Ubisoft recently released new information about The Division 2 in a press release. In this announcement, there is mention of several Dark Zones. What does this mean?
What is the Dark Zone? The Dark Zone is a kind of flagship of The Division 1. This area is almost cut off from the outside world. It mixes PvE and PvP elements and is primarily part of the endgame. In the Dark Zone, contaminated loot can be collected, which must first be extracted. Other players can go rogue and contest your loot.
This is how the Dark Zone was structured in The Division 1: In the first part, the Dark Zone was located in the center of Manhattan. Altogether, there are 9 sections or “brackets” within this one large Dark Zone.
Ubisoft hints at multiple Dark Zones.
Fans have long been eagerly awaiting information about the Dark Zone in The Division 2. Their wish has now been granted, albeit perhaps unintentionally. Ubisoft’s press release suggests that there could be multiple Dark Zones in The Division 2.
Where does this information come from? The press release is part of the announcement that The Division 2 will be released on PC not on Steam, but in the Epic Games Store.
It speaks of Dark Zones in the plural that are supposed to exist in Washington D.C.
Players can experience the main campaign, organized PVP modes, or the brutal and untamed Dark Zones either solo or in cooperation with up to 4 players.
This section has now been removed from the English announcement. However, the German version remains unchanged.
Is that the only hint? Not quite. Reports from the Alpha of The Division 2, which took place in December, support this assumption.
Report from the Alpha – 3 Dark Zones in Washington D.C.
An Alpha tester writes about the Dark Zones: According to the Reddit user keenerwashere, there are a total of three Dark Zones in D.C.:
- Dark Zone East
- Dark Zone South
- Dark Zone West
The Dark Zone East was even available in the Alpha. Unfortunately, he can’t reveal more due to the confidentiality agreement.
What could be the reason for having multiple Dark Zones? One reason could be the geography of Washington D.C. While Manhattan is significantly longer from north to south, Washington D.C. spreads more from west to east.
What could multiple Dark Zones mean? This is currently hard to say, as there is little information available. It could simply mean that they are distributing the different brackets across the entire map of The Division 2 because it is structured differently.
However, perhaps they have bigger plans for the individual zones. Could there perhaps be multiple variations of the Dark Zone? Some fans have long desired a PvE Dark Zone, while others defend the existing mix of PvE and PvP.
Maybe we will get more information as soon as next week. The embargo on The Division 2 is supposed to lift.
