Have you ever been to Washington D.C.? If not, a tour through The Division 2 is more than enough for a good first impression, says our author Sven.
What I love most about The Division 2: The world of The Division 2 has really captivated me. It is full of noteworthy places, exciting stories, countless details, and a lot of lovingly crafted little things.
Knowing the city along with numerous sights and locations from real life makes my virtual trip to Washington even more exciting.
This is how I play The Division 2: I believe I would have long been in the endgame if the game world were not so fantastic. New York was already great, but the implementation of Washington is a whole different level in my eyes.
Almost daily, I catch myself drifting completely away during a mission and taking a closer look at the mission location. Often, I even get so lost in the world of The Division 2 that I don’t even play it properly anymore.
I just wander around from one little thing to the next and admire the attention to detail that has gone into the game world.
How is Washington portrayed in The Division 2? The cool thing is: The virtual capital of the USA is so well and accurately modeled after its real counterpart that even years after my last visit, I can still find my way around and recognize certain locations that I have visited before.
Whether it’s the Capitol, the White House, the Washington Monument, Potomac Park, or the Lincoln Memorial. Many prominent places I can find even without a map.
A huge number of other players, who either live in Washington or have already visited, report on the incredibly accurate reproduction in the game. Many recognize their home, their workplace, or even the subway stations they use daily.
Seeing the whole thing in a post-apocalyptic interpretation creates an indescribable gaming sensation and gives me a lot of goosebumps. It feels as if I am truly returning to Washington after a massive catastrophe.
So now I walk some paths that I have also taken in real Washington, visiting some places I visited back then – almost everything is there! I even found one of my hotels right away. And my feeling tells me – you are back in D.C.! An experience and an immersion that has no equal in many years of gaming.
That’s why the museums are my major highlights: During my trips to Washington, I had the chance to visit numerous museums. I particularly remember the National Air and Space Museum and the National Museum of American History.
I was even more curious when I found out that both serve as locations for missions in The Division 2. When I was finally able to play them, I quickly realized: The implementation of both locations in the game is fantastic and feels very authentic.
Especially the Vietnam area and the planetarium in the American History Museum are really convincingly modeled after the real locations within the museum.
The large area where the final battle takes place in the Air & Space Museum is also cut from the same cloth as its real counterpart.
So if you want to start a (albeit short) virtual tour of the coolest museums in Washington, you don’t necessarily have to fly to the USA.
The good thing is: You can not only virtually visit the museum, but also simultaneously experience two of the most exciting and diverse missions that The Division 2 currently has to offer.
Thus, in the American History mission, the setting changes with each section. From an exhibition, the battles lead you to a destroyed planetarium, into the jungle of Vietnam, or to Mars.
In the Air & Space Museum, you fight your way through the history of aviation and space flight amidst various aircraft, rockets, and the space shuttle.
What I’m looking forward to: What I’m particularly looking forward to is the Pentagon. This location is supposed to be introduced in the course of the first year in The Division 2. Because I have already admired parts of this building in real life and am curious about how the implementation in the game will turn out.
But for now, I’m first looking forward to my next short vacation in post-apocalyptic Washington D.C. and to more details that I will discover there. And to anyone who has ever been to Washington and hasn’t played The Division 2 yet, I recommend – give it a try if you enjoy such games. It is an unforgettable feeling.
Have you, as a Division player, ever been to D.C. or New York? How has this visit affected your gaming experience with the Division series?
