Work on The Division 2 is not yet finished. A leak has revealed that Ubisoft is working on a new PvE mode that aims to bring high replayability. Additionally, more story content is coming in the form of Manhunt missions. This has now been officially confirmed.
This leak has caused a stir: We at MeinMMO reported on Monday, May 25, that a Reddit user found hints about two significant developments related to The Division 2 in new audio files:
- Manhunt missions that tell a story for seasons 2, 3, and 4
- the replayable mode “Skyscraper”, where players must fight through many floors of a high-rise building – such “endless” modes, where you have to complete levels, are also found in MMORPGs like Final Fantasy XIV
On Monday, it was still unclear whether this content would come to The Division 2 or if they were remnants of earlier plans that were long dead.
Ubisoft employee confirms plans
Here’s what a Ubisoft employee says about the story: In the Reddit thread, Chris Gansler, a Ubisoft employee, responded. According to him, the leak indeed contains spoilers.
The test build unfortunately contains much more content than intended. These are clearly story spoilers. While it’s not yet known whether all the story will be released, he emphasizes that users should use spoiler tags when discussing the audio files.
Apparently, the found story texts are current.
The new story really comes into play through “Manhunt missions”. These are quest lines starting at level 40 in Warlords of New York, telling new seasonal content. Completing a Manhunt and taking down a rogue agent rewards you with a skill mod.
If you want to read the story spoilers in English, you can do so here (via reddit).
A mode with replayability is coming, but is still in the early stages
Here’s what Ubisoft says about the endless mode: Gansler states that Ubisoft wants to confirm that they are indeed working on “more content for The Division 2 outside of the seasons.” One of the current ideas is a PvE mode that caters to the desire for replayability.
They are currently in “early stages of development.” So the mode will not come soon.
Gansler says this is not “Underground 2.0,” as speculated on Reddit, but something standalone and unique. They do not want to simply copy modes from the first game.
Here’s what it’s all about: Previously, it was uncertain whether Massive was still willing to invest “much more” in The Division 2, especially after the original game fell short of expectations. Warlords of New York could have been a conclusion, especially since little further information was known.
The fact that new modes are now actually being developed is a good sign for the series.
Even though The Division 2 is criticized for issues with lack of replayability, the tactical shooter has some advantages: The open world of the game is regarded as richly detailed and fascinating.
The developers have integrated many little nuances to make Washington, DC, and New York City feel alive: For example, foes like the Rikers quarrel and kill each other, even without the player intervening. This illustrates the raw, violence-ridden world in which The Division takes place.
