In a Q&A session, the developers of The Division answered several questions regarding the upcoming MMO shooter. They discussed high-end gear, crafting, and character creation.
The launch of The Division is getting closer. In a good week, we can sit down with a strong coffee and spend our days and nights with Ubisoft’s MMO shooter.
Beforehand, the developer Massive gave IGN a few answers to questions that some gamers are eager to know. In this fun community-ask-developer-answer round, the Game Director Petter Mannerfelt and the Creative Director Magnus Jansen were present. We want to summarize the most important statements compactly.
About objectives in the Dark Zone, reputation systems, and safe house options
Question: Will there be any (attack) objectives within the Dark Zone?
Mannerfelt: There are “landmarks” that indicate the locations of difficult battles.
Question: Why is there no safe house in the Dark Zone? It takes a lot of time to constantly have to return to the operations base.
Mannerfelt: If you transport a contaminated item out of the DZ with the helicopter, it will be brought to the operations base and decontaminated there. The safe house is not only available at the base but also in “safe houses” that can be unlocked in the game world.
Note: These safe houses should not be confused with the safe room in the DZ.
Question: Will there be a “reputation system” that indicates which players may pose a high risk and may go rogue more often?
Mannerfelt: There is no such mechanic in the Dark Zone. I think that’s what adds to the tension in the DZ, that you never really know if other agents are good or bad.
About melee weapons and endgame content
Question: Have you considered melee weapons/takedowns?
Mannerfelt: We have experimented with it. However, since The Division is an RPG that focuses on stats, a guaranteed kill from a takedown would not meet player expectations.
Question: The Division is often compared to Destiny. In my opinion, Destiny suffers from the fact that you have to do the same missions/strikes over and over again. What will you do to keep players entertained in the long run and reward them for their many hours of gameplay?
Jansen: One of the best things about the Dark Zone is its unpredictability. Human behavior is never the same twice and leads to always new DZ experiences. Outside the DZ, we will offer missions at various difficulty levels, with different rewards. And of course, we will continuously deliver fresh content to players.
Can you inspect other agents? Are there also high-end gear?
Question: Will there be high-end gear alongside high-end weapons?
Mannerfelt: Yes! There is high-end gear, weapon mods, and gear mods when you reach the endgame.
Question: Is there a way to inspect other players?
Mannerfelt: We do not have this feature in the game.
About character customization, crafting, and a companion app
Question: How extensive is the character customization in The Division regarding avatar, clothing, etc.?
Mannerfelt: In the final version, you will have access to full facial customization, in the beta, this feature was still limited. While exploring the streets of New York, you will find many different clothing items that allow you to completely customize your appearance. We want you to be able to dress as you like all the time and not have to change your look just because you find a piece of gear with better stats.
Question: Will there be a companion app?
Jansen: We have focused all our efforts on the in-game experience, so there will be no companion app.
Question: Which items can be crafted and how important is crafting in the game?
Mannerfelt: You can craft weapons, armor, and mods at the operations base. When you reach the max level, you can craft high-end gear.
By the way, there is a lot of criticism in English-speaking forums regarding the Q&A session: The developers have not answered some of the burning and most frequently asked questions. And regarding the answers provided, they remained vague.
Do you have some Uplay points stored? Here you can find out what you can do with them in The Division.
