I really liked the first Division game from its setting to the story. Most of all I really enjoyed how Ubisoft supported the game post release, responding to criticism of lack of content and issues with end game quality of life issues throughout the three years since launch. DLC and changes to the gear system really showed how the developer team responded to player feedback and continued to work to improve the game even when many considered it only for the hardcore fanbase playing it. When Division 2 was announced I was intrigued to see how a sequel could be built around those three years of changes and support to the original game, bringing together everything they have learned and players liked but launching a fresh take on it all.

The events of the first game saw a bio-engineered virus known as “Green Death” deliberately spread on Black Friday by infected $20 bills and using the chaos of Black Friday to distribute that money all over the city of Manhattan. When Manhattan fell, a secret agency of sleeper operatives known simply as “The Division” was activated to try and restore order, agents who answer only to and by instruction of the US President. The Division 2 picks up seven months later and opens with some Division agents defending a civilian camp when all of a sudden, the SHD Network, the system that runs all the advanced Division technology and communications, goes down. In the midst of the panic, a Division distress call is received from Washington DC, which you the player, answer and head off to Washington to find out what has happened to the SHD Network and who sent the distress signal.

So much of playing the Division 2 is just so satisfying and it starts right form the moment you enter the capital and have to fight your way to reach the Base of Operations for the remaining JTF forces which just happens to be the iconic White House which is under attack on your arrival. Having a running gun battle as you push your way to this amazing building is rather thrilling which then is balanced when you arrive and can see the White House and grounds converted into a military compound which has the appearance that it has been under siege for some time. When you arrive and speak to the leading officer you learn that the Nation’s capital has fallen with the population having been evacuated following the outbreak of “Green Death” and the JTF forces close to defeat. Three factions are fighting for control of the city, the Hyenas, a faction made up of a mixture of several gangs who seek to take advantage of the chaos, the Outcasts, a group made up of the survivors of the various quarantine zones around the city who are seeking revenge on those they believe responsible for their imprisonment, and the True Sons, an organized group of former JTF personal, paramilitaries, and traitors who are led by rogue JTF officer Colonel Antwon Ridgeway, who seeks to gain full control over the entire capital.

So much of the Division 2 feels so familiar that stepping back into its world is still second nature after playing the original which in itself also highlights all the improvements made to the core systems which fans of the first asked for in feedback to help refine the first game meaning that straight away those tweaks take effect in this sequel. The most instant improvement for me is the change in setting with the first game being trapped in the whole “Christmas Time” and winter story setting of the first story just making everything really bold looking especially on your character having to always wear something very wintery clothing wise. Now months after that, the story and setting has moved close to a summery time so everything just feels brighter and more vibrant with greenery everywhere, some wildlife running around and more freedom in apparel options for your character right away. Visually everything just leaps out of the screen at you from the insane level of detail in doing with Watch Dogs and especially Assassin’s Creed series. Visuals are well complimented with the sound system which is simply incredible from the weapon effects and enemy dialogue but the weather system is so ridiculously good when a storm kicks in and the thunder, lightning and rain all come. The systems all come together to really energise ever encounters throughout.

The combat as I said is truly satisfying from the basic encounters of enemies on the streets as you explore to the challenging teams you face during the side and main story missions. Another improvement made to the first game that has now become standard is the enhanced enemy AI which means enemy will actively take cover, try to flank your position and use genuine tactics in a fight to both defend and attack you. Most times you will face up to at least 3 enemies and they come in different types from the basic soldier class to ones who will take some sort of steroids to boost their health before the charge at you to the more elite versions with heavy armour and heavy hitting weapons. They are even smart enough to attack your cover with grenades and Molotov cocktails to weaken your position. This is then ramped up when you tackle side missions and story missions where the environment also comes into play when deciding what tactics players use either playing solo or in a squad with friends or random players.

Now I played through all the way to the max player level 30 completely solo, and as I progressed, I did find the combat to be more and more challenging, forcing me to adapt to each situation but this game to a degree, is completely playable solo. I say to a degree because the game really prefers if you play it with others even through match making with random players and by doing so you can earn extra XP as a bonus and the difficulty will ramp up to reflect a team over solo players. Teaming up is really advised especially when it comes to a controversial feature of the original game that makes its return here, the Dark Zones.

The original Dark Zone was a real annoyance for me in the first game as it served as the PvP mode for the game. It is an area filled with AI enemies but also other players. The aim is to explore and seek out to find high level loot which then must be extracted in order to access it in the main game world. To do this you must reach the extraction zone in that area, send up a flare to call in a helicopter to attach your loot to its rope in order for it to be carried away. Now once it has arrived you must then defend your position until it leaves from AI enemy but also other players. Other players can attack you and take whatever you have looted for yourselves if you fail to defend yourself until the chopper leaves. This can be highly addictive but very stressful as you can come up against lone players or full squads of players all trying to get the best loot possible from the DZ.

Now the first game’s attempt at this was met with heavy criticism by fans and myself included as it really just became a troll fest for other players and teams of players to simply grief the Dark Zone area by simply hanging around extraction points, usually high-level players as well, preying on anyone else in there to steal their loot for themselves. Now Ubisoft has made a deliberate attempt to tackle this issue in Division 2 by having three Dark Zone areas on the map and using the Destiny Crucible and Iron Banner approach to balancing players. Of the three zones, two will balance low level and high-level players to make it a more balanced encounter within the zone, nerfing the buffs and attributes of gear and weapons. But one zone, which is random, will be full on PvP where all weapon states and gear bonuses will count so players will have to be wary of their own level in order to judge the risk of being in there. I do welcome this as it makes the Dark Zone something players can dip their tows into without too much fear of being griefed but also allows for those at the post campaign stage which I will come to next, being able to put their hard earned and crafted loadouts to the test against other players.

The gear system has also been tweaked, and something I appreciate very much has continued from the improvement made to Division 1 in that now progress is fairly quick, and players can improve their weapons and gear very easily and it will run parallel to your player level as you move through the story campaign. Gear is vital in the Division as it comes with armour and perk bonuses and buffs the higher quality the item is and the higher your player level is, the more important it will be to start building your loadout to match the increasing difficulties of the missions and regions around Washington DC. The fact that almost every encounter and mission will reward you with different weapons and gear is so helpful as one of the issues I had with the first Division was the struggle to find gear and guns that I liked, but now it is constantly thrown at you so even the problem of having a favourite gun for example but then being a few or more levels above that gun so it looses effectiveness is less so as I often had a replacement higher quality version drop fairly quickly after hitting new player levels.

The map itself like the first game is split up into different regions making up the left and right side of the main base of operations being the White House. Each region will have a level to warn players of venturing in until they are of a suitable level in player and weapons and gear level. Each side of the White House will have a settlement, where the remaining good people of the city are taking refuge against the fighting. Your role will be to undertake missions to combat the factions fighting over the regions in order to help liberate that region but also to find resources and people needed to upgrade and improve each settlement which will then unlock new stores and features players can call on back at the White House. The added requirement of working for the settlements gives players a lot more stuff to play through as they will be asking to complete projects for the settlements which could be taking out certain enemies, completing story and side missions and some free roam activities such as supplying control points once taken back with food, water and resources they need to keep the control point running.

It took me a total of 65 hours playing solo in order to clear the map, improve all the settlements to the max and then to complete the main campaign, which is a hell of a lot playing solo. The max player level is 30 but that as well as completing the main campaign are just the start of things, as the post-game is where everything changes but I will not spoil the story part of that but will say once you do complete the campaign and reach level 30, your gear then becomes everything as Gear Score takes over from player level and depending on what you equip and then modify will all count towards your gear score, which in the post-game becomes the new difficulty for the world. How this comes into play feels very much like a new game plus mode of sorts and jump in challenge level of the post campaign world gives some idea of what the future of Division 2 will be.

After 65 hours there is normally a risk of game fatigue, something that certainly hit me with Anthem and reaching the end game of that game after around 50 hours. But with Division2 I was ready and chomping at the bit to continue to improve my gear score, continue to tackle the Dark Zones and to meet this new challenge that is triggered by completing the main campaign. I a constantly feeling that I can do better with my gear and in the gameplay and having a new enemy that is capable of not only using the same tricks as I have access to with the 8 player skills of Division technology that players have access too, but also in just keeping players on their toes in case they felt the were too strong at the end of the game. I just had that moment where I attempted one of the new activities in the post campaign world where I was literally killed in 30 seconds and just had a humble moment where I had to stop and just say to myself “right then….back to work!”

The Division 2 has certainly benefited from all the lessons Ubisoft has learned from the first game a well as other games as the influence of Ghost Recon: Wildlands and story telling style of Assassin’s Creed Odyssey and Origins can be felt whilst playing Division 2. All the systems feel refined and tuned to an extent that everything comes together really nicely. The game did launch with some technical issues with the breaking of the skill system on the first patch after the full release day of 15^th March was an issue but it was quickly rectified with an emergency maintenance on Monday 18^th. Now if Ubisoft can maintain the same new content both with the Year One Season Pass and the free content such as in AC Odyssey, the Division 2 will continue to offer new challenges in and around the game from story developments to PvP action with the Dark Zones and new Conflict mode.

I am eager to see what the future for this game will be, but Ubisoft experience in recent years of continuing to support their games with free and paid for content reassures me that they do have big plans for Division 2. You can really sink your teeth into this and whilst it is better with friends and some content will require teaming up, this can also be played solo as well whilst being amazing to play with friends as you all work together to complete the missions including the soon to be introduced eight player raids which already sound like something my clan will relish going forward.

Division 2 shows what can be achieved when player feedback and lessons learned can take a game series forward, and for me in a year where lootable shooters are a dime a dozen, Division 2 does enough to make it stand out against the rest and will certainly be a game that myself and friends will continue to return to week after week.