A player of the new The Division game Heartland has broken his silence. He shows over 20 minutes of gameplay, and what can be seen resembles the new PvEvP survival Scavengers, but with two game modes.
What does the leak show? Actually, Heartland is still in closed alpha. Only a few players have access, and it is under strict NDA, meaning confidentiality. Nevertheless, gameplay has surfaced (via Vimeo).
It shows how an SHD agent fights through the small American town of Silver Creek and tries to escape. The gameplay showcases both the tutorial and the player hub with Battle Pass, some options, and a full round in the PvE mode “Expedition.”
The graphics and general gameplay primarily resemble The Division 2. The player frequently takes cover, and loot and weapons seem to be taken from the cover shooter.
What is Heartland about? The air of Silver Creek is contaminated, and there are scavengers everywhere who are hostile to the agents. As a player, you must escape from there. There are two game modes:
- Expedition: Pure co-op PvE with teams of one to three players
- Storm: A PvEvP game mode with 45 players (15 teams of 3 players)
The lead game designer Tayler Epperly already talks about the two modes in a previous, smaller leak. The descriptions and gameplay strongly resemble the new survival PvEvP game Scavengers.
Heartland looks almost like Scavengers
What is similar? Some mechanics from Heartland may seem familiar to you if you have played Scavengers before. It’s not just about the PvEvP aspect, which isn’t seen in the leak yet, but more about some of the features:
- Crafting: In both games, you can craft items, and in Scavengers even during rounds. How Heartland implements this is still not shown
- Classes: “Assignments” in Heartland and “Explorer” in Scavengers are classes with unique abilities and perks that can be leveled up
- Preparation: Before a match, you can choose a variety of items to take with you or craft during the round
- Survival: In Heartland, your “filter” runs low, which filters the virus from the air. If it runs out, you take damage. Scavengers has a similar mechanic with cold
- Storm: The “Storm” mode apparently has a shrinking circle or a virus cloud, like in a Battle Royale. In Scavengers, this is a snowstorm
In Heartland, you will also be able to loot properly, similar to Outriders, for example. You can take the loot back to your base and equip it as loadout, although this feature has not been elaborated on.
Keep in mind that this is an early alpha of the game. A lot can still change, and it is not certain that everything will remain the same. You can learn more about Scavengers in our preview article: Scavengers is the Fortnite for older people – Slow and strategic
When is the release of Heartland? Heartland is set to release in late 2021 or early 2022. A specific release date has not yet been announced. However, it is now apparently clear that it is a shooter and not a collectible card game.
If you want to participate in the tests, you can find the registration form on the official Ubisoft page. The leak states that earned content from the Battle Pass will be carried over to all tests and even to release.
Participants in the tests are said to receive an exclusive “Alpha Dog” skin for their backpack. However, little is known about cosmetics and other similar features. You can learn more about the new part of The Division in our special:
