It has now been revealed that the free DLCs for The Division 2 have a catch. While they remain free, there is indeed an incentive to pay for them.
This was the big topic at E3 for The Division 2: “Our DLCs are free this time.” Around Gamescom, the catch comes to light. Those who pay get a week of early access.
It was like this with The Division 1: The three DLCs for The Division 1 cost something. Additionally, PS4 players had to wait a month for them. Nobody was happy about that:
- The community split into those who had DLCs and those who did not.
- Moreover, the DLCs were niche. They did not expand the story but only opened new side modes. Overall, the DLCs for The Division 1 are considered a flop.
How was it supposed to be with The Division 2? At E3, developer Massive announced that all DLCs would be free this time.
They learned from The Division 1 and wanted to keep the community together. Therefore, everyone can play the DLCs for free.
Year One Pass gives 7 days of early access to all Year 1 episodes
What has changed now? Last week, Ubisoft announced what editions they are offering for The Division 2. This ranges from a basic standard edition for €60 to the “The Phoenix Shield Edition” for €250.
Fans noticed what is stated in the fine print: Ubisoft is also selling a “Year One Pass” in addition to The Division 2, which grants early access to the DLCs or parts of them. This is not quite clear yet. Access is supposed to be seven days earlier.
What bothers players about this? This “early access” annoys players now because they say: People have an advantage if they can play new content a week earlier. They gain access to items earlier and are therefore stronger than us for a week. This says Massive: The US site Kotaku quotes the Division 2 community member Yannick saying, “We don’t see early access as an opportunity to strengthen the character earlier.”
According to him, early access is more about the story part rather than strengthening the character for PvP. They will “carefully look at what there is in early access.”
This could mean that Massive still does not know exactly what players will get from earlier access with the Year-One Pass. More annoyance: A second issue is the inventory. The special editions add valuable space for a lot of money. Fans do not like that either. Especially for core gamers, space was a long-standing problem in The Division 1.
The additional space is hidden in the “The Elite Agent Pack”. Players need to purchase at least the “Ultimate Edition” for €110 to have the largest inventory. What is behind this? It is not unusual for AAA titles to trick with such editions and sell seemingly small advantages for a lot of money.
What annoys fans here is that The Division 2 is now revealing these catches in the fine print, while it seemed at E3 two months ago that they had learned from all the mistakes of The Division 1.
If the big message at E3 is: “All DLCs are free,” then they should have announced: “But those who pay play a week earlier,” and not have to wait two months to tell this.
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