At E3 2019, Ubisoft teased the 3rd DLC episode of The Division 2. A first trailer confirms: We’re going back to New York, and apparently, we’re hunting an old acquaintance.
This is shown in the E3 trailer: During Ubisoft’s press conference, a first story trailer was released for Episode 3. It mentions a rogue agent that needs to be taken down.
In the trailer, we see agents at a harbor. They take out an enemy with a flamethrower, who many players from The Division 1 may immediately recognize as a Cleaner. The Cleaners are a well-known faction from the first part.
Finally, the camera zooms out further and we get a glimpse of Manhattan, which seems to be on fire. Smoke clouds envelop the city.
Do we have to take down Aaron Keener?
This is what the trailer reveals about Episode 3: It is clear at first – We’re going back to New York, the city where the story of the predecessor took place.
The trailer mentions a rogue agent who has turned against his own brothers. Against the Division. The mission is apparently to take down this rogue:
We had the training. We fought to protect the weak. But training doesn’t prepare you to hunt someone you once called brother. He left us no choice. If we don’t stop him, there will be nothing left to save.
Who is the target? Everything points to Aaron Keener. He is a rogue agent of the “First Wave”, the first Division unit that operated in New York.
- Keener went rogue after the government left the first wave in the Dark Zone of Manhattan and built walls around the quarantine zone.
- He gathered several other rogues around him and killed anyone who did not want to follow him.
- During the events in The Division 1, Keener managed to acquire the deadly virus.
- The “Dollar Flu” is the biological weapon that was used to plunge the world of The Division into chaos.
Since then, Keener has been on the run, leaving messages for the Division. Apparently, his flight now comes to an end in Episode 3.
This is also supported by Massive having already confirmed Keener’s return. So far, Keener has not played a role in the main story of The Division 2. Therefore, Episode 3 should be the opportunity for that.
Is the Survival mode returning?
What can we expect in Episode 3? There are several possibilities for how New York could return.
It could be the complete map, which would mean a gigantic scope and effort for a DLC. Or it could be a single mode, such as a raid or survival. The latter seems to be the most likely.
This points to a survival mode:
- In the trailer, agents appear to be poorly equipped.
- The individual weapons of the specializations and the skills that are usually equipped are missing.
- The shot Cleaner is directly relieved of his weapons.
While there is no definitive hint yet, a survival mode would be quite conceivable. After all, Manhattan was already used as a survival map in The Division 1.
Furthermore, Massive has frequently emphasized in the past how much they value the survival mode and that they would like to bring it back.
This is how the survival mode was in The Division 1: In the first part, agents crashed over Manhattan during a blizzard.
- You have to manage without equipment at first, defend against the cold, hunger, and thirst, and you also fall ill.
- You have only limited time and resources to work your way to the center of the map, into the Dark Zone, and retrieve important data about the virus.
- The further you push into the center, the harder the enemies become. Could it be similar in The Division 2, just with Keener as the target?
Perhaps it’s not directly returning to Manhattan, but to the surrounding neighborhoods. But there is nothing else to do but wait for more information. The fans can hardly wait.
Players are eager for revenge, looking forward to New York
This is how the community reacts: Many fans are over the moon on Reddit. They can hardly wait to return to New York. Some are also out for revenge on Aaron Keener. Ravagexe writes:
“AARON FU***ING KEENER! Finally, damn, I’ve been waiting for him and his badass rogue agents since when? 3 expansions and a sequel? Let’s hope my favorite Division villain doesn’t go out without a bang. I’m sure we’ll find only traces of him anyway, but an appearance wouldn’t hurt.”
Other players express similar sentiments. They do not believe that the story of Keener will be resolved in Episode 3 but rather that it is meant to prepare for The Division 3. For them, Keener is somewhat like the arch-nemesis, the main antagonist in The Division. It would be too much of a shame to dispose of him in a DLC.
Most are curious about which part of the city will be accessible and especially in what form. Most hope that they can finally explore other neighborhoods like Brooklyn. The Division 1 was limited to the southern half of Manhattan.
They also hope to encounter old acquaintances like Faye Lau and other comrades from the predecessor.
When will Episode 3 be released? The 3rd DLC concludes the 1st year of The Division 2 and is set to be released in January 2020.
You can read more about what else was presented about The Division 2 at E3 in our summary:
