Greetings Agents!
As we move towards the Open Beta and the launch of Tom Clancy's The Division 2, we want to offer you a deeper look at our first year of free content as well as our in-game monetization. Let's dive in!
Year 1 Content: Episodes and Specializations
In Tom Clancy's The Division 2, we are focused on offering you an exciting endgame experience on Day One. What's more, we are committed to bring you more content regularly, that we believe will improve and renew your experience every time you spawn in Washington D.C. To that end, we will release three Episodes during the course of Year 1, expanding on the story of The Division 2. These Episodes will introduce new narrative driven content, as well as new ways to play the game. This additional content will be free for all players of The Division 2. Alongside the Episodes we will also release three brand new Specializations for you to take on Washington's challenges in a new way, each of them bringing a new unique signature weapon and skills tree to unlock and master.
Check out our Year 1 trailer now to find out more about our post-launch content, as well as a first exclusive glimpse into our upcoming 8-player Raid:
- The first Episode, D.C. Outskirts: Expeditions will take you to the surrounding areas of Washington as you chase down elite members of the Outcasts and the Black Tusks and fight for the liberation of the city in new locations.
- The second Episode, Pentagon: The Last Castle will bring you to one of America's most iconic locations to unveil what secrets lie inside this well protected maze.
- Our third Episode will conclude Year 1 of The Division 2 and pave the way for more thrilling content.
Of course, we will also regularly update the game with Quality of Life improvements, bug fixes, new events, loot, cosmetics and much more.
Year 1 Pass
For our most dedicated players, we will also release the Year 1 Pass, allowing you to get more of The Division 2, sooner. Year 1 Pass holders will receive several exclusive content detailed below.
The Year 1 Pass includes the following additional content:
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7-Day Early Access to Episode Narrative Content
- Owners of the Pass will have a 7-day early access to the narrative content only, included in all Year 1 Episodes.
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Instant unlock of the Year 1 Specializations
- At launch, The Division 2 will include three Specializations, instantly available to everyone when reaching max level (Level 30).
- Throughout Year 1, we will release three additional Specializations for your agent. Year 1 Pass holders will unlock these new specializations as soon as they're released.
- For those who do not have the Year 1 Pass, specializations will be released at the same time, but must be unlocked over time through gameplay.
- Year 1 Pass holders will also be able to earn exclusive cosmetic items with each Specialization's release.
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Exclusive Access to Classified Assignments
- Over the course of Year 1, Pass holders will have exclusive access to 8 Classified Assignments, which will provide more story behind the events leading to your arrival in D.C.
- Completing each assignment will award you with a unique and exclusive backpack trophy to customize your Agent's look.
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Additional Bounties and Projects
- Bounties in The Division 2 are special tasks to eliminate specific enemy targets, while Projects are assignments to complete various tasks around D.C.
- As a Year 1 Pass holder, you will get access to one additional Bounty per week and one extra Project per day for a Challenging mission.
- This perk ends on March 1st, 2020.
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Exclusive Cosmetic Items
- Year 1 Pass holders will get access to these exclusive rewards: the Agent Ward Outfit and the Scout emote.
You can get the Year 1 Pass with the Gold or Ultimate Editions.
The Year 1 Pass will also become available as a separate purchase when the game launches.
Post-Launch Monetization
Our overall monetization philosophy is that purchasable items should always be optional to the player.
At launch there will be two ways to purchase additional content for The Division 2.
- First and foremost is the Year 1 Pass, lined out in detail above.
- Secondly, we have the in-game Apparel Store, where players are able to directly purchase cosmetic items for purchasable Premium Credits. This option exists for those who wish to know exactly what they are buying and are looking to acquire a specific cosmetic item.
Shortly after launch we will be adding the first purchasable Apparel Caches. These Caches will contain cosmetics only: no weapons, crafting materials or other gear. Acquiring a Cache will never provide any type of advantage.
Our intention is for players to organically earn new pieces of Apparel as they enjoy the many different activities of The Division 2; getting cosmetics from gameplay should be fun, exciting and rewarding. For those who wish to speed up this process, or acquire specific Apparel, there will be choices to directly purchase individual cosmetics in the Apparel Store, or via Event Caches post launch.
FAQ
Will Year 1 pass holders receive any gameplay advantage over other players?
Our intention is to allow all players an even playing field. Year 1 Pass holders will receive certain content like early access to Episodes and additional narrative experiences in Classified Assignments.
Raids, new weapons, gear and other gameplay-affecting post launch additions will be available to all players at the same time.
Won't instant access to new Specializations allow Year 1 pass holders gameplay advantage?
Specializations are unique and powerful with abilities and specialized weapons tailored to specific playstyles. When in skilled hands, these can turn the tide of battle. Though Year 1 Pass owners will have the benefit of instant access to new specializations, all players will be able to unlock them over time through gameplay. They will have different strengths and weaknesses, and appeal to different playstyles and tactical situations. Those who choose not to unlock new specializations via the Year 1 Pass or gameplay will still have access to the original three: Sharpshooter, Survivalist, and Demolitionist, and these will offer the same tier of power as new specializations.
In the Ultimate Edition, you are able to unlock extra spaces in your stash early in the game. Will additional stash space slots be monetized in the future?
No, stash space will not be monetized. If the available stash size becomes an issue affecting the game experience as we add more gear with new updates, we will of course take the necessary measures, for free.
To clarify, how many stash slots are available to players, and how many additional slots are provided to players who purchase the Ultimate Edition?
In general, players will start with 50 slots in the game. This stash space can be increased through 3 upgrade steps as perks by spending SHD Tech which they can accumulate from playing the game. These upgrade steps unlock 20, 30 and 50 slots respectively. This means that all players can get a total of 150 slots. The last upgrade step of 50 slots can only be unlocked when the player is level 30. Players who own the Ultimate Edition are awarded this final upgrade step from the beginning of the game, which means they will have a strong and convenient head start with 100 stash space slots at level 1, without having to spend any SHD Tech. Furthermore, it costs more SHD Tech to purchase this TIER 3 upgrade step of 50 slots than most perks which gives Ultimate Edition players the benefit to spend their valuable SHD Tech elsewhere.
What about cosmetic items? How can I obtain them?
As you play the game, you will frequently acquire cosmetic items through Apparel Caches. Shortly after launch, there will also be time-limited Events. Those come with a dedicated Cache, which can be both earned through gameplay or purchased.
Are there more than one type of Apparel Cache?
Currently we have two categories of Apparel Caches planned. For simplicity's sake, let us refer to them as Standard and Event in this article.
How do the different Apparel Caches work?
Standard Apparel Caches are the bread and butter of our cosmetics system, containing a large assortment of different cosmetics. All Standard Caches drop items from the same "standard pool" of cosmetics. These can be obtained via playing the game and completing different activities in the world, and cannot be purchased.
Event Caches appear for a limited time, and will contain a new and unique pool of cosmetics. Once this time-limited vanity event is over, these items will typically be added to the standard pool and thus attainable in Standard Caches. Event Caches can be earned via playing the game and completing activities during the event, as well as be purchased with Premium Credits.**
Can I get duplicate items in my Apparel Caches?
Event Caches will not contain duplicate items. This means there is a finite number of Event Caches to acquire (through gameplay or purchase) in order to attain said Event's full Apparel offering.
Our acquired through gameplay only Standard Caches may contain duplicate items. When this happens, players will instead be rewarded with partial progress towards their next Cache.
What are the drop rates like?
The drop rate is flat across all items in the Apparel Caches pool and items of higher quality have the same chance to dropping as items of lower quality. As an example: if you acquire an Event crate with 100 possible items, every item would have an equal drop chance of 1% regardless of their quality.*
Can I see what's inside a Cache?
For Event Caches, there will be a preview list of the items available inside. As drop rates are flat, you will be able to predict your chances of getting the item you want.
This preview list will not be available for Standard Caches, as these contain a large and ever growing pool of items with no time limitation for players to acquire.
What is the expected duration and cadence of Events?
Event timings will be based on a wide set of factors and is not something we can communicate in detail at this time. Stay tuned for the first time limited Event shortly after launch of The Division 2!
These are our current plans for Tom Clancy's The Division 2. We would love to hear your feedback, questions and thoughts on this matter, so please join us on our forums or Tweet our way with #AskTheDivision2! Remember to follow us on Twitter, Facebook, Twitch and Mixer for the latest news and information about Tom Clancy's The Division 2.
Thank you, Agents, and see you in Washington, D.C. soon!