In its 2nd year, The Division 2 will introduce Seasons for the first time, which some may already know from Destiny 2. The first season is set to kick off shortly after the launch of the new expansion “Warlords of New York.” We summarize everything you need to know about the start date, contents, and rewards of Season 1.
What is the concept behind Seasons? Seasons are designed to keep agents in The Division 2 engaged continuously. There will always be something new to do.
The Seasons will bring new events, content, and rewards, aiming to complement the endgame while advancing the game’s story after the Warlords expansion.
Many might already be familiar with this model from Destiny 2. Bungie’s MMO shooter has also relied on the seasonal model since its second year to ensure a better content flow—a problem that The Division 2 has struggled with more pronouncedly after launch. It remains to be seen whether the shift from DLCs to a seasonal model can counteract this.
Everything you need to know about the launch of Season 1 of The Division 2
Keep in mind: While we are focusing on Season 1 here, the basic concept is unlikely to change significantly from season to season. Therefore, Season 1 is representative of how the other Seasons in The Division 2 will unfold.
When does Season 1 start? Season 1 starts on March 10, 2020, just one week after the release of the “Warlords of New York” expansion.
This should give players enough time to play the new Warlords campaign revolving around the hunt for Aaron Keener and familiarize themselves with the new open world in Lower Manhattan, New York.
Who can play the Seasons? To gain access to the Seasons, you must own the Warlords expansion and reach the new maximum level of 40 (which is impossible without the new expansion).
How does Season 1 work? After the launch, Season 1 will span a total of 12 weeks and will include not only the new New York area but also Washington D.C..
It constitutes a significant part of the new endgame and is essentially a kind of 3-month mini-campaign. Each week, the first season will offer new weekly activities, which will each start and end on Tuesdays.
Each completed activity will earn you XP for the SHD levels (which you can use to improve certain attributes of your agent after reaching level 40) as well as for the seasonal tiers.
All of this comes in addition to the existing endgame activities like Raids or Incursions.
Here’s the roadmap for Season 1:
Everything about the rewards of Season 1
Is there a season or battle pass for Season 1? Yes, even though Massive and Ubisoft simply call it Seasons and the season itself is free: there is a kind of battle pass, which you can pay for but do not have to – the Season 1 Pass.
The Seasons, including Season 1, offer a free, meaning all players can access a reward branch, as well as a paid premium branch as a form of seasonal progression. Through these branches, you can earn seasonal rewards.
These are distributed across 100 seasonal levels, which you progress through by collecting XP.
The Season 1 Pass, which gives access to the premium branch of a season, costs €10; for Season 1, this is included with the purchase of the Warlords expansion.
What about seasonal rewards? Through the free reward branch, you can earn the following during Season 1:
- new gear, including 2 new gear sets (Striker and System Corruption)
- an exotic item – the Coyote’s Mask
- named items
- arm patches
Everything that is gameplay-relevant, such as the new gear sets, can also be obtained through the free route.
Through the premium branch, you can unlock the following rewards:
- everything that is available in the free reward branch
- a unique seasonal outfit
- unique named weapon skins
- additional random season gear
- crafting materials
- clothing keys
- emotes
- unique colors for equipment
- faction keys
- textiles
By the way, the reward branches are designed in such a way that most seasonal items are given out relatively early. The first 35 levels include almost exclusively new gear set items, named weapons, and a new exotic. Players should not feel forced to complete the season to get the most value. Nonetheless, reaching level 100 should be something very special.
You can view the rewards for all 100 seasonal levels here: The Division 2: Season 1 comes with 100 levels – And these are all rewards
Additionally, through global events and a seasonal league system within the season, you can secure up to 10 guaranteed rewards per event – including 2 unique cosmetic rewards and 8 equipment containers.
Through the seasonal manhunt, you can also earn a unique seasonal skill mod (in Season 1 likely the EMP version of the Sticky Bomb). After the season ends, there should be a way to earn this retroactively, though details are currently unknown.
How long does it take to reach Season Level 100? The developers aim for a seasonal level to require roughly the same amount of time as a level within the field expertise system – essentially, the time it takes you to unlock a field expert container after reaching the maximum level.
Players who participate regularly should have no problem reaching this level within the 12 weeks. Depending on their own pace and active bonuses, it typically takes between 50 and 100 hours.
However, since not every player can always dedicate the appropriate time, there will also be an option to pay to speed up the process and purchase seasonal levels—as a kind of catch-up mechanic. This will only be offered at the end of the season, meaning in the last few weeks.
These events are brought by Season 1 of The Division 2
What events are coming with Season 1? Overall, there will be five different types of events in Season 1:
- seasonal manhunts
- season events
- global events
- leagues
- clothing events
This means there will be something fresh to do every week of the 12-season weeks.
Seasonal Manhunts: Here, the story will actively progress. There will be narrative briefings with specific targets (people) that need to be found and eliminated.
Every three weeks, a new target will be unlocked and will remain active after unlocking. You do not need to stay continuously engaged here. Once the first four targets are eliminated, the main target, a sort of new Warlord, will be unlocked.
For this target, there will be a special mission where new factions occupy the target area to ensure a unique experience. Eliminating this target rewards you with the unique skill mod of this specific enemy.
The manhunts can be repeated on different difficulty levels after completion, without losing progress.
Season Events: In these events, the arrival of a new target will be celebrated for one week. XP bonuses will be active, which apply to Seasons, SHD levels, and field expertise.
Global Events: These are additional seasonal activities that will be active three times during the 12 weeks. Here, special gameplay modifiers will be employed for one week, which should provide more variety with their unique effects.
By completing daily challenges, you can unlock special event rewards that are unrelated to SHD or seasonal level rewards.
However, global events are not mandatory. You must actively confirm your participation to take part in the event. By the way, they will return in subsequent seasons, so you will have multiple attempts to complete them if desired.
How the first Global Event Polarity Switch works: The first global event will be Polarity Switch. Players and enemies will have a visible positive or negative charge.
If you attack an enemy with the same charge you have, you deal increased damage. If you attack enemies with a different polarity, there will be “shocking” consequences.
Your polarity will change by switching weapons, reloading, and through melee attacks. Signature weapons from specializations, skills, or grenades, however, have no effect on charge polarity.
Leagues: While global events focus more on quirky modifiers and fresh gameplay mechanics, the leagues have a different focus.
They last for 2 weeks each and concentrate on faction-based PvE challenges where you can test your skills as an agent and compare them with others.
The first league to launch is the Westside League, focusing on eliminating the Outcasts faction. In a sort of “time trial” challenge, you need to complete missions and strongholds with Outcasts as quickly as possible, which will be recorded on the leaderboards.
By completing challenges, you rank up and unlock new rewards. Progress here is independent of seasonal and SHD levels but contributes there as well.
Clothing Events: Once you have leveled up your agent to level 40, you can also participate in these clothing events. Traditionally, you can earn or purchase new cosmetics through XP over a period of 3 weeks.
Every few SHD levels, there will be a key that allows you to open an event clothing container. From this, you can obtain unique new weapon skins or clothing in the respective event style.
What do you think of the upcoming content of Season 1? Does it excite you for more? Or does it leave you completely cold? Will you get the premium branch for €10?
