Shortly before the release of the new “Warlords of New York” expansion for The Division 2, Ubisoft has released an animated short film featuring the main villain Aaron Keener. Players are celebrating the video and are wishing for more of it.
What is the new expansion about? After the recent release of Episode 3, the last Year 1 content, the large “Warlords of New York” expansion for The Division 2 is set to launch on March 3.
The addon will change a lot in the game and also brings players back to New York – to a new open world, which differs significantly from Manhattan in the first part.
There, the agents will hunt down the presumed lost Aaron Keener and his namesake Warlords. Keener now possesses his own bio-weapons and has used them against the Division in New York.
This is what the short film is about: Accordingly, Ubisoft has now released an animated short film in comic style, focusing on the villain Aaron Keener.
This video pre-explains some motives and fundamental connections between Keener, one of the most intriguing characters in the game series, his Warlords, and the Division.
What does the animated short film show exactly? Basically, the film briefly addresses the story of the renegade Division agent Aaron Keener, who was left to die by the Division along with several other first wave agents in the Dark Zone of New York.
The clip introduces the storyline of the Warlords expansion and shows
- how the manipulative and revengeful Keener recruits his Warlords from these remaining agents,
- how he utilizes other factions to strengthen his power,
- and provides a glimpse into what motivates the main antagonist and his key followers.
At the end of the film, the Division attempts to catch Keener in New York, but he escapes. Subsequently, help is requested from Washington, where our agents are likely to come into play soon.
But see for yourselves:
By the way: Unfortunately, the short film is only available in English, but this version has German subtitles.
How is the new video received? In short: Many are thrilled by this short film and wish for more of it in the future. The video is simply stunning and sets a very good tone for the new expansion and the return to New York – so says the general sentiment.
Quite a few believe that Massive and Ubisoft should create a whole series from it and hope that this short film is just the beginning.
Who exactly is Aaron Keener and why will he soon be important? Aaron Keener is essentially the main antagonist of the entire Division series – even though he is more like a phantom that you never see.
Once a Division member himself, he was part of the first wave of agents sent to New York during the virus outbreak in The Division 1. While helping to rescue civilians in the Dark Zone, a heavily contaminated area of the city, the situation spiraled out of control. The Dark Zone was sealed off, and Keener was left there with other Division agents, civilians, and expensive equipment.
This turned his world upside down, and he vowed revenge on the Division that had left him to die. He tried to recruit other abandoned agents for his new cause. Thus, more agents went rogue, including the 4 Warlords from the short film and the new expansion. Others were killed or are still being hunted mercilessly.
These events ultimately led to the deployment of the second wave, meaning our agents in The Division 1. However, Keener’s trail also fades there. In the new main missions of the recently released Episode 3 for The Division 2, however, he reappears and now seeks more than just revenge against the Division.
You can find detailed information about this villain here: The Division Story: All about Aaron Keener – The first rogue agent
What do you think of the short film? Do you also wish for more videos about The Division 2? Or can you not understand all the fuss?
