Much like the original, all loot in the Dark Zone is contaminated. Just a few minutes into my first Dark Zone venture and a rival player had already launched a grenade at me for my tasty legendary rifle. Designed as a more dangerous zone where players can kill each other for higher-end loot, the Dark Zone is still an enthralling experience. If you’re looking for the best loot, though, you’ll be exploring The Division 2’s new interpretation of the Dark Zone. Taking out a propaganda broadcast, stopping a public execution or taking over an enemy occupied hangout can net you a hefty XP drop alongside some great loot. With that said, they are useful for leveling up in the early game. In reality, they end up making it seem rather bothersome as moving between safe houses and missions usually ends up with you initiating three or four of the things. In between written missions, you’ll find yourself interacting with the many world events that attempt to keep The Division 2’s world from feeling empty and flat. Ubisoft has certainly designed this sequel around player choice, and it shows. With the ability to shoot your LMG from range, you can now swap out your sniper rifle to a powerful shotgun or even a mid-to-close range SMG. Using weapon mods, you can slap a huge 8x scope onto your monstrously powerful LMG. Of course, you’re bound to find your favorite weapon types and there are systems in place to make sure that you can play how you want while also not being at a huge disadvantage. Other encounters are spread across wide fields where a sneaky sniper rifle might be useful. Some missions take place in crowded office buildings which might benefit from close range weaponry. A good deal of time has gone into environment design this time around there’s always a reason for you to switch to an all-new loadout and try something different. Whilst I rocked a submachine gun and a double barrel shotgun for the first couple of hours, I found my loadout constantly evolving throughout my time with the game. There’s a suitable amount of weapon variety, too. Guns feel satisfying, the movement is snappy, and the feeling of scavenging your first WW2-era sniper rifle or double barrel shotgun out in the field always scratches that itch for seeing numbers grow over time. While its mission design is predictably repetitive, a clever combination of fantastic and exhilarating combat makes the countless hours of shooting samey baddies feel rewarding. If you’re looking to do one or the other, but hopefully both, then you’re sorted-The Division 2 does both remarkably well. Washington D.C isn’t really a world, it’s a beautiful 3D checklist designed wholly around granting you places to shoot and loot.
It’s a looter shooter through and through. Then again, it’s not like there’s much immersion to be found here. It’s a mess, a cacophony of bugs often interacting with each other in ways that never truly harm your playing experience, but they’ll definitely ruin any hint of immersion you’re currently feeling. Texture and object pop-in, poor AI, dodgy collision, mission screw ups and more are the one true constant in the game’s virtual interpretation of Washington. Of course, it doesn’t help that technically The Division 2 falters consistently throughout its journey. The Division 2 may not be as striking as its predecessor, but it is damn pretty. Without friends or randoms to run around with it can still feel lonely-the streets of D.C may feature the occasional animal and troop of humans but emulating life is something that escapes its design. Post-apocalyptic Washington D.C may not have anywhere near the same level of charm that New York had, but it’s still a beautiful landscape to run around and shoot bad guys in. The Division 2 is still a stunning game to look at. While it attempts to add charm through the occasional bout of graffiti, it never feels earned. Unlike the original, it’s aesthetically drab. Sadly, by moving away from the snowy environment, I feel The Division 2 has lost some of its charm.
Finding contaminated loot and fighting off other players whilst being barely able to see was intense. Drudging through the snow was a great time, especially when a storm would kick up inside the Dark Zone. The original The Division was a stunning MMORPG to look at. It was a repetitive looter shooter held together by solid combat, a gorgeous snow-coated world and the intrigue of the dangerous Dark Zone. Ubisoft’s original stab at The Division wasn’t a perfect experience, far from it.
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