With Anthem and The Division 2, two cooperative loot-based shooters are coming soon. We compare the two games and try to clarify which title is suitable for whom.
This is why we make the comparison: When two big titles with some similarities come out within a short period, many gamers ask themselves: Where should I grab now?
Both games are released as full-price titles within a month. Due to the high interest, we compare the titles to show which game might suit whom.
We give you a compact overview of the similarities and main features so that you have points of reference for the decision about which game suits you better.
Anthem vs. The Division 2 – The Similarities
There are several points in both games where similar approaches or goals become evident.
What the two games have in common:
- Both are third-person shooters
- Anthem and The Division 2 both incorporate MMO elements and can be played in groups
- Both are planned as “games as a service” and will continue to be developed after release
- They allow you to explore large worlds
- Both rely on story and RPG elements
- Both thrive on their loot systems and increasing the gear score
What is the Gear Score? This number is calculated in both games based on the equipment being worn. The “stronger” the equipment, the higher your gear score. It is an indicator of your character’s strength.
Anthem vs. The Division 2 – What You Need to Know
In order to compare both games, we summarize their most important known features. This includes story and setting, as well as gameplay and RPG mechanics.
The Division 2: Story and Setting
This is what The Division 2 is about: The shooter takes place in an alternate version of our world, where a virus has broken out. Chaos reigns everywhere. In the midst of it is the Division, a unit of specially trained agents.
7 months after the events of The Division 1, which took place in New York, the second part is set in the US capital Washington D.C. Chaos has also broken out there, and civil war is raging. Players must act as Division agents to restore order.
The Division operates from the White House, which serves as the operational base. In collaboration with other civilians, they fight against brutal factions that have taken root in D.C. Throughout the game world, there are control points and settlements that the various parties are fighting over.
Throughout the story, the goal is to recruit new helpers, supply settlements with resources, and make D.C. safer.
The story trailer for Washington D.C. gives you an overview of the setting and storyline of The Division 2.
Anthem: Story and Setting
This is what Anthem is about: Anthem takes place in a fantasy world, whose name is still unknown.
The world was created by an ancient species, revered as gods, called the Shapers. They used the “Anthem of Creation”, or Hymn of Creation, to create this world.
What remains is their mysterious technology and a world where the Hymn of Creation can trigger incredible phenomena at any time. The game world of Anthem is primarily a large jungle with many ravines and areas that are also underwater, based on the gameplay scenes so far.
In this world, players are freelancers in their javelins, constantly on missions. A large part of the human population lives in one of the few strongholds of humanity, in Fort Tarsis. There, the majority of the story unfolds, and players accept missions and quests.
Whether there are other cities or areas in the world of Anthem that are not just covered in jungle is still unknown. However, a large part of the map has already been compiled by a fan from gameplay.
Gameplay of The Division 2
This is how it plays: The Division 2 is more of a classic cover shooter, while players are very mobile in their movements. They can sprint, roll, jump over obstacles, and climb in certain areas. However, there is no way to specifically crouch or crawl.
Fights take place mainly in streets, on roofs, and in buildings. The areas vary from open to narrow. In combat, you encounter different enemy factions, whose members can use varying tactics and weapons.
Players themselves can rely on a vast arsenal of weapons and gear. In addition, there is a generous selection of skills. Players face the threats of the game world with up to four players per group. Raids can even be completed with 8 players. However, lone wolves should be able to participate in almost all activities.
Gameplay of Anthem
This is how it plays: Anthem is a third-person shooter, but it plays fundamentally differently than The Division 2. Players navigate in a javelin. This is a combat suit, the main tool in Anthem.
There are 4 different types of javelins, which essentially embody the game’s classes. Each of the 4 javelins plays completely differently and brings a set of unique abilities with it.
Thanks to these suits, you move around the game world like Iron Man, making Anthem play quite differently from classic third-person shooters. Anthem also relies on vertical gameplay. There is no cover system.
The Dark Zone and PvP Modes of The Division 2
One of the most well-known highlights of The Division 2 is the Dark Zone. This is an area where PvE and PvP elements are mixed.
This is how the Dark Zone works: In The Division 2, there are 3 Dark Zones where you can either hunt NPCs and gear, or fight other players and steal their loot. Rare loot is contaminated and must be extracted by helicopter once you’ve filled your bags.
To attack other players, you must first activate the rogue status. This is essentially a PvP mode where a player becomes a rogue.
Only as a rogue can you harm other players, but you can also be killed by others. In the Dark Zone, there is a separate ranking system with additional perks that can be unlocked.
The question of whether to become a rogue or not adds to the excitement and thrill of the Dark Zone. You never know if the friendly-looking stranger you just fought alongside will shoot you in the back and steal your loot in the next moment.
These PvP modes are available: Right at release, The Division 2 will offer two PvP modes, summarized in the standalone PvP area Conflict:
- Skirmish: This is a classic 4 vs. 4 team deathmatch. If a group dies too often, they lose.
- Domination: In this mode, it’s about capturing and holding three specific objectives. The team with the most points wins.
More PvP modes are set to follow after release.
No PvP in Anthem
This is why there is no PvP in Anthem: Anthem will launch completely without PvP content.
Developer Bioware itself states that they wanted to focus entirely on the PvE co-op experience. However, they are not fundamentally opposed to PvP.
However, not all fans want to see PvP in Anthem. Many believe that an online game focused on PvE is just right for a change.
Whether PvP will eventually find its way into the game remains to be seen. It depends on player feedback.
Loot and Equipment in The Division 2
In The Division 2, you can customize your character with a huge selection of gear. The rarity of a specific piece is conventionally indicated by the color of the icon.
These are the weapon categories:
- Assault Rifles
- Shotguns
- LMGs
- Submachine Guns
- Rifles
- Sniper Rifles
- Pistols
In total, you can equip up to three weapons. Two primary weapons, which can come from any category, and one sidearm.
These are the armor categories:
- Vest
- Gloves
- Kneepads
- Backpack
- Mask
- Holster
For each of these parts, there is a huge variety of different variants. Additionally, each piece has its own brand.
This is how brand and gear sets work: With the brand sets, you can customize your set even more, as they provide bonuses for specific playstyles. The more pieces you equip from the same brand, the more you benefit from it.
A similar principle applies to the gear sets. This type of equipment already existed in the predecessor.
This is how it was in The Division 1: A standard gear set has a total of four bonuses that can be unlocked. To unlock the first bonus, you had to wear two pieces from the same set.
To activate all four, you had to equip four pieces accordingly. In The Division 1, there were also secret gear sets with up to 6 bonuses, which have not yet been confirmed for The Division 2.
Loot and Equipment in Anthem
Anthem also has several weapon categories from which you can choose your armament. The rarity of loot in Anthem is also typically indicated in colors.
These are the weapon categories:
- Assault Rifles
- Sniper Rifles
- Heavy Pistols
- Submachine Guns
- Shotguns
- Auto Cannons
- Light Machine Guns
Additionally, you can customize and enhance your javelin.
This is what you can equip and modify on your javelin:
- Components
- Weapons
- Storm: Focus, Blast, and Strength Seals
- Colossus: Artillery, Heavy Launchers, Strength Systems
- Ranger: Grenades, Launchers, Strength Systems
- Interceptor: Assault, Hit, and Strength Systems
The javelin systems are like your skill slots. You will then find the matching skills on your missions as loot.
In contrast to The Division 2, there are currently no set bonuses in Anthem. However, there are expected to be many legendary weapons that are expected to have a strong influence on gameplay, as they provide advantages for certain skills.
The Skill System of The Division 2
This is how skills work: Each player can carry up to two active skills in combat. As far as we currently know, The Division 2 offers a total of 8 different skills to choose from. These skills differ greatly from each other and come with different functions.
There is, for example, a tactical scan that shows you the location of enemies, or the drone, which attacks your enemies depending on the chosen skill mod or repairs your armor. In our article, we have summarized what we know so far about the skills.
Unlike in Anthem, skills in The Division 2 have more of a supportive function. The focus remains on using your weapons in combat.
The Skill and Combo System of Anthem
While in The Division 2 you can freely choose which skills to use, the javelins in Anthem dictate the direction first. Certain javelins also master specific skills that you can equip in the specific equipment slots. Each javelin has two slots for skills available.
For example, the Ranger has several types for his grenade slot that can have different effects: Frost and fire grenades, as well as guided and sticky grenades. His ultimate attack also has a targeting system that rains multiple rockets down on the targeted enemies.
The Colossus, on the other hand, uses various types of mortars. Additionally, he has flamethrowers or flak cannons. His ultimate attack is a siege cannon that fires massive projectiles.
The Storm Javelin is seen as the magician among the javelins and has various elemental attacks to choose from that can burn, shock, and freeze enemies. His ultimate attack is an elemental storm that can be used against groups of enemies.
The Interceptor is the melee fighter among the javelins and can deal high damage with plasma stars, poison attacks, and melee attacks. His ultimate attack is a sort of rage mode in which the Interceptor takes no damage and deals increased melee damage.
How exactly the skills and ultimates of the javelins work and what they do, you can read in our overview of all skills.
This is how skills and combos work in combat: The combat system of Anthem is heavily focused on combos. There are primer and detonator skills.
- If an enemy is hit by a primer skill,
- the subsequent detonator skill triggers a combo explosion.
- If you trigger many combos, you deal significantly higher damage.
Skills are therefore significantly more important in combat and are likely your main source of high damage output in the endgame. Unlike in The Division 2, they are as important as your weapons.
The Endgame of The Division 2
This is what we know so far: Details about how the endgame works have not yet been presented. In addition to PvP and the Dark Zones, there is a new faction that appears once you complete the story in The Division 2. This faction is supposed to initiate a permanent battle for the game world of Washington D.C.
The endgame features of The Division 2:
- World ranks, where the difficulty level and loot level of the open world can be determined
- Difficulty levels in missions
- 2 PvP modes
- The 3 Dark Zones
- Invaded missions, where you deal with the new faction
- Specializations that can be leveled up
- Raids (only after release)
Additionally, there will likely be daily and weekly challenges. Although these are not confirmed, they were present in the predecessor.
The goal of the endgame is to improve your gear and gear score, to rank up, master higher difficulty levels, and optimize your gameplay.
In the first year, further specializations and other expansions are to be published. Because The Division 2 wants to keep you engaged long after release.
This is how the invaded missions work: After completing the story, the faction Black Tusk appears and tries to take over Washington D.C. They consequently also hijack the areas of the missions you played during the story. So, it is necessary to face Black Tusk in new versions of these missions.
Black Tusk is particularly dangerous, technically well-equipped, and better trained tactically than the other factions. Thus, they represent the first new challenge after the story. The story continues to be told as well.
Specializations for more build diversity: Once you reach level 30 and thus the endgame of The Division 2, specializations will be unlocked. These are freely switchable classes that bring specific special weapons, skill variants, and other advantages. There are
- Survivor Specialist: His signature weapon is the crossbow
- Destruction Expert: This specialization grants you a grenade launcher
- Sniper: This specialization grants you a caliber 50 sniper rifle.
The Endgame of Anthem
This is what we know so far: In Anthem, the endgame mainly revolves around mastering the grandmaster ranks. These are particularly high difficulty levels that are unlocked upon reaching the max level of 30. They present greater challenges and increase your chances of rare loot.
In total, there are 3 grandmaster ranks in Anthem:
- Grandmaster 1
- Grandmaster 2
- Grandmaster 3
The difficulty levels indicate how much damage individual enemies can take and how much damage they deal. You can select from these ranks in all mission types, such as strongholds or freeplay.
This is how strongholds work: These are larger dungeon-like missions that culminate in a boss fight. In the course of the strongholds, you must fight through several areas, complete tasks, and pave your way to the boss. Teamplay is essential in these missions, you cannot just set out on your own. At launch, Anthem will have three strongholds:
- The Mine of Tyranny
- The Temple of Scar
- Heart of Rage (translation still unknown)
However, more will follow quickly after release.
Other endgame features:
- Legendary Contracts: Daily repeatable missions that are randomly generated
- World Events: These can be suddenly occurring events in the open world of Anthem
Who is suitable for which game now?
Our author Tarek thinks: The question is not as difficult to answer as it seems at first. Both titles share certain similarities which is why this comparison comes about. However, I would not consider the similarities in the decision-making.
What matters much more are your own preferences regarding story, setting, and gameplay. The Division 2 and Anthem differ significantly in this regard.
The Division 2 is the better choice if you
- prefer a more realistic setting that is based on our real world
- would rather play a classic cover shooter
- value a wide selection of weapons and gear
- like more freedom when creating builds and adapting to your preferred playstyle
- are a PvP player and don’t want to miss out on that
- want a consistent development of the predecessor, which implements the feedback from fans, but remains true to what works
Moreover, many teams behind the development already have experience with the first part and respond to the community’s feedback.
Anthem is the better choice if you
- like a futuristic setting with fantasy elements
- want fast gameplay including mobility through flying
- prefer less complex RPG elements that still offer many freedoms
- want to play a story with fully voiced characters and decisions
- enjoy a combo-heavy combat system in which skills are at the forefront
- are looking for a new gaming experience that hasn’t existed before
Of course, it’s also possible to just play both.
In the following video, you can actually see which game more people are looking forward to:
When can you play Anthem and The Division?
Anthem release is just around the corner: The official release is on February 22. However, some players can play Anthem 7 days earlier.
If you want to test The Division 2, you will have the opportunity to do so on March 1. That’s when the open beta, which was recently announced, starts.
For more information on both games, visit our main pages for The Division 2 and Anthem.
