At first, the mechanics, the multitude of attributes, and equipment may seem overwhelming, and it takes a long time to understand everything – paperwork and calculator included.
But whether you look for a build online or grab a pen and paper yourself: Prepare yourself for a long loot search.
There is a “Targeted Loot System” that allows you to farm specific equipment, but for each piece of equipment, there are so many variables that winning at bingo in your local community center seems like a given by comparison.
Among these lucky strikes for your build, hundreds of other pieces fall into your inventory. Especially at the beginning of the endgame, when you’re not quite sure whether a piece is good or worthless junk, inventory management is a real turnoff.
You are constantly sorting, comparing values, filling the bank and are always accompanied by the creeping fear of having dismantled a good attribute combo.
You are shown whether a value is strong on a piece, but you have to pay attention to an abnormally high number of variables.
In the first few hours, this is fun because the complexity makes you want more, and you continuously increase your power so that enemies seem to melt away.
But after 100 hours, this becomes a tedious chore, as you cannot play with a full inventory, and eventually you will have to sort things out.
In addition, there is a pretty strict meta in the endgame. There are actually 3 types of attributes: Damage, Skill, and Defense. However, it ultimately all revolves around damage attributes. Not even healers are in demand – even though there is strong healing in the game.
Whether you want to play the raids, clear up in PvP, or conquer the Dark Zone: Without an optimized damage build, you’re rarely going to get very far.
The hunt for the perfect piece of equipment ultimately dictates the entire endgame. There are cool puzzles in the game, numerous missions, and a lot to discover. However, much of this has little to no replay value.
Even the fights against the countless gangsters lose their charm over time because it always comes down to pumping a very sponge-like bullet sponge full of ammunition for several minutes.
The motivation ultimately hangs only on the min-max aspect: “I definitely want to get the remaining 0.3% weapon damage on my damned knee pads!”.
And then you grind the same mission at the Lincoln Memorial 13 times because “Targeted Loot” promises knee pads that day.
If you want to know more about the reasons for the rise and fall of Division, then check out our podcast:
The Division 2 – Pros, Cons and Conclusion
The loot shooter is really good if you want to experience an exciting story in a real setting. Collecting and improving brings fun and motivation, the shooting and clever use of gadgets keep you entertained.
However, the fun has an expiration date, and the air quickly goes out after the start of the endgame. Until that point, Division 2, however, is a strong co-op shooter that is worth recommending.
After the recent announcement that new content is on the way, this quote from MeinMMO reader “Gamer” might apply to many fans: “Still one of the best games for me. Spent countless hours on it. Due to content drought, I only play occasionally now, but I’m looking forward to more”.
Conclusion: A Big MMO Like a Summer Camp Romance
The Division 2 was the first game I accompanied as an author and thus holds a special place in that part of my heart that is dedicated to gaming.
However, even from an objective standpoint: I can recommend The Division 2 to any fan of shooters. If the third-person view is not a complete exclusion criterion for you, you can’t go wrong here.
You blast your way through explosive battles in famous American cities, distributing countless bullets on the hordes of gangsters in the streets and rise as the guardian of peace and order.
The graphics still leave little to be desired even 3 years after release and transform the detail-obsessed open world into a wonderland of environmental storytelling.
But don’t expect a long-term relationship with prospects of tax savings thanks to spousal splitting. Instead, see it more as an intense summer camp romance with an expiration date.
Compared to other titles of the Division AAA caliber, the loot shooter offers a great deal, but it simply cannot compete with large MMOs or even MMORPGs.
If you ever get bored, the chance is low that it will change again. Then it’s time to politely say goodbye with a nice message. But don’t ghost; that’s just mean.
Maik Schneider
Freelance author at MeinMMO
The Division 2 was the first game I accompanied as an author and thus holds a special place in that part of my heart that is dedicated to gaming.
However, even from an objective standpoint: I can recommend The Division 2 to any fan of shooters. If the third-person view is not a complete exclusion criterion for you, you can’t go wrong here.
You blast your way through explosive battles in famous American cities, distributing countless bullets on the hordes of gangsters in the streets and rise as the guardian of peace and order.
The graphics still leave little to be desired even 3 years after release and transform the detail-obsessed open world into a wonderland of environmental storytelling.
But don’t expect a long-term relationship with prospects of tax savings thanks to spousal splitting. Instead, see it more as an intense summer camp romance with an expiration date.
Compared to other titles of the Division AAA caliber, the loot shooter offers a great deal, but it simply cannot compete with large MMOs or even MMORPGs.
If you ever get bored, the chance is low that it will change again. Then it’s time to politely say goodbye with a nice message. But don’t ghost; that’s just mean.
Maik Schneider
Freelance author at MeinMMO
At first, the mechanics, the multitude of attributes, and equipment may seem overwhelming, and it takes a long time to understand everything – paperwork and calculator included.
But whether you look for a build online or grab a pen and paper yourself: Prepare yourself for a long loot search.
There is a “Targeted Loot System” that allows you to farm specific equipment, but for each piece of equipment, there are so many variables that winning at bingo in your local community center seems like a given by comparison.
Among these lucky strikes for your build, hundreds of other pieces fall into your inventory. Especially at the beginning of the endgame, when you’re not quite sure whether a piece is good or worthless junk, inventory management is a real turnoff.
You are constantly sorting, comparing values, filling the bank and are always accompanied by the creeping fear of having dismantled a good attribute combo.
You are shown whether a value is strong on a piece, but you have to pay attention to an abnormally high number of variables.
In the first few hours, this is fun because the complexity makes you want more, and you continuously increase your power so that enemies seem to melt away.
But after 100 hours, this becomes a tedious chore, as you cannot play with a full inventory, and eventually you will have to sort things out.
In addition, there is a pretty strict meta in the endgame. There are actually 3 types of attributes: Damage, Skill, and Defense. However, it ultimately all revolves around damage attributes. Not even healers are in demand – even though there is strong healing in the game.
Whether you want to play the raids, clear up in PvP, or conquer the Dark Zone: Without an optimized damage build, you’re rarely going to get very far.
The hunt for the perfect piece of equipment ultimately dictates the entire endgame. There are cool puzzles in the game, numerous missions, and a lot to discover. However, much of this has little to no replay value.
Even the fights against the countless gangsters lose their charm over time because it always comes down to pumping a very sponge-like bullet sponge full of ammunition for several minutes.
The motivation ultimately hangs only on the min-max aspect: “I definitely want to get the remaining 0.3% weapon damage on my damned knee pads!”.
And then you grind the same mission at the Lincoln Memorial 13 times because “Targeted Loot” promises knee pads that day.
If you want to know more about the reasons for the rise and fall of Division, then check out our podcast:
The Division 2 – Pros, Cons and Conclusion
The loot shooter is really good if you want to experience an exciting story in a real setting. Collecting and improving brings fun and motivation, the shooting and clever use of gadgets keep you entertained.
However, the fun has an expiration date, and the air quickly goes out after the start of the endgame. Until that point, Division 2, however, is a strong co-op shooter that is worth recommending.
After the recent announcement that new content is on the way, this quote from MeinMMO reader “Gamer” might apply to many fans: “Still one of the best games for me. Spent countless hours on it. Due to content drought, I only play occasionally now, but I’m looking forward to more”.
Conclusion: A Big MMO Like a Summer Camp Romance
The Division 2 was the first game I accompanied as an author and thus holds a special place in that part of my heart that is dedicated to gaming.
However, even from an objective standpoint: I can recommend The Division 2 to any fan of shooters. If the third-person view is not a complete exclusion criterion for you, you can’t go wrong here.
You blast your way through explosive battles in famous American cities, distributing countless bullets on the hordes of gangsters in the streets and rise as the guardian of peace and order.
The graphics still leave little to be desired even 3 years after release and transform the detail-obsessed open world into a wonderland of environmental storytelling.
But don’t expect a long-term relationship with prospects of tax savings thanks to spousal splitting. Instead, see it more as an intense summer camp romance with an expiration date.
Compared to other titles of the Division AAA caliber, the loot shooter offers a great deal, but it simply cannot compete with large MMOs or even MMORPGs.
If you ever get bored, the chance is low that it will change again. Then it’s time to politely say goodbye with a nice message. But don’t ghost; that’s just mean.
Maik Schneider
Freelance author at MeinMMO
In our theme week “Find Your Next Game” we present old and new games that you should take a look at if you don’t know them yet. This time it’s about the loot shooter The Division 2. This is a game that is as grand as its failures, which is why it still provides many fun hours of gameplay in 2022.
What kind of game is The Division 2? The Division 2 is, quite frankly, a more serious Destiny. While you zoom across a Saturn moon filled with space magic in the sci-fi adventure Destiny, Division sends you to real American cities to fight the demons of evil.
The setting is based on a realistic world, just like the graphics. Parts of the Earth are in ruins after a pandemic, entire societies collapse, and governments are on the brink of dysfunction. That’s when you step in.
The third-person shooter with cover mechanics transforms you into an agent of the “Strategic Homeland Division”. With modern weapons and technological gadgets, you blast your way through the ruins of Washington D.C.
You complete missions in an extremely detailed open world, thwart the plans of the apocalyptic gangs, and cultivate a highly specialized agent who gives local warlords nightmares.
We will show you why The Division 2, even three years after its release, represents a top title in its genre and why you should definitely check it out if you don’t know the game yet in this edition of “Find Your Next Game”. Let’s start with the German launch trailer:
The Division 2 – A Shooter Hit at the Highest Level
How does the loot shooter feel to play? The gameplay loop is very typical for the genre:
- You create a character
- You level up continually
- You collect a ton of stuff that improves you
- You improve the stuff you gather in heaps
On your way to the maximum level, you complete story missions, explore the fantastic open world, and continue to develop your agent. Armor and weapons offer different stat improvements that you can coordinate with one another.
The third-person perspective gives you a very good overview of the battlefield, and the cover mechanics round off the gaming experience perfectly.
You don’t even need to walk yourself to reach the next cover. A well-timed roll to the side along with the button for “run to next cover” creates a smooth maneuver.
You can also pierce incoming enemies from cover, aim precisely, or shoot out of sight with a well-timed grenade throw.
For that little extra, you mix various technological toys into your hail of bullets. You can deploy flying drones, rattling turrets, homing mines, or annoying mini-flash drones. Among the wide range of devices, you can carry 2 with you.
The use of intrusive war toys can even be pushed to the limit, so that firearms play only a supporting role. If you prefer to shoot enemies in the face yourself, you let the technology support you.
When it comes to weapons, war machines, and equipment, there’s something for almost every playstyle.
Overall, everything is very coherent, it rarely feels clumsy, and it should appeal even to first-person shooter veterans who are used only to seeing weapon and hand on screen.
To get an impression of the gameplay, we are embedding a video of a typical mission of The Division 2 here. Pay attention to the detailed environments and the skillful use of devices and cover:
Motivation is provided not only by the excellent environmental storytelling and the long story campaign but also by a flood of loot that regularly brings complete rotations to your inventory.
Once you reach the maximum level of 30 and complete the “first” story, you unlock the specializations. This can keep you occupied for 25 to 30 hours.
The specializations are, broadly speaking, RPG classes that grant you active as well as passive bonuses.
For example, there is the specialization “Firewall”. The quartermaster digs out a flamethrower with a matching shield from his locker, and you mutate into a fiery melee fighter with a wrath against anything that comes within 15 meters of your sight.
If you prefer not to get too close, you can specialize in explosions or range instead. The base game includes 3 specializations, which you must level up individually but can also switch out.
Almost all content in Division 2 can be played cooperatively. However, the MMO shooter is also a hit as a single player game and caters to your preference; you don’t necessarily need a complete agent team.
At the top of the content food chain are 2 tough raids for 8 agents. Large PvE missions with nasty bosses that require a lot of coordination and mechanical knowledge from you. However, you will need 7 other motivated and fully equipped players for that.
There is also PvP in Division 2. Either in pure PvP battles that quickly find an end and a winner, or in the Dark Zone.
The Dark Zone is an exciting PvEvP mode where you explore an infected zone, loot strong items, and can encounter hostile players at any time. “Contaminated” loot must be extracted before the PvP aspect kicks in and other players can steal your stuff.
An advantage of Division 2 is also a little its age. The release was already in 2019, and you can get the base game for just 10 euros – your chosen platform doesn’t matter.
If the base game has convinced you, you can then reach for the big, paid DLC “Warlords of New York”. Here you hunt the nasty antagonist from the first Division game and roam the devastated New York City.
In terms of graphics, the loot shooter does not show its age. The realistically designed environments look really good, provide great views throughout the game, and many models are just bursting with detail.
So far, everything sounds fantastic, right? But where the sun shines, a shadow is not far away. The Division 2 struggles with some problems that we will explain to you in the next section.
Those expecting an MMO endgame will be disappointed
Where does Division 2 fall short? The shooter offers a strong and lengthy story, tons of equipment, gadgetry, and a beautiful, large open world.
If you go into the loot shooter with the right expectations, you will have a good time and experience an exciting adventure. However, if the MMO and service aspect of the game matters to you, it could be possible that you will be disappointed.
If you ever get bored, the chance is low that it will change again. Then it’s time to politely say goodbye with a nice message. But don’t ghost; that’s just mean.
Maik Schneider
Freelance author at MeinMMO
