If there was one thing that was abundantly clear during our E3 demo of Tom Clancy's The Division 2 it's that there's a ton of content, even after you reach the level cap. Dropped into the shoes of a fully leveled-up Agent, we were able to explore the new world of The Division 2, experiment with the game-changing Specializations, and see just how deep the endgame rabbit hole goes. And "deep" certainly describes the new, more robust endgame which allow you to continue progressing and customizing your character long after you reach level 30. It's clear that the developers want to provide each player with a unique experience, not just in terms of character progression, but through the new setting as well.
The most immediately striking thing about The Division 2's recreation of Washington, D.C. is just how different it looks and feels compared to New York City. DC is the most heavily protected city in the country, so seeing it enveloped in chaos and disorder while fighting in the shadow of the Capitol Building feels surreal. Where the original game had you fighting through the corridor-like streets of snowy Manhattan, the sequel ¬– set seven months after the events of the first game – places you in a hot and humid DC in the middle of summer.
The nation's capital is much more open and architecturally diverse than midtown Manhattan, and with a map 20% larger than New York City, the development team is able to showcase a variety of DC's unique districts. These districts aren't just aesthetically different; they provide different gameplay experiences as well. For example, the suburbs of Georgetown offer up incredibly long sightlines, while the National Mall provides tons of flat open space so that Agents can approach their objectives from any angle.
Our time with the game placed us near the National Mall, in the shoes of a fully leveled-up Agent. The demo highlighted the deep RPG mechanics at play; not only were our Agents strong, but they each looked very different. The Division 2 wants you to highlight your achievements by letting you show them off with the coolest in-game swag, making sure an endgame Agent looks much more seasoned than someone just starting the campaign.
Once you hit the level-30 cap, you'll be able to select a Specialization. These Specializations will equip you with a powerful signature weapon that will allow you to alter the way you play the game and help you further distinguish your Division Agent. The team unveiled the first three Specializations at E3: the Sharpshooter's signature weapon is a .50 caliber sniper rifle that allows you to surgically pick off enemies from long range, and can one-shot nearly all normal enemies. The Demolitionist comes with a grenade launcher that excels at dealing massive chunks of damage to heavily armored enemies, and enemies grouped closely together. Finally, the Survivalist carries a deadly crossbow capable of firing incendiary bolts.
These Specializations certainly came in handy in our demo, in which four of us were tasked with capturing a site near a downed aircraft inhabited by one of the game's many enemy factions, the True Sons. These no-good vagrants will do their best to outflank and overwhelm you with sheer force. One encounter saw our team focusing all our attention on a particularly strong, heavily armored enemy. While our attention was focused on him, a couple of True Son snipers wrapped around behind us and began dealing massive damage. While it's bad enough to be flanked by snipers, getting flanked by one of the new foam-spewing enemies can be even worse. These baddies can lock you in place by covering you in a near-instant-drying foam, which makes you easy fodder for anyone to pick off and requires the help of your allies to break you out. Luckily, Washington DC's open environments allow you to position yourself from any angle to get the drop on hostiles. Sneak up on an enemy group or divert their attention, and your four-person Agent team can attack them from all sides simultaneously.
This type of coordination and communication will be crucial when playing in co-op, and is only further emphasized in the endgame. As you and your squadmates pick Specializations, you'll start to work together in brand new ways. When a second heavily armored adversary showed up, we were able to inflict a huge amount of damage quickly by switching over to our signature weapons and coordinating our attacks.
In addition to signature weapons, you'll be able to help your teammates with unique skills, a few of which can really change the tide of a battle. Showcased at E3 were an automated flying drone that you can sic on your foes, a chem cloud that releases flammable gas (which can be ignited by any teammate to deal tons of area-of-effect damage), and a deployable "hive" that locks on and shoots a barrage of bullets at a nearby enemy.
All of these customization options work in tandem so that your squad can complement each other's strengths and weakness. Nowhere is that coordination more important than when you double the size of a normal Division squad and take yourself and seven of your most trusted Agents into the all new eight-player raids. The most challenging of all endgame content, raids will test the ability of all eight team members to work together in order to survive. The raids will all present unique storylines and gameplay challenges that reward you with the best and most rare loot.
Agents looking to get hands-on as early as possible can register for the upcoming beta now at thedivisiongame.com/beta. The Division 2 launches on March 15 for Xbox One, PS4, and PC.
