The Division 2 — Dark Zones & Conflict Trailer Impressions

Dark Zones are nothing new to me, I was playing the original game of The Division since the beta, but stopped shortly after the initial launch due to unfair exploits and ridiculous difficulty due to overpowered enemies and broken mechanics.  I have since heard that this game has been properly addressed and has made just as big of a turn around as Final Fantasy XIV did when the game was given an overhaul.

Conflict is something I am unsure about, I have no idea how this game could go about proper Player-vs-Player (PvP) modes due it being so stat heavy with so much variation to equipment and loadouts.  At the very same time, this game mode (or something similar) could have already been implemented at some point during the original The Division and I just did not know since I failed to keep up with the game.  We will see how it pans out in this trailer.

  Impressions
As far as The Dark Zone, Rogue Agents seemed to be classified differently and are not automatically tracked down as they were last time (I believe), giving people more opportunity to play on the darker side of things if they do not go too crazy.  Seems there’s Rogue, Disavowed Rogue, and Manhunt status.  Also, no idea if things like using a lockpick or cutting the loot line from helicopters are only available when you have Rogue status or not; but it would make sense if it did and did not, so I need more information on this.  I would like for it to be exclusive to Rogue Agents since you need more perks and incentives to actually go Rogue, I feel like the first Division game did not offer any real rewards for it.  Some people will never go Rogue because it is just not their personality, other people want to go Rogue just because they like the thrill of being hunted…while some others might do so if the rewards are tempting enough.

Something else I like is they are offering protection for people who are newer to the game, noobs got really crushed in the last game due to the strength off those exploiting the system for gear and those who set themselves up around entry points.  I feel like running towards an entry point should not allow someone to automatically be protected though, that it should be simply used as a measure against those who try to attack someone who is just entering into the Dark Zone.  Hopefully this measure will bring more players into this lawless land and prepare them for the “Occupied Dark Zones” which have absolutely no rules.

As far as Conflict goes, this seems like an organized combat arena typical of what you would find in other games (like Destiny), that is going to be balanced differently than the normal game due to having separate maps available for it rather than using pre-existing sections of the main game.  Offering different rewards provides a reason to play either Domination or Skirmish as opposed to just the main game’s Dark Zone, and being able to bring them back into the core will mean you can only obtain somethings from the PvP mode.  Also, I feel this will help players get their tactics and organization down when dealing with The Dark Zone and allow them to understand what is necessary to win in these scenarios.  The only concern I have about this is how they will go about balancing it; will they allow stats to make a significant advantage or will things be normalized across the board for a more balanced PvP experience?

Overall things are looking good, but I wonder how fleshed out these modes will be at launch and if it will be enough to sustain the initial playerbase before DLC is dropped and expands the game.  People tend to really go hard on these games within the first week, normally requiring a good portion of the main audience to need fresh content within 2 weeks of the game’s initial launch if the multiplayer is not completely up to snuff.  Hopefully The Division 2 will learn from the efforts put into the first game in the series and will provide fun PvE, PvP, and PvPvE experiences for those looking for another team game to delve into.