Leagues are a series of challenges for players with opportunities to unlock rewards based on players’ ability to complete these challenges.  Players will also see the return of Global Events, time-limited in-game events during which a global modifier is applied to the entire game and players will be rewarded by completing specific tasks.

During each Season, players will grow their Season level to unlock various rewards by participating in the various seasonal activities or even simply playing the game. Players interested in collecting additional rewards can acquire a Season Pass.

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Title Update 6 highlights the biggest title update to date for players of Tom Clancy’s The Division 2, featuring “Episode 2 – Pentagon: The Last Castle”, a variety of game improvements and a new Conflict PvP mode. Episode 2 is available for Year 1 Pass holders and UPLAY+ subscribers today (October 22nd for all players). All changes and improvements, as well as the new mode, are available for all players today.

The latest episode in The Division 2’s Year 1 free content plan features escalation in Washington D.C. for Division Agents, as Black Tusk forces continue to wreak havoc around the city. In Episode 2, players must fight to solve the ongoing outbreak crisis. It will be up to Agents to uncover the secrets inside the Pentagon before it falls into the hands of The Black Tusk.

Content featured in “Episode 2 – Pentagon: The Last Castle” includes:

Two New Main Missions

At the beginning of Episode 2, players will investigate a transmission from a fellow Agent scouting the Pentagon for the perfusion bioreactor. Securing the bioreactor would allow Agents to replicate the antiviral samples recovered at Tidal Basin. Agents must navigate flood damage and Black Tusk forces to take back The Last Castle. After securing their safe house, players will be able to access the two replayable main missions of Episode 2.

• First Main Mission – Pentagon: Agents will discover the location of the perfusion bioreactor inside the Pentagon’s underground research facility. The Black Tusk have already infiltrated the lab and are attempting to extract the reactor.
• Second Main Mission – DARPA Research Labs: Players must make their way through the Pentagon and into the DARPA Labs, as the Black Tusk are in the process of transporting the perfusion bioreactor through an abandoned Cold War tunnel network.

New “Technician” Specialisation

From October 15^th, Year 1 Pass holders and UPLAY+ subscribers will instantly unlock the Technician Specialisation. Players who do not own the Year 1 Pass can unlock the specialisation by completing a series of objectives. Additional rewards, including a signature weapon skin, are also available once the specialisation is unlocked. The latest specialisation includes:

• Signature Weapon: P-017 Launcher – a multi-missile launcher. Agents can lock-on and hit up to six enemies (depending on available ammo). With a simple push of a button, six missiles are unleashed to seek out their targets.
• Sidearm: Maxim 9
• Skill Variant: Artificer Hive
• Grenade Mod: EMP Grenade

Classified Assignments (Exclusive only to Year 1 Pass holders and UPLAY+ subscribers) Agents can take on two new Classified Assignments at a Boathouse and Embassy.

• Marina: Outcasts have been moving weapons and supplies into a boathouse on the Potomac River, which was used as a transport depot during the outbreak to move assets to the Potomac Center and Roosevelt Island. Agents must investigate and seize all the weapons they can find.
• Embassy: A Joint Task Force helicopter filled with supplies was shot down by the Outcasts and crashed through the roof of the Mexican Embassy in America’s capital. Agents will be tasked to locate the helicopter rescue the pilot and secure the supplies before the Outcasts get there.

The latest title update also brings an unprecedented number of fixes and improvements, as well as a brand new PvP mode. 

Major Fixes and Improvements

Players will see significant game improvements in The Division 2 from today. These improvements were developed thanks to community feedback on game forums and following last month’s Elite Task Force workshop, during which community members visited Ubisoft Massive studio in Malmö, Sweden to share thoughts and ideas about the game. Fixes and improvements include:

• Targeted Loot
• Named Items overhauled
• Crafting Changes
• Recalibration Changes
• Filled Brands
• Inventory Management 2.0
• Increased stash space
• Rebalance of talents and weapons
• Dark Zone Server Transfers
• Updated Thieves’ Den Vendor
• Dark Zone Supply Drops Changes
• Occupied Dark Zone Ambushes
• Normalization in Dark Zone changes
• Conflict: Loadout Selection during map voting
• Bonus armor visualization increased
• Conflict: End of Match Rewards changes
• Stored tutorials

As part of Ubisoft’s commitment to the overall fixes and improvements to the game, The Division 2’s second raid will be delayed. The additional time allows the development team to focus on the overall quality of The Division 2 while developing a raid that will better meet the standards of its players.

New Conflict PvP Mode

The new Team Elimination PvP mode pits two teams of four into a best-of-seven round battle. Rounds will end once an entire team has been eliminated or time has expired. Team Elimination provides a teamwork focused tactical experience for players. Team Elimination takes effect today.

New map: The “Wharf”

The new map ‘Wharf’ is on par with previous PvP maps in terms of size and takes players to an abandoned fishing harbour. It offers tactical gameplay opportunities, through flanking routes and raised positions. 

Free Weekend

Players who have not yet had a chance to play The Division 2 will have the opportunity to try the game for free between October 17^th-20^th. In addition, Tom Clancy’s The Division 2 will be on sale later this month, allowing players to continue the adventure at a discounted price. Those who purchase the game after the Free Weekend will keep their progression.

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Ch-CH-CHAANGES in The Division 2!!

Some of the major changes included in TU6 will address loot, re-calibration, and balance certain gear/weapons. Agents who have reached World Tier 5 will be most affected, and glad, of the loot changes. Targeted loot will now be a thing, with the World Tier 5 map now having “loot areas”. For example, suppose you’re farming for a specific Assault Rifle. There could be a mission, map area, or DZ designated for Assault Rifles. That means that boss enemies, or mission completions there, will always drop Assault Rifles. This removes a large part of the random-ness of farming for loot. Ultimately we will now be better able to build out agents to our liking, instead of relying on ropey RNG.

Visible here are the loot areas; highlighting gear or weapon types to be farmed.

Also included in the patch will be tweaks to the Dark Zone, namely removing normalization, and aiming for fuller servers. The most vocal critics of The Division 2 Dark Zones have focused on the normalization system. This system was a new addition for The Division 2, and sought to, essentially, balance the PvP aspect of the Dark Zones, thereby making them fairer. It’s not a system that worked particularity well however and detracted from agents min/maxing their builds. Essentially the developers seem to be aiming for what a Dark Zone should be: dangerous, challenging, and rewarding. In addition to the PvP DZ changes, there is also a new ambush system. Agents calling in an evac may now find the extraction chopper dropping Black Tusk soldiers instead of a rope.

All the gear and no idea-r!

Crafting and recalibration have been overhauled. Thankfully, the amount of resources required for both has been lowered. Compounded to increased storage space for materials, this will make recalibrating your favorite gear pieces much less of a chore. Sick of enemies dropping materials you’ve been full-on for months? Well, that’s been addressed also, and it will never happen again! Huzzah!

It’s been 6 solid months since The Division 2 released, and the updates have been fairly consistent. While old-school Division 1 die-hards will cry “This game is broken”, objective players have praised the games launch and subsequent support. Title Update 6 will launch alongside Episode 2, which is a direct follow-up to July’s Episode 1. The narrative for Episode 2 remains under lock and key, however. However we do know that new missions will take us inside the Pentagon, and a new Raid beckons. You can check out the full list of Patch Notes here, or read our complete coverage of The Division 2.

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Tom Clancy’s The Division 2 is available on the Xbox One family of devices including the Xbox One X, PlayStation 4 and PC. The game will also launch on the new generation gaming platform, Stadia.

Episode 1 – D.C. Outskirts: Expeditions is part of the game’s Year 1 free content plan, and takes the fight outside the streets of Washington D.C. The episode features new locations to explore and picks up where the story leaves off after the final boss at Tidal Basin.

Players will be taken to the surrounding areas of Washington D.C. in two new main missions and a new game experience where players will investigate the fate of a lost convoy, encountering unexpected threats along the way. Players can look forward to the following content in Episode 1 – D.C. Outskirts: Expeditions:

• Two New Main Missions come to Tom Clancy’s The Division 2

  • Camp White Oak: Division Agents stage a well-planned attack into the presidential compound, as they seek to bring the now-traitor President Andrew Ellis to justice.
  • Manning National Zoo: Emeline Shaw, leader of the Outcasts, fled after her defeat in D.C. and is now held up at the Zoo regaining strength. Agents are on the hunt to eliminate Shaw, nipping the Outcasts’ reawakening in the bud.

• New experience: Expeditions

  • In this new experience, players enter Kenly College, where contact has been lost with a military convoy full of vital supplies. When they receive what appears to be a final broadcast, they form an expedition to find any surviving members in need of rescue. Expeditions will be split in three different wings for players to complete. Each wing will have a specific theme and tone, to be released on a week-by-week basis. Completing all three wings grants access to an exclusive treasure room full of rewards.

• New Weapons and Gear: Players can obtain:
  • One exotic weapon: Diamondback Rifle
  • One exotic gear: BTSU Datagloves
  • Two weapons: Stoner LMG and Carbine 7
• Classified Assignments: Agents can take on two new classified assignments in Washington’s Central Aquarium and NSA Site B13 (Exclusive only to Year 1 Pass holders).

Alongside new content, Episode 1 will also bring game updates based on player feedback:

·         New Discovery Difficulty setting for the “Operation Dark Hours” Raid

o   The new Discovery Difficulty setting, along with its corresponding matchmaking option, will allow more players to experience The Division 2 in its entirety. While Operation Dark Hours Exotic loot remains exclusive to the Normal difficulty setting, Agents playing the Discovery Difficulty can expect a variety of great rewards, while training for the Normal Difficulty.

·         Crafting improvements

o   Players can now craft their gear up until Gear Score 500 and share blueprints across characters. Additionally, crafted weapons can now be recalibrated.

·         Weapons balancing and skills buff

o   As part of the ongoing updates to answer community feedback, awaited balance and buffs will be added to the next title update.

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Working on the next #SplinterCell with @danhaynow and @romcamor in #Lyon.
Can’t wait for #E3.
Crossover with #TheCrew2 with @_fergus_
Only missing @GhostRecon and @Rainbow6Game – but on their way.#FarCry#ForHonor #TheDivision2 #RainbowSixSiege #GhostRecon pic.twitter.com/oiwMPTny9Y

— Julian Gerighty (@jgerighty) May 14, 2019

Turns out him and two of the other studio heads hit the old vino a bit too hard! Since retracted, the statement has gotten legs, and mainstream gaming media jumped all over it. Poor Julian, he has since followed up, stating “I may be in trouble“. This morning he tweeted inquiring how to delete a tweet, “Asking for a friend“. Funny stuff indeed. As it stands, Ubisoft have since confirmed there is no new Splinter Cell in development.

Title Update 3

These three amigos were most likely celebrating this weeks major update for The Division 2. Title Update 3 went live Tuesday 14th May, with the Raids update being released Thursday 16th. The full patch notes for Title Update 3 are available here, but I shall summarize the most important aspects for you:

• Classified Assignments – Exclusive to Year One Pass owners, this content adds new missions and backpack trophies.
• Removed certain commendations for consecutive days played
• Added five new commendations
• Increased the base cap for Receiver Components and Protective Fabric crafting materials by 200
• Inaya al-Khaliq in the Base of Operation is now a Crafting Vendor, added Blueprints to her stock
• All exotic items upgraded through crafting will get the maximum Gear Score of the current crafting bench tier.
• Optimized certain Gear attributes
• Increased ammunition drop chance from enemy NPCs
• Dark Zone contaminated loot does not drop below player’s average Gear Score and will guarantee Gear Score 500 when the player has reached 500 Gear Score.
• Loot now skews more towards the top end of its allowed Gear Score, resulting in fewer items below a player’s average Gear Score, and items that do drop below it will be closer to that average more often.
• After completing missions, players may opt to look at an activity summary showcasing their performance in that activity and allowing an expanded look at a variety of detailed statistics.

Operation Dark Hour

Following on from Title Update 3, we will also get our first raid this week. Operation Dark Hour will release on Thursday 16th May, at 4pm GMT. This new content will be available for free to all owners of The Division 2. Playable online in groups of up to 8, Operation Dark Hour will be a lengthy PvE mission, unlocked at Gear Score 500. Essentially you will have the game competed, and be in World Tier 5 before the raid is open. It seems an excellent addition to the game, and PvE players should delight in this new challenge. Operation Dark Hour also brings the following new additions:

• New Apparel Event – Dark Hours
• Added Operation Dark Hours Achievement / Trophy.
• Added new Commendations for Operation Dark Hours.

There’s a lot of content here for players to delve through two months after the games release. Splinter Cell goof aside, Ubisoft/Massive are making a tremendous effort in delivering quality content to players. Naturally, I will be diving back in to The Division 2 to murder my way through Operation Dark Hour. No less than these Black Tusk deserve!

Stay tuned to GamEir for a full feature on Title Update 3 and Operation Dark Hour next week. You may also converse with us on Twitter (@gam_eir), Facebook (@GamEir), and Instagram (@GamEir). Check out our videos on Twitch (GamEir) and YouTube (GamEir) and we’ll give you all the latest content!

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Continuing from yesterday, we now conclude with the Dark Zone, and the PvP mode, Conflict.

How I could just kill a man

The Dark Zone meanwhile, occupies three fenced off areas on the city outskirts. Each DZ is aimed at different player levels, so pay attention to that before venturing in. Not as foreboding as you imagine, they are good places to bag loot. Kit and equipment there being of a better than average range for your level. There are introduction/tutorial missions for the DZ before you get let loose, and these serve to ease us into proceedings. From a PvE standpoint, the DZs can actually be a breeze. the missions within involve clearing landmarks within the area. There are Normal, Hard, and Challenge difficulties for each landmark. The higher the difficulty, the more enemies, incentivised, of course, by more loot. I would recommend each player hit the DZ at your earliest opportunity. You’ll be surprised by how easy it is to gain quality gear, from fairly standard enemies.

When tha sh*t goes down ya better be ready

The flip side of the DZ is, naturally, the PvP element. Immoral, or amoral, agents, can make the choice to go “Rogue”. A choice which leads to stealing loot, or ambushing and murdering other Division agents. “Ganking”, I believe is the preferred term. As a normal Division Agent, you may pick up contaminated loot within the DZ, which must be evacced by helicopter. Doing so will alert all agents active in the DZ. A drop of blood in the water, which, brings in the sharks. Individual agents, entire squads, will lurk in the DZ, waiting for opportunities like this. That’s what makes the game-play so damn tense in there. It is genuinely exciting, waiting on that evac. Crucially, other agents won’t appear on your radar, so keeping an eye on your surrounds is vital.

You, of course, could also side with the sharks. With a simple button hold, you may disavow your Division comrades. A timer will appear on your screen, which is your cool down as a Rogue agent. If you survive until the timer runs down, you revert to being a good guy again. Sounds like it’s more fun to be the shark right? No downside? Not quite. Other agents will be notified of your turning rogue. And they, in turn, may seek to hunt you down. The hunter may become the hunted, to coin that old phrase.

A hollow point shell’s hard ta swallow

Lastly, we have the Conflict. A pure PvP mode, this exists to scratch that murder itch, without feeling bad afterward. Teams of up to 8 will duke it out in a selection of city arenas. These all take place removed from the main game. The Conflict mode isn’t as strongly sold as the campaign or DZ, but it is definitely worth your time. Stats will be normalized, so your level shouldn’t, in theory, matter too much. But all told, I wouldn’t bother until you’re at max level. This is due to how gear is normalized online in Tom Clancy’s The Division 2, which will often lead to lower end gear not standing at all in PvP.

There are two modes in Conflict: Domination, and Skirmish. Skirmish being the deathmatch style game, whereas Domination is about defending key points. The lure of Conflict is, as you can probably guess, the loot. You will get loot caches for completing matches, with the number and quality being determined by your performance. The problem with Conflict is that it never feels necessary. That, and it can often take time to find a match, even this soon after launch. It could serve as a good place to hone your PvP skills, so as not to get too brutally punished in the Dark Zone. But it still felt a little tacked on to me. I think most PvPers will spend their days in the Dark Zone, as that’s where the most fun is to be had.

Hot damn I didn’t want to kill a man

Ultimately I’m viewing Tom Clancy’s The Division 2 as a PvE looter shooter with PvP elements. I’ve stated previously how, before playing the Beta earlier this year I wasn’t really bothered with the franchise. Now, two months later, and I’m a full on fanboy. The Division 2 has an inspiring amount of content, with the Black Tusk Invasion nearly doubling the campaign length. A game which was only two years in development launched so smoothly and had free DLC out in month one. That’s rarely heard of in this day and age. Hardcore fans will contend the issues surrounding stat normalization online, but the devs seem genuine in their efforts to address all reported issues. They engage with fans on social media, and they drop everything when a major issue arises. For example, one week after launch, they focused down one major issue and patched it out within hours.

As for the future, Massive has already laid out their road-map for Tom Clancy’s The Division 2. Raids have been pushed back, unfortunately. This seems in conjunction with a push towards more balancing for online play. While another Public Test Server has been announced for PC soon. This has become a double-edged sword for Massive. Players are asking for better balancing, but others gripe that they must dump all their builds after each update. I can empathize here. It’s a frustrating experience grinding towards a specific build, only to see your preferred weapon or talent being nerfed. Ideally, Massive will find a system and stick to it. Of course, either way I’ll still be blasting fools.

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Given the hours needed to fully delve into The Division 2, I’ve split the review into two parts. The first, focused solely on the single-player campaign, and the follow-up, which will deal with end game content, dark zones and multiplayer.

It’s been 5 hours since I last set foot on friendly territory. I’ve been waging war on two fronts; one side against maniacal Hyenas, the other against despotic militia men, the True Sons. A trail of destruction lays in my wake. Former enemy strong points littered with corpses, thousands of shell casings scattered along the ground. The city block is deathly silent… A voice rings out. Tinny, distant. Sounds like a speaker. A chill goes up my spine. I already know the nature of this broadcast. The Hyenas have been holding public executions on the streets of Washington DC. Innocent people brutally put to death. Guess these boys hadn’t heard there’s a new sheriff in town. Best go introduce myself… Welcome to Tom Clancy’s The Division 2.

And I looked, and behold, a pale horse…

In Tom Clancy’s The Division 2, you will be an absolute badass. A nonspeaking, unflinching, gun toting, ball cap wearing, dealer of death. Wave after wave of enemy soldiers will fall before your never-ending, high velocity, armour piercing, fury. Be it by well-aimed sniper rounds, precision-placed explosives, or bullet-hose machine guns, you will stand atop piles of enemy corpses, triumphant. Were they all bad? Were their hearts truly evil? We shall never know. All we know is the kill.

If you’re looking for context amongst all this slaughter, you’ll have to search for it. Narratively speaking Tom Clancy’s The Division 2 is basically Tom Clancy’s The Division. Although the setting has moved from New York to Washington DC, and the game takes place 6 months after the first, we are never given enough depth to empathise with the city’s remaining inhabitants. Our nameless, voiceless, agent, will carry out missions to aid the various friendly settlements around DC. In doing so, we also push back the enemy gangs and make safe the streets again. The keen-eyed agent, will, along the way, discover various collectible intel, which is where the player learns most of the game’s plot. It is worth sifting through the collected items, however, as the material can be well written, and features solid voice acting.

…and his name that sat on him was Death.

Mechanically I can’t fault The Division 2. Character movement is smooth and responsive, the various weapons feel appropriately weighted when running and gunning, and the cover system rarely frustrates. In fact, it’s a game of cover or die. Exposing your agent to even 2 seconds of incoming fire will lead to a rapid depletion in body armour. A new addition for the franchise, body armour is now your agents first line of physical defense, before their squishy health bar. Consequently, you can carry several spare body armor kits, which can be used to fix up depleted armour mid-mission. This leads to some nice organic tension, hiding beneath a hail of fire, desperately trying to armour re-up before the enemies take advantage. The loot drops meanwhile, which have been the downfall of recent looter shooters (Anthem), are varied, and feel genuinely rewarding.

Character customisation operates at the level we’ve come to expect from modern titles. By that I mean that options are plentiful, and you can mould your operator to your liking. The parameters for customization are all within reason however, and you won’t be creating any ethereal monstrosities. When it comes to evolving your protagonist, levelling up falls into two main categories: skills and perks. Skills are technology based abilities. These can be used an infinite number of times, although some come with lengthy cooldown timers. Perks are permanent character boosts, that add an extra dimension to levelling up. These can include weapon improvements, increased carrying capacity, or XP boosts.

Compounded to all these character options are the base management features. Along your journey you will discover and aid various new settlements, and, through missions, upgrade them. This all follows a fairly linear path, but it does give much needed meaning to the whole “Go there, kill those guys” dynamic.

and Hell followed with him.

Although I have stated before I preferred the New York setting ahead of Washington DC (I’ve always favoured winter over summer), that doesn’t mean the actual environments are worse. In fact, they are much improved. No two levels will really feel the same. There are stand out instances in the American History Museum, the downed wreckage of Air Force One, and of course, an assault on Capitol Hill. Even the much-maligned side missions have become interesting, and fun to play.

We can commend Massive/Ubisoft on how smoothly the launch of The Division 2 has been. A large initial update aside(40+ gig), most people have encountered very few problems in-game. In my 30 hours or so, I was booted from the game only once, while never having login issues. There are some glitches, however, and this will probably vary case by case. I’ve witnessed assets(including enemies) popping in, random character movement glitches, and some erratic loss of sound. But in all my time, these instances can be counted without taking my socks off and didn’t dent my enjoyment too much.

And power was given unto them…

“How about them guns though?” There are loads of them, and they feel well balanced, and as previously stated, weighty. Effectively this means that enemies will be affected by rounds impacting them. The effect is even specific to where you hit them, and what caliber of round you’re firing. Similarly, even the heavily armored “bullet-sponge” enemy types, can have their armour stripped in specific points, giving you bullet-access to the soft flesh underneath!

Levels do matter. Tackling a mission one level above your own can lead to a tumultuous challenge, go two up, and you’ll most likely be ganked. It’s a similar situation with weapon and kit levels; utilising gear below your character level will lead to reduced success. Again this is where the balancing of the game is well executed; the challenge stays consistent throughout.

For the love of Pete wrap it up already!

It’s safe to say I’ve thoroughly enjoyed my time with The Division 2. I will further cover the online aspects in another article, but, taken as a single player campaign game, The Division 2 is leading the pack for 2019. There’s a lot of depth and variety to the missions, the loot is interesting, and rewarding, while the mechanics leave nothing to be desired. I would like a more worthwhile connection with the NPCs, and the narrative is somewhat lacking. However these problems never really spoiled my fun. I’m all about the body count.

Stay tuned to GamEir for the follow-up article, where I’ll be delving into End-Game and online content for The Division 2. If you’re interested, you can also converse with us on Twitter (@gam_eir), Facebook (@GamEir), and Instagram (@GamEir). Check out our videos on Twitch (GamEir) and YouTube (GamEir) and we’ll give you all the latest content.

The post A Review in Progress: Tom Clancy’s The Division 2 – Campaign appeared first on GamEir.

Empire State of Mind

There was somewhat of a moral quandary present in The Division. The New York set original saw players patrol snow-covered streets as a titular Division agent. During my time in-game I remember coming across a pair of ruffians rummaging the pockets of a corpse. Upon laying my crosshairs on them, the reticle turned red, which, as we gamers know, means I’m compelled to light them up. Therein lay my problem; I never knew whether these men had actually committed any crime, yet I was obliged by the game to gun them down. I even recall one of them turning to flee, and, without hesitation, I put several holes in his back. Now the game never proffered any moral dilemma, they were just taken to be bad guys, and being put to death is their natural treatment.

This moral ambiguity is completely removed from The Division 2. The street thugs have been replaced with Mad Max-style villains. Nameless, faceless goons, who are rotten to the core. Therefore we have no problem mowing them down because they are treated as less than human. They’ve even been named “Hyenas”, to further compound this fact.

United we stand

Of course, this lack of moral questioning will probably have no effect on your time cleaning up Washington DC in The Division 2. And while I preferred the Winter/New York setting of the original, The Division 2 has caught me in its net.

You see, it’s the story behind the story that I find most interesting. The small pieces of collectible info you pick up on your travels; a glimpse into life, before and during the virus having ravaged the US capital. Sure, the crux of the game is grabbing cover, and laying waste to innumerable Hyenas, collecting fancy loot along the way. But the devil is in the detail, as they say, and in The Division 2, these details create the necessary pathos, in what otherwise would be a vacuous looter-shooter.

Divided We fall

The Division 2 is available now for on Xbox One, PS4, and Windows PC. Ubisoft has already laid out a year one plan for DLC, and the best stuff (Raids) will actually be available for free. No matter what your platform, expect a 40 plus gig download before you can suit up. Some PS4 owners apparently had 90 gig or so to download. There have been a couple of server updates already, but in my 10 hours of playtimes, I’ve encountered only one server issue, having been booted from a multiplayer game randomly. The online matchmaking has been working smoothly, and I’ve had several enjoyable encounters co-oping tough missions with random players. I have, however, also witnessed several graphical issues. These include, but aren’t limited to, enemy groups popping into existence, environment pop-in, and particle effects turning 2d.

The Washington DC environment feels suitably huge. Nearly all of my 10 hours have been in one single corner of the city, the “starting area” if you will. I’m looking forward to the much-vaunted Endgame content that Ubisoft has promised, but for now, I’m taking my time with the main story. You can expect a full review of The Division 2 soon at GamEir. For a quick look at the features of the game, you can check out the video below.

The post Tom Clancy’s The Division 2 – Early Impressions appeared first on GamEir.

The experience will take users into the world of The Division 2, and is now available across Europe, Middle East, and Asia territories. Users can access The Division 2 Echo experience on their mobile by following this link.

Accessible through a dedicated application available exclusively on Messenger, The Division 2 Echo experience allows fans to dig deeper into the game narrative.

Through more than 50 different stories, users will discover the everyday lives of the civilians of Washington D.C. seven months after the virus outbreak that hit New York City. Multiple Points of Interest such as grocery stores, schools, gas stations or banks, can be found in each of the cities integrating the experience. Users will be provided their location coordinates thanks to an integrated GPS.

While users unlock The Division 2 Echo stories they will collect exclusive rewards and in-game items that will automatically be unlocked when The Division 2 launches via the Ubisoft Club.

The post The Division 2 Echo experience is coming appeared first on GamEir.