Recently Ubisoft invited me down to represent GameSpace and get some hands-on time with their newest expansion to Division 2: Warlords of New York. Warlords bring several changes to the game mechanically as well as introducing new areas, new content and a higher level cap. I got to experience a slice of Manhattan and was genuinely happy with what I was able to play with.
Coming out on March 3rd, Division 2: Warlords of New York will bring several changes to the core game while taking us on a Manhunt for the big bad himself Rogue Agent Aaron Keener.
This expansion will feature:
- A Narrative Expansion to Discover a New Area in New York City
- Hunting down Rogue Agent Aaron Keener and his core group of Rogue Agents.
- New skills.
- Along with The Division 2 Warlords of New York, Title Update 8 will include an RPG overhaul, allowing players to better read and manage their gear inventory.
- Gear will be streamlined.
- The existing Dark Zones in The Division 2 are being reworked with a focus on PvP.
- Level cap increase to 40 along with the new SHD level system allowing players to customize their characters further.
- Season are coming to Division 2. A 3-month-long themed endgame event with a new main target.
- Global events and limited time events are coming back.
I got to play in a section of the map on the hunt for one of Keener’s lieutenants. The overall gameplay felt smoother than usual as I ran around the area searching for clues to find his lair and bring him to justice, one way or another. It felt refreshing to be facing off against old foes like the Cleaner faction again while at the same time being in a New York that was familiar from the first Division yet different.
The dev teams did a great job of portraying a city that was rebuilding after a horrific incident that was followed by a harsh winter and capped off with the hurricane that was hitting the area at the beginning of DIvision 2. It felt great to be back in the area and see some sights that I recognized while also seeing all the little things I may have missed from all that snow in the first Division. There were so many little things that made it truly feel like an updated and more lived-in area. One particular thing that struck a chord with me was when I visited the animal shelter. It was such a little thing but was done well with all the animals up for adoption and being taken care of. It created a little pocket of humanity amidst this chaos of fighting. I only wish I could have petted more of them.
As I stepped back out onto the I guided on my search until I came face to face with this new Rogue Agent. While fighting him and picking up the audio files along the way I was reminded that not everything is a clear cut black and white. There are a lot of grey moral zones in The Division franchise and I feel that the team has done a great job of continuing to represent that in Warlords of New York. The story really comes together and although I know I can’t side with this Agent because of what he’s done, I sympathize with him though. It’s a stark reminder that several of these people were just normal everyday people until everything went bad and they started making choices they thought were right.
Overall the slice of New York I played in for Division 2: Warlords of New York felt great to play in visually and the continuation of the story was very well done.
It will launch on March 3rd. Current players can buy the expansion by itself and new players can purchase an edition that includes everything as well as an Ultimate edition. All players must be level 30 and have reached World Tier 5 to join The Divison 2 Warlords of New York. Each edition of the game will come with a level 30 boost that can be used to immediately jump into Warlords gameplay if they want. After completing the campaign, Agents can fast travel freely between Washington DC and New York.
