In the upcoming MMO shooter The Division , players will not see the entire endgame at launch.
Although we are now hearing a lot about skills and gameplay, nothing is known about the endgame in The Division. This may be because the endgame is not considered part of the initial package.
By endgame, it usually refers to what you can do at max level and after completing the campaign – things like particularly challenging group challenges, repeatable missions, dungeons, or even raids. The developers have not made extensive comments on any of these matters in the past.
As the Creative Director of Massive, Magnus Jansen, says now, they have indeed spent an enormous amount of time on the PvE endgame, but not everything will be there when The Division launches on March 8. They want to roll it out slowly and for free at the beginning. Jansen does not specify details on what will actually be available at launch.
There will be a PvE endgame with group content
But the Creative Director reassures: No worries, there is a PvE endgame, there will be goals and challenges for you and your group. There will be difficult tasks that you can take on and tackle.
It is already known that the Dark Zone offers significantly more when players have reached level 30 with their agents. This is a “completely new Dark Zone in principle.” Furthermore, Ubisoft has already presented a season pass featuring 3 expansions in 2016. Once again, Jansen ruled out that there could be “Pay2Win” microtransactions in The Division.
We think: This will devalue tests severely
My MMO thinks: Yes, an MMO will be very difficult to evaluate if you don’t know when the endgame will come and what it will look like. It’s a bit like writing a movie review without seeing the last 45 minutes.
It is “normal” for established games to withhold game content, to then add more after the release. Thus, entire raids in WoW are kept back for longer, and in Destiny, raid modes or challenges were also locked for a while. The thinking is: Players should not rush, but enjoy the journey. In reality, the motive is: Well, otherwise the hardcore players would be finished after two weeks, and we don’t want that; we want them to engage with our game longer and come back after two months.
In these cases, however, every purchaser knows what to generally expect later. Because players from previous expansions know what the endgame looks like in Destiny or World of Warcraft.
However, since at The Division, there is still no idea of how the endgame will even be, players who place great value on an endgame could end up disappointed when making a purchase decision. Because if there is (still) no endgame, it cannot be part of tests or reporting.
Usually, the endgame is crucial for forming an opinion about a game with a level and loot system. Does the game only provide fun as long as it tells a story? Or does it motivate players long after that?
At the moment, it seems like you have to buy The Division sight unseen – or wait longer than usual until solid tests and reports arrive.
Skepticism remains: If you have such a great endgame – when do you finally start talking about it?
