MeinMMO author Robert spent a few hours in the beta of The Division 2 and is pleasantly surprised. If the developer fixes the technical issues, The Division 2 could become a more than worthy successor.
This was my expectation for The Division 2: Admittedly, the first gameplay videos did not necessarily blow me away. Aside from the fact that we are in The Division 2 in Washington and there is no snow around, it felt like an expansion of its predecessor that they want to sell at full price.
A drone as a new skill? Boring. If that is all there is to it, that might deter quite a few agents from buying the successor. However, my first hours in the currently ongoing beta have dispelled many of these prejudices. But I digress.
How much does the setting in Washington differ from New York? The story of The Division 1 took place right after the outbreak of the Dollar Virus. You could see that everywhere on the map:
- Desperate and hungry passersby searching for food
- Mountains of body bags that no one could yet transport
- Chaotic conditions, not only among the agents but also among the opposing factions
While The Division 1 felt like the fever dream of a confused anarchist, things in the successor appear more orderly despite the ongoing crisis. This is due to the temporal distance between The Division 1 and The Division 2, which takes place seven months later.
While the streets are also covered with waste and rubble here, there are a few differences:
- Instead of winter, the story of The Division 2 takes place in summer. Sunny days alternate with rainy phases
- Many traces of the initial chaos have been cleared away. There are significantly fewer body bags lying around.
- Nature has begun to reclaim parts of the city. Plants are breaking through the streets everywhere, and wild animals are wandering in the city.
- Neglected homeless have organized themselves in settlements to avoid the criminals who have taken over the city.
You immediately sense a different threat level than in the predecessor. The opposing factions have looted the city and are likely better equipped. As in the predecessor, The Division 2 here feels extremely credible and immersive.
How is the gameplay of The Division 2 in the beta? This may be a personal sentiment, but I hated the abrupt stops of the agents in The Division 1. Once you ran into a short lead, it felt like the agent would fall over at any moment. Personally, I find the movement mechanics in the new installment significantly smoother and more pleasant.
Regarding gun behavior, I still had significant problems with the recoil behavior, which is probably also due to the fact that I have not yet installed any mods. Otherwise, the guns feel just as good as in The Division 1.
Otherwise, The Division 2 remains a tactical cover shooter. Almost anything lying around in the game world can be used as cover. I feel like I spent more time in cover since the enemies are very good at aiming in open terrain and quickly damaged my armor.
What changes to the mechanics of the game? Although I cannot really grasp the true extent of the changes yet, it is already clear that a lot will change. For example, the skill system is changing and will now be expanded through the collection of SHD tech.
In addition, you will no longer just upgrade the home base, but also the settlements found in the game world. Everything feels fresh and new and even a bit confusing. A feeling I honestly did not expect.
What can you do in the beta of The Division 2? The scope of the beta is truly gigantic. If you want, you can follow the main story, which includes a few missions. However, you can also complete side quests or simply explore the part of the city that is unlocked in the beta.
There is something to do everywhere, you can
- Collect SHD tech to improve your skills (the resource plays a significantly more important role than in the predecessor)
- Help settlements to unlock further bonuses
- Disable enemy control points or
- Venture into the Dark Zone
What bothered me were the incredibly numerous pop-in textures at even short distances. The weapons are also not yet “rounded”. Strange damage indications and peculiar behavior of the magazines (the weapon always had to be reloaded after a switch) caught my attention.
In addition, there were occasional audio dropouts and slight loading delays. Such problems are completely normal in the context of a beta. I am already looking forward to diving back into the world of The Division 2. Who would have thought?
What is your first impression of the beta? Do you like it?
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