In The Division 2, the new patch brought fresh content for solo players: the Classified Assignments. In these, one feels like Rambo, although they should actually put emphasis on the story. The Classified Assignments were one of the main contents for the €40 annual pass.
What are the Classified Assignments? At the start of the €40 annual pass for The Division 2, Massive announced that they would bring “Classified Assignments.” In total, holders of the annual pass should be able to play 8 of these “Classified Assignments.”
Little was known about them. It was said that they meant “8 secret missions that deal with the fall of D.C.”
With the patch 3.0 on Tuesday, the first two were introduced in the game.
The Delicate Matter of the Annual Pass
This was the question beforehand: The situation with the Classified Assignments is delicate and poses potential conflict, because:
- the missions are new “content” tied to the €40 annual pass
- but Massive stated that the annual pass actually only contains “goodies” and nothing that one necessarily needs to enjoy The Division 2
The assignments must therefore not be “too good” so that people do not feel pressured to spend money on the pass out of fear of missing out. Because they were assured that they do not need to do so, and DLCs in The Division 2 are free.
The assignments must be good enough that annual pass players do not feel cheated. A strange balance.
How secret are the assignments? The assignments are not secret at all. When you log in, you are sent to a blue zone, where the entrance is not directly marked but easy to find.
The first assignment is near the White House, the second mission unfolds after completing the first.
I needed about a minute or maybe two to find the entrance – and my sense of direction in The Division 2 is usually really bad. It takes me forever to find a target for a bounty.
What are the classified assignments like? They are cool, small missions that come across as “solo adventures.” However, you can also play them in a group – but the difficulty level seems to stay on “normal.”
The first assignment takes place in a bank, the second in a theater. You feel excited as an agent to see a new environment, but the missions are not particularly challenging gameplay-wise.
You mow through enemies like a fat kid through strawberry cake (or like I do through strawberry cake). At times, I felt like I was in an arcade shooter and not in The Division 2.
If you are used to playing group missions, constantly hiding and playing carefully, this is a change. I felt like I was playing the missions like Rambo and the normal enemies fall over if I just aim vaguely in their direction.
This does not contribute to creating a tense atmosphere that the scenario aims for.
What does this have to do with the “Fall of D.C.”? The missions themselves have little to do with it. The assignments are basically “Here the True Sons (bank) or Hyenas (theater) have settled, and the agent must eliminate them.”
There is also a small story to make the mission feel more urgent, but it’s not particularly special.
However, in the missions, there are 4 recordings each that tell a story via audio about how the institutions in D.C. are failing:
- The bank employees are instructed to burn the money but do exactly the opposite and try to secure advantages for themselves. Thus, they contribute to spreading the dollar flu.
- In the theater, the story of a failing police force is told and how neighbors suddenly become beasts.
Both stories are short and well done. They match what one usually knows from The Division 2. It’s nice here that the stories are compactly told and easy to find. In the open world, you have to piece them together more often.
There are also attachments for the backpack to be found.
The recordings are clearly marked on the map – for two, you have to think a bit and solve smaller puzzles, but it’s almost impossible to miss the recordings. Especially since at the end of the mission, you are asked if you have already found all 5 items and want to leave.
This is my assessment: I played both missions briefly yesterday – they are not a big deal. The missions are clearly structured, enemies arrive in waves – many red ones, in the end, there is sometimes an elite.
The second mission is significantly tougher than the first, but still easy. It could be that it only seemed harder to me because at that time I was completely in John Wick mode, looking for no cover anymore, but just shooting wildly.
I found the stories and missions interesting and entertaining, and I will also play the next 6 missions, listen to the story, and look at the environment.
There was nothing world-shaking in the loot for me, but I am also quite well equipped.
One should be able to finish the mission in the coming weeks, but that does not seem particularly meaningful to me. At the moment, I see no reason to go back in or play it with multiple players.
However, it may be rewarding for players with a lower gear score – but there should be quite a few at 500 at the moment.
Classified Assignments are “more of the same” in The Division 2
Are the Classified Assignments worth it? The Classified Assignments are small, entertaining mini-story missions, without much challenge, to see even more stories and places of The Division 2 that match the quality of the base game.
For those who can’t get enough of The Division 2, the Classified Assignments are certainly a good thing:
- The Classified Assignments are definitely a nice bonus for players who already have the annual pass.
- But for those who considered getting the annual pass just for this, they are missing out on nothing world-changing if they forgo the purchase.
It has been as Massive said so far: The annual pass of The Division 2 is not necessary; you can also do well without it.
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