The Division 2: Warlords of New York Preview — Taking the fight back to where it began

Division 2 Warlords Of New York Aaron Keener and Rogue Agents Cover Source: Ubisoft / Massive Entertainment

In recent years, information technology's become something of a joke that many game publishers don't want to acknowledge their works are political. A furtive glance, a sultry, longing wait at ideas of politics perhaps simply never making any kind of direct statement. With the newly announced expansion, The Division 2: Warlords of New York, that idea is challenged in a subtle style, as the subject matter deals somewhat more directly and boldly with ideas of political amalgamation, fifty-fifty if but within the context loyalty and groups of shadow agents.

While The Segmentation ii took place in Washinton D.C, in this expansion, players are going back to the New York stomping grounds of the first game. Aaron Keener, the adversary of the first game who wasn't present in The Division 2, is back with help. Keener intends to unleash a special new strain of the Green Poisonous substance virus and obliterate any attempts at rebuilding culture. He believes that The Sectionalization, with ties dorsum to Washington, is completely corrupt and lost its purpose.

I got the take a chance to go hands-on with this new expansion at a recent preview outcome. In it, I played for about an hr and half, hunting down rogue agents and exploring New York. There's a lot to go over and many changes won't be clear until the expansion is actually out and the loot system scrutinized, merely Massive'southward work hither certainly seems promising.

Back again

Warlords Of New York Xbox Reco Box

The Division 2: Warlords of New York

Happy hunting, agents.

The Partitioning two: Warlords of New York brings a pack new expansion, with story missions that volition run into players hunting downwards the rogue agent Aaron Keener.

Back to New York

The commencement major thing that well-nigh Division veterans will fundamental in on is the return to New York City. It'south a large bargain, a homecoming really. While the snows take melted and a hurricane has acquired pregnant damage, information technology's still New York and wandering amid the devastation out of winter provides a visually appealing setting. Fighting through the streets of New York still feels great and betwixt firefights, I plant myself taking a look at all the beauty amidst the devastation.

Producer Jesper Karabanov told me that "For u.s.a., who take been working on the Division franchise for a actually long time, New York is kind of home. Coming back at that place just feels so natural. We had this narrative thread with Aaron Keener that we, just like our audience, have really been longing to try and close that."

Now, if you lot didn't play the kickoff game, y'all'll probably be dislocated as to why the render of Aaron Keener is such a big deal. Suffice to say, he's a prominent rogue agent who manipulated the different factions of the metropolis and while The Division was busy in Washington, he'due south been consolidating force in the lower Manhattan area. With a home base chosen Oasis, it's your chore to root Keener out, once and for all.

Coming dorsum to New York isn't all nigh getting caught up in nostalgia however, as you're going to face foes around every corner. Remember the Rikers and the Cleaners? They're back, with AI upgrades making them even more of a threat than they were in the outset game. Some of your old strategies may however piece of work though.

New threats have you on your back foot

The big draw here in both story and gameplay is the four rogue agents serving Keener. These agents have each taken over one section of New York: the Civic Center, Two Bridges, Battery Park and Financial District. While they're manipulating the remaining factions of New York to farther Keener'south goals, each rogue agent likewise has a unique skill, a special ability that you don't accept. With four rogue agents, at that place are iv new skills: Decoy, Shock Trap, an exploding Sticky Flop launcher, and a fiery Sticky Bomb launcher. If you want these special skills (and any run a risk of finding Keener), you lot'll need to dispose of the agents. In the gameplay preview, I went subsequently Theo Parnell, a master of deception.

Theo has the power to create holographic decoys, so the entire time you lot're tracking him down, he's taunting you, keeping from actually being seen while trying to convince you lot of the corruption inside the Division and the reason Keener deserves your support. While it's surface-level commentary, information technology does necktie back into some themes arching over the entire expansion and indeed, the Division franchise as a whole. Shadowy operatives who have complete authority? It tin and should raise some questions.

Each rogue amanuensis has a unique skill, a special power that you don't have.

After a lengthy chase and a large dominate battle, where you have to take hold of on to how the Decoy skill was used and counter information technology, I managed to defeat Theo. With that, the Decoy skill was mine. I like the pacing of this mission but I do hope each of the different sectors and subsequent boss battles with the rogue agents are adequately unique. If so, it'southward an indicator, of a very welcome structure and system of progression for the expansion. Rather than merely offering boodle drops, I relish the idea of having to fight off an unfamiliar threat and being on your back pes, before obtaining that new skill after you achieve victory.

While it certainly had challenging moments, including a particularly brutal fight in a courthouse and the terminal fight with Decoy-spamming Theo, the mission I played never felt like you must take co-op partners in guild to get through it. So if you lot want to have fun with some friends online, you certainly can just it won't be required in order to progress.

Deeper role player focus

This expansion isn't just bringing new story content and locations to explore though. It's also adding a deep overhaul to the RPG and boodle systems in the game. Gear is being streamlined so that drops are meant to exist more meaningful while making certain that a variety of builds are feasible for the endgame. The idea is to make the gameplay loop forever rewarding and encourage build diversity while taking abroad some of the tedium that had previously been a cause of complaints. "When you lot continue playing and y'all want to change your build and loadout, it'southward super-easy and you no longer have to store 200 items in your inventory," Karabanov tells me quite happily.

Speaking of the endgame, in that location'due south been a few additions there equally well. As yous might wait with an expansion, the level cap is being raised from 30 to 40. Even later on you proceeds those additional x levels, you'll exist able to continue progressing your grapheme for as long as you want to play. At that place's a new space progression mechanic, somewhat alike to the Paragon levels system in Diablo Three.

Raid #2, The Foundry, is coming quondam later in spring.

Plain, time will tell how well the new loot actually works only information technology was nice to meet Massive focus on this aspect for the hardcore players and it certainly seems like it's existence treated seriously. Still, in one case you take down Keener's crew, y'all're not done. There'southward going to exist a ton of new activities that roll out, with a model of Seasons being introduced. The commencement season will kicking off a calendar week afterward the expansion launches. Naturally, for hardcore players, Raid #2 will too be on the mode sometime later on in spring. It'south called The Foundry and is supposed to challenge even the most veteran of players.

Another absurd affair is that if you don't want to grind through the principal story in The Division ii in society to get set for this expansion, you won't have to. While The Division 2: Warlords of New York requires players to own the base of operations game, information technology as well allows you to create a new level 30 character and jump straight in on the new story missions.

Bottom line on Warlords of New York

Division 2 Expansion Screenshot Source: Ubisoft / Massive Entertainment

Regardless of whether yous're a fan of the outset game that savage off, a hardcore Division 2 role player or fifty-fifty someone who has been thinking almost jumping in for some time, The Partition 2: Warlords of New York seems to hope a very compelling experience. The developers at Massive stated that the purpose of this expansion was to "recapture the magic of the beginning Partitioning" and I'yard certainly convinced of their efforts in the primary story. If Massive can deliver on the promise of the endgame changes here, players should be happy.

The Division 2: Warlords of New York is set up to exist available on Xbox One, PC and PlayStation 4 on March 3. A version for Stadia is also coming a little bit after in March.

Dorsum again

Warlords Of New York Xbox Reco Box

The Sectionalization ii: Warlords of New York

Happy hunting, agents.

The Sectionalization ii: Warlords of New York brings a pack new expansion, with story missions that will come across players hunting downwardly the rogue agent Aaron Keener.

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