We visited the Massive Entertainment offices to learn the details of the new expansion of The Division 2, Warlords of New York. We return to the origin.
We are approaching the first anniversary of The Division 2. What we classify as "the best looter shooter of the generation", has closed with approved a roadmap designed by and for the community. The trio of episodes (not forgetting the prologue) introduced an extension of the contents at the height of what was seen in the main campaign.
In perspective, this first year has served as a prelude to the next step of the Swedish team. A team that knows the demand of its players and intends to meet them in this expansion, Warlords of New York. Thanks to Ubisoft's invitation, we visited Massive Entertainment's offices to see firsthand what this return to origins is about.
Malmö, the Massive Entertainment forge
Malmö's first memory usually coincides for most of the partners in the sector. After leaving its main station, the photograph is nocturnal. The lighting of its streets reflects directly on the channel that surrounds the main island. There is something magical, different even when breathing. That cold that anesthetizes your face and that you can never shelter.
The first flights from the Spanish capital usually start around 12:00. The nearest airport, Copenhagen, is only three hours and twenty minutes away; between leaving the plane, crossing the terminal and arriving at the main hall, you plant around 4pm. That is, night has already fallen on Nordic lands any winter day.
To reach our destination, the only route available is to take a train that runs through the Oresund bridge-tunnel, which connects the scarce 16 kilometers that separate Denmark and Sweden. This magnificent work of modern engineering takes us over and under the sea until it ends in the neighboring country.
At 18:30 the perenigration begins to the nearest restaurant. From 20:00 it is already difficult to find people in the streets. Malmö is, first and foremost, a calm, calm city to the extreme. Only the noise of cars early in the morning breaks the silence of its inhabitants. Perhaps because of the characteristics of the environment, Ubisoft placed in it one of its headquarters as far as development is concerned.
Venturing into the offices of Massive Entertainment is usually not the typical bland visit. From the reception you can see the jovial character of a pineapple that transmits camaraderie. A custom pinball with Avatar motifs accompanies a small recreation room, chaired by the three current desktop platforms. Titles like Kingdom Come: Deliverance, Halo Wars 2 and Dark Souls: Remastered are some of the participants of the “Massive bookshelf”, in which anyone who is in his rest can enjoy. There is no better influence than looking at the competition.
During the hallway that connects the reception and the meeting room, several of the study's landmarks are hanging from the wall. The success of The Division as a new intellectual property, its roots in other genres with World in Conflict and the germ that gave birth to the concept of this subsaga Tom Clancy's. To present the project, its managers designed a model that showed the playable mechanics as if it were a board game. You know the rest of the story.
The keys to Warlords of New York
Entering the subject, during the presentation with the creators, the keys to this new stage were emphasized. Narrative, changes in the metagame and postgame, these are the pillars that have reinforced the construction of the expansion. The words are accompanied by images of a different New York, at the same time familiar. Its streets show the doing of nature, as happened in Washington D.C. That is, we are within the framework of 8 months that started the argument of The Division 2.
The summer heat dissipated any hint of snow. You feel a neglected city, which continues to show off the Christmas motives left by the fateful black friday. The environment shows its most hostile face after having forced the rest of the occupation forces to survive during these months of agony. The playable map portion will coincide with South Manhattan, which will show typical neighborhoods such as Chinatown, Tribeca, Two Bridges and the entire lower coast. Its size is medium, and the number of interiors is expected to be greater than what is seen at the base.
The rumors that pointed to the return of Aaron Keener were not misleading. The renegade agent returns to the front page next to an entourage that will mark our progress during the expansion. His troops control this part of Manhattan, led by four lieutenants who we will have to hunt until they reach Aaron. But we will not do it alone: we will have the help of old faces that join the operation, such as Faye Lau and Paul Rhodes, among others.
The Warlords of New York adventure is atypical compared to what is seen in the saga. Once we land, it will be in our hands to choose the order in which to complete the primary objectives, either obtaining all the clues related to the character to be beaten, or exploring the other end of the map. Everything is subject to what we want to do.
We will be involved in five main missions that will have eight secondary missions connected to each other, in addition to eight control points, fighting against unpublished bosses, four level zones and the return of several of the original features, such as Cleaners and Rikers During the demo, we were able to play against the former, and we assure you that his fighting style is more violent than at the beginning.
The player level will rise from 30 to 40, while adding four skills that mix the views in The Division with new features. The catchy bomb launcher returns, perfect to kill groups of enemies during the exploration, or the inclusion of the lure, which will confuse our rivals in full fray. We will unlock them after the fighting against the lieutenants ends.
This level ceiling rise coincides with the changes that the RPG system will receive. Having collected feedback these months ago, the common points of their criticism revolved around the complexity of the construction and the way in which the sets were built. Therefore, from the moment it arrives, progress will live a more natural transition. If you get a new piece and it doesn't work for you, at least give it something of value so you can receive something else in return. And, above all, greater diversity of builds. We can expect many new equipment, weapons and manufacturing objects.
And what happens to the endgame? In particular, exclusive activities will be added for those who are in that section, as well as the availability of the legend difficulty in all the main missions. There will be a new system of complementary progress of the player level, called “SHD level”, in which we can specialize our character along different endless advantages.
During the changes in the endgame the dark area will be affected. The study wants to “revitalize it with the community”, so the changes, although they have not been detailed in depth, will make it more accessible and intuitive. You want to better reward those players who offer their help to other agents. Encourage cooperation against the competitiveness that has prevailed these months ago.
Perhaps the biggest contrast between what is seen in 2019 and what we will see from March lies in its post-launch plan. Forget for a moment the road map divided by episodes. Since the expansion lands, Massive will implement a season-based system. Every three months we will receive a kind of mini-campaign with various activities linked to a narrative framework. Nothing will happen by chance, but it will make sense within your universe.
From what we could see in the images shown, the seasons will have their own chain of exclusive rewards, similar to a “battle pass”. We do not know how and in what format we will receive them. Before starting one, a calendar of activities will be shown that will specify when they will occur. You can wait for the return of global events and the debut of leagues, a kind of scoreboard where beat scores of other agents. The first season will begin a week after the launch of the expansion
Impressions: first steps through New York
The demonstration we were able to access was a small portion of the entire experience. We could only explore part of one of the areas north of the map, minutes in which we had to pick up different plot caps that deepen the background of the lieutenants and Keener himself.
From the first minute, the focus of this content is focused on enhancing the narrative, one of those harmed 12 months ago in comparison with what we saw in 2016. Its own leaders affirm the special emphasis of this aspect during Warlords of New York, and The words are demonstrated with the facts at the controls. The power of the classic characters makes you feel more immersed in the mission.
The only main level that we were allowed to complete, called “The Tombs,” offered a design similar to the intensity of the objectives seen in the faction elimination missions. This renewed version of the Cleaners is lethal, they are better trained than years ago. New archetypes add to those seen in the two adventures. For example, their snipers carry a shield, and to end them we must look for their flank. Or the technicians, capable of launching flares through electronic gadgets.
The most surprising thing about the session was the enormous capacity of artificial intelligence to face us. At no time have we been told about an improvement in this aspect. However, fighting these modified Cleaners requires all your ability as a player. They feel like Black Fangs, but with greater mobility.
One of the star moments was the arrival of a special enemy as a mid-level boss. "The Judge" was a reinterpretation of the primal heavy flamethrower. At close range he could make use of a flamethrower, while in the long run he carried a crossbow that launched a save of three chips per shot. Receiving an impact of this magnitude is critical. At that time the possibilities offered by its playable formula come into play.
Because this brand is more than a third person shooter with automatic coverage. Its learning curve offers the necessary depth so that, after hours of play, we take advantage of the scenario in a completely different way. For example, the geometry around us can serve as a shield without the need to parapet. This allows us to defend ourselves against the onslaught, at the same time that we quickly exit it and shoot.
The final combat, on the other hand, puts new mechanics around the expansion skills on the table. In this case, the lieutenant had the lure to his credit, with which he filled the room with holograms of both his figure and basic enemies. This type of action brings variety to the exchange of shots; I hope this diversification becomes more common.
Warlords of New York has filled us with illusion. Illusion to retake a game that will live a second chance full of good ideas. We will see what happens when we have access to the final version.
The Division 2: Warlords of New York, date and price
You will not have to wait long to return to Manhattan. The Division 2: Warlords of New York will arrive on March 3 on Xbox One, PS4 and PC. It will only be done in digital format through three different editions, depending on your situation in the game.
For those who have the base game, the expansion will cost 30 euros. On the other hand, a package will be enabled that will include both the original game and Warlords of New York for 40 euros. The most enthusiastic will have the possibility of acquiring the Ultimate Edition, which will include all of the above together with the permanent unlocking of the six specializations, classified missions and various weapon packages. Its price will be 60 euros.
That freedom that we said before moves to the very beginning of the expansion. Whether you are a veteran player or newcomer, you can jump directly to New York no matter where you are from the base game. After acquiring it you will receive an enhancer to raise a character to level 30, which will allow you to access without waiting.
On the other hand, the highly anticipated second raid, called The Foundry, will arrive sometime next spring. It will be available to all users regardless of whether you have the expansion, as well as improvements in the RPG factor. Therefore, they can play both level 30 and 40 characters. As a final point, at the end of March the title will land on Google Stadia.
