Our author Tarek was able to test an Invaded mission from The Division 2 during the beta. In this endgame variant of the story missions, you encounter a particularly strong faction.
While playing the Invaded mission “Jefferson Trade Center” from the private beta, I had a lot of fun, as I could experiment with the 3 specializations for the first time and take a look at the new enemy faction Black Tusk. Overall, my impression is positive and gives me hope for future endgame content.
What are Invaded missions? Once you have completed the story campaign and reached level 30, another faction invades the game world. This faction is the Black Tusk, which you can face in Invaded missions. These missions are harder variants of the normal story missions.
The Invaded missions are meant to bring momentum to the PvE endgame of The Division 2 along with the new faction and provide a greater challenge.
Instead of simply increasing the number and strength of enemies, the Invaded missions also provide a more demanding challenge. The Black Tusk are
- more tricky and tactical than the usual enemies due to better AI,
- better equipped – and they use bomb drones and remote-controlled cars with explosives
- and spawn less frequently in the same pattern.
Additionally, other enemy types such as four-legged turret robots are introduced, which emit an EMP pulse upon destruction.
How do I test the Invaded mission? To unlock the specializations and the Invaded mission, you need to complete part of the beta. We have summarized everything for you about the endgame part of the beta.
Impressions from the Endgame
This is how the Invaded mission plays: The Black Tusk usually proceed wisely, trying to flank and encircle, and they can make your life really difficult. They rappel down from helicopters in outdoor areas and can pose significant challenges due to their positioning.
Although they can generally withstand more than the usual enemies, only the larger tanks have significantly more health, which can still be dealt with quickly if you concentrate on a specific spot on their armor.
You will face significantly more waves of enemies compared to the normal mission flow. However, I am not worried about the difficulty level. Our equipment was at level 30 and was a mix of high-end and purple loot, but still far from optimum.
Moreover, not all skills were available. Therefore, players still have plenty of room for improvement to better prepare against the Black Tusk. Accordingly, as you progress and get better gear, you will find it easier to cope.
Overall, the Black Tusk reminds me of a stronger version of the LMB from The Division 1. The fight against them is challenging and motivating, considering the technical difficulties of the beta.
Good prospects for the future?
Gameplay-wise, the Black Tusk is an interesting enemy, which should serve as a good entry point at the beginning of the endgame. I am curious whether Massive will introduce even higher difficulty levels and what else is planned for the PvE area. So far, I think the prospects are fairly good.
The Black Tusk appears as a faction still mysterious and threatening. What kind of organization are they? Who is behind it? Similar questions arise as when the mysterious Hunters from the predecessor appeared. Fans are already speculating about a connection between these two dangerous and enigmatic factions.
We have summarized 4 theories about the Hunters for you:
This is what Massive still needs to work on: I do have a few minor points of criticism:
- Sometimes it is hard to see the individual enemies.
- Grenades and drones are difficult to see, making dodging harder.
- Additionally, the ammunition for the specializations should drop significantly more often.
I was barely able to test the signature weapon, which was a bit unfortunate. Because the specializations are actually a cool way to go tactically.
When I had ammunition for my .50 caliber sniper rifle, it was a powerful weapon against heavily armored enemies. But unfortunately, during the entire mission, there were perhaps a maximum of two ammunition drops. My teammates fared even worse.
What I would still wish for: Massive still needs to work a bit on the balance. The number of enemy waves is sometimes too high, you’re literally bombarded with enemies. If that is reduced, I don’t think an adjustment of the time-to-kill is necessary. Enemies can take a lot of damage, but it felt okay to me if there weren’t so many.
If Massive adjusts the technical and balance aspects in general, the Invaded missions are already a good start for a strong PvE endgame.
What do you think about the Invaded missions? Would you agree?
