The Dark Zone is a unique environment where anything can happen, anyone can be a friend or foe, and some of the best gear awaits those who seek to brave its challenges and threats that await them.
Earlier today in a surprise announcement, Massive and Redstorm have finally revealed a brand new feature coming to Tom Clancy’s The Division 2 ahead of its March 15, 2019, release date. In the trailer released earlier today, the team has finally revealed exactly what is going on in the Dark Zones of Washington D.C.
The Dark Zones will feature their own unique stories, unique biomes, and emphasize on their own types of gameplay styles. For those unfamiliar with the Dark Zones may recall the tidbit of how dangerous PvP can be as the Dark Zones themselves are driven by PvP, PvE, and the hunt for some of the best loot in the game.
The Dark Zone in Manhattan was caused by attempts to contain the Green Poison Virus. In Tom Clancy’s The Division 2, multiple quarantines were set up in order to contain a new and dangerous chemical known as DC62, which was used in order to eradicate the virus.
But you know what? There’s even more to these Dark Zones you need to know.
Going Rogue returns and there are three different statuses for PvPers
Dark Zones, as you know, are a place where players will need to balance their approach to risk versus reward when taking on both predatory agents and A.I., players will see some unique balances to keep things fun for both veterans and newcomers alike. Because of how the Rogue System worked before, players could easily grow frustrated and even irritated with both PvP and PvE balancing when being hunted down by rogue agents who want the loot you have.
In order to offer something entirely new, Massive and Redstorm have re-worked the way the rogue system works. One of the biggest changes comes to the storage containers scattered around the dark zone once again. These items often held high-end rewards for those that dared to gun down other agents; stealing their keys for these crates in the process. Now, PvP won’t be required for these items, allowing you to pick the logs and run away without being noticed.
Much the same can be said when snagging a supply drop for yourself. Those of you who look to do so will be able to do so, but there are repercussions for your actions. Now, a new rogue status has been added for those who aim to hoard all the loot for themselves. Agents will be able to track you down, take you out, and even steal the supplies that you managed to wrangle up, this status applies to both the locked crates and supply drops themselves.
But there is also a new feature being implemented into the game: Hackable computer systems in the Dark Zones themselves. Successful hacks will allow you to gain access to hidden enemy locations where you can potentially find valuable items, interact with NPCs who have missions for you to undertake and even reward you for recovering items that they request.
Rewards for those that hunt down a Manhunt Target will find that three shades of terminals will be activated across the entirety of the DZ itself. These terminals will allow those who have a Manhunt Status to clear their names, get away with whatever deeds they did, and claim their loot for having down so without a hitch.
The terminals also allow Rogue Agents to take full advantage of their status by expunging it or increasing their status even further. But there’s a risk to this reward. Other agents will have an idea where these terminals are, but not their exact location, which makes it a dangerous trip for those who have gone rogue.
Organized PvP Experiences
Conflict modes will pitch a team of SHD Agents against a team of Rogue Agents as they vie for control over objectives in PvP-focused modes by the names of Domination and Skirmish. These modes will offer players the ability to progress separately from the open world while also obtaining hard-to-obtain weapons, armor, and various other supplies to help them progress through the dangerous world of Washington D.C. whether they PvP or not.
Domination is a unique take on the well-known mode, allowing both teams to capture specific points, complete tasks, and even perform special deeds in order to advance their teams score and increase their odds of winning. Teams will need to use their loadouts to the best of their ability.
In Skirmish, players will be working together in order to reduce the opposing team’s lives available to them through the course of a match. Once the lives hit zero, so do their chances to respawn and ultimately their chances of victory. However, running and gunning will not win battles as players will need to maximize their efforts against enemy loadouts, abilities, and communication.
These organized PvP experiences also come with their own set of rewards that players can unlock after a match has been completed.
Occupied Dark Zones will provide a higher challenge, but one with great reward
Hardcore Division players will have a lot to look forward to as they min-max their gear and their character’s stats in order to be among some of the best of the best. In today’s announcement, Ubisoft has confirmed that The Dark Zone will be apart of the endgame progression, which will see to players taking on some of their biggest challenges yet.
These new Dark Zone challenges will be among the toughest of challenges yet. In these Dark Zones, the A.I. is harder, PvP is harder, and knowing what is going on will be just that much more difficult. Why? There will not be shaders, there will not be icons, and it will be up to players to decide who is a friend, who is a foe, and who their priority target actually is.
But what we don’t know yet is quite evident. Who are those occupants in the Occupied Dark Zones themselves? Are they a new faction? Are they a threat from a foreign country? Are they a rogue agency within the government? We’ll find out as March quickly approaches with the release of Tom Clancy’s The Division 2.
The Dark Zone is broken up into three different areas
Unlike the massive zone the Dark Zone was in Tom Clancy’s The Division; Redstorm and Massive have broken down the Dark Zone in order to create a more diverse and unique sense of exploration and instill a sense of greater danger
This time around, each Dark Zone will feature their own unique biomes, enemies, and threats they have to offer. Each will also play quite differently from one another when said and done and each will also come with their own risk versus reward. Players can expect to know more about each of these zones as we quickly approach the games upcoming beta dates in the next few weeks.
Tom Clancy’s The Division 2 is set to release on March 15, 2019, for PC, PlayStation 4 and Xbox One.
About the Writer(s):
Dustin is our native console gamer, PlayStation and Nintendo reviewer who has an appetite for anything that crosses the borders from across the big pond. His interest in JRPG’s, Anime, Handheld Gaming, and Pizza is insatiable. His elitist attitude gives him direction, want, and a need for the hardest difficulties in games, which is fun to watch, and hilarity at its finest. You can find him over on Twitter or Facebook.