For fans of The Division 2, 2019 was not exactly the best year. Our author Maik thinks that 2020 could be much better if the developers really deliver what they promise.
What a year for Division fans. In March, the big second part of the series launched, and The Division 2 made a very good impression right from the start. Good reviews, nice gameplay, and plenty to do.
However, for agents who have stayed a bit longer in Washington, reality eventually set in.
After the raid had been completed for the tenth time and the standard builds had been tried out, there was nothing left to do. Except maybe to sort the always full inventory again. But how could this happen? Everything looked so good.
Division 2 started strong and declined significantly
What did Division 2 do wrong? In my view, several mistakes were made in Division 2 that all have an impact on the current state of the service game.
The most important for me are:
- The release state
- The raid
- The communication
State at release
The first period in Division 2 was great: The game put us in an almost eternal reward loop, and it took many hours before gear level 500 was reached.
The big goal from then on was the raid. However, the first signs of wear and tear were noticeable. The poor inventory overview, the relatively limited number of activities, and fewer and fewer teammates made longer-term enjoyment a challenge.
Because after the hunter quest, the game became pure busy work.
Where was the problem? The tight update schedule after release left little room for actual improvements to the game, and although considerable content came with world rank 5 and the raid, it simply wasn’t enough to retain the majority of players.
Only after a long summer break did TU6 bring the first major “Quality of Life” update, bringing the game to a state that some service games only reach after a few updates, best described by a frequent quote: “This is how the game should have been at release”.
If the raid had come as planned with TU6, things might have looked different. Many fans were not willing to return to the game for the few new Pentagon missions to try out the good new features.
Focus on the raid
What does this mean? The raid is the largest and for some players the best activity in Division 2. Good loot, the chance of a strong exo, and challenges that require teamwork.
And that’s exactly how the developers apparently saw it and took great care of the raid activities. However, other aspects fell by the wayside, such as new missions or new builds.
Why is this a problem? The focus on the raid left us with unfinished activities and little new content.
The expeditions arrived too late and were poorly received, and the two main missions per episode are really a joke. With update 6.1, a hardcore mode is now available, but it is again only delivered in an unfinished state and as a beta.
I think the developers bet on the wrong horse, and together with the strategy of free DLCs, it is now coming back to haunt them.
Wrong communication
What mistakes were made here? The developers always gave us the wrong information somehow and never really stated how it would proceed.
Although The Division 2 even hosted its own community stream and reported weekly on developer activities and current changes, one never really knows: What comes next?
The episodes received release dates extremely late, and the content was hardly ever discussed until the last minute. In the “State of the Game” streams, there were almost always just a few cheerful Massive staff with a few friendly stories but little information.
What is the problem? On one hand, I don’t know what else to do in the game, and on the other, it is completely unclear what I can look forward to.
Sure, the new raid is coming sometime in 2020, and with episode 3, we return to New York, but these prospects are not motivating right now. The raid might come in the summer, and in episode 3, there will likely only be 2 missions set in New York.
Up until update 6.1, my research gave me the impression that some players even assumed that the game was not being worked on anymore. The sudden cancellation of the “State of the Game” streams for the rest of 2019 unsettled players and is indicative of the state of the relationship between players and developers.
Although 2 episodes did run afterward and even an update with new content came, somehow it all felt strange.
Put Year 1 behind us and make Year 2 better
Why could 2020 be better? The developers have seen what kind of content we players want. We need content that keeps us engaged in the game and brings new challenges again and again.
The expeditions unfortunately could not deliver this, but the hardcore mode is moving in the right direction. The completed hardcore mode, a fun Dark Zone, and maybe another mode with high replay value and the world of Division 2 could look very different again.
Recently, it has seemed to me that many mistakes have been recognized, and the responsible parties are on a good path.
What will be important in 2020? The developers must succeed in keeping us better informed and occasionally doing something with the game world.
How can it be that games like ARK or GTA 5 cover their entire game world with snow, while The Division 2, despite its frosty past in New York, can only manage snowballs from an SMG?
Something needs to be done here, regular events, new weapons or gear. Just small bites to prepare us for the big coming.
This is what I wish for: In my opinion, the devs should focus more on builds and gear.
The targeting loot system is great, and one can actually specifically go hunting for gear. So why not take a step further and make specific gear pieces with fixed stats available through activities?
These activities could then have special modifiers and be incredibly difficult so they can only be completed with specific builds. With such items, the developers could steer the meta a bit, and agents would have a reason to build a specific setup.
This could also be transferred to streams and social media appearances. Instead of constantly sharing cosplays, posts could showcase new build variants, and the developers’ creations could be commented on during the stream.
What do you think about the future of Division 2?
Is the game at its end or is there still hope? What were your expectations of Division 2, and do you think it could still make a comeback?
Tell us your opinion: Write to us in the comments what you think. Were there perhaps other mistakes made, or do you consider my listing nonsense?
So what do you think? Will Division 2 make a comeback in 2020 and bring us back to Washington? What mistakes do you think were made this year?
