Should I play The Division 2? That is the question after so many changes since the release of the game. The Division 2 had a good start and it was the only game that was true to the essence of a pay-to-play live service game. It was not a perfect game due to year one pass but it was better than any other live service game. There was so much end game content without additional cost. Constant updates made it one of the best looter shooter. The game had its flaws but these flaws were overshadowed by everything that the game was offering. Everything was going well, cosmetics were the type of in-game purchasable that you could drop randomly. The Division 2 was the type of game that everyone could enjoy without extra cost.
Then Warlords of New York DLC arrived and messed up everything that players had done till March 3, 2020, was useless. All the equipment that players were using and gartering throughout the year was now useless. The introduction of level 40 was devastating, not only for the players of the base game but the DLC owners as well. DLC owners getting something new but players of the base game lost everything and gained nothing. Now without the Warlords of New York, The Division 2 base game is useless. The new DLC is creating the type of games that forces you to buy it or stop playing the game entirely. All this makes you ask the question should I play The Division 2?
The Division 2 before Warlords of New York
One of the major promises of The Division 2 was low cosmetics cost and the obtainability of paid cosmetics through the general loot. UBI Soft kept its promise of doing so. There were not exclusive purchasable cosmetics even the purchasable cosmetics would drop or you could buy it with Club Units. The game did not have any season pass and there was only year one pass. For many, it was a one-time investment due to everything that it was offering.
The build system was more complicated than any other game. Making even a simple build was a headache but such complexity also offered flexibility. You could focus on all traits without compromising the damage of anything. Making these builds was a huge problem and even the perfect builds would create problems. There was too much variable for even the simplest type of builds. The flexibility of the gear system was creating more problems than solutions. Even with all the complex mechanics, many players were able to create perfect builds.
The Division 2 was a game that was offering rewards for the dedication of players. Players knew that they were getting stronger with the loot that they were getting. The constant upgrades were giving a reason for players to stick to the game. It was a constant loop with regular new content, unlike other looter shooters. Even with upgrades, players knew that their loot still matter. While the original game had a rough start but became a better game The Division 2 was the opposite. Keeping all this in mind you should know the answer to the question, should I play The Division 2?
The Division 2 after Warlords of New York
Before Warlords of New York, The Division 2 was presenting reward after reward. There was a sense of unification and achievement in the game. Now there are two different generations of players in the game. The game was released last year making it more than a year old. A year of constant farming for loot that is now useless. The addition of new levels has brought everyone to zero regardless of their dedication. Players that have spent 40 hours are on the same level as players that spent more than 500 hours. The old builds are now useless no matter how good it was. It’s like the DLC has reset the clock so that everyone starts from zero.
There were players in The Division 2 who were farming regularly. After the release of DLC, all their gear is now useless. They have to start from zero due to the introduction of level 40 into the game. It doesn’t matter if you own The Division 2 story expansion or not. The changes are going to affect you because the issue is higher tier loot not the inclusion of new loot. There are also some new talents in the gear of The Division 2. You might need these talents to increase your stats.
Mod Changes in the Game
The changes in mods is another big issue in the game. Most of the mods are now similar in characteristics even when their names are different. Before you would need skill power to use skill mods for more damage o better skill stats. Now you can use skill mods even if your build is not a skill build. If you knew how to make a good build then using mods was not that much of an issue even before overhaul update. Should I play The Division 2 given the status of the game?
Warlords of New York was Not All Bad News
Gear score will matter now, which was not a big deal before. The impact of gear score makes loot rewarding because you know that a higher score means better gear. Inventory management is now easier because you can quickly sort through everything. You know that a higher score is better and you don’t have to look for different mods just to know what they are. The update has reduced the types of mods but it also made inventory management easier in the game.
Unlimited progression is the only new aspect of the game that makes the overhaul rewarding. This time your SHD caches won’t go to waste. You know that even after level 40 you are progressing and getting stronger without builds. There are some new difficulty mods for better rewards but these difficulty modes are advantageous for DLC owners only. Warlords of New York did some good things but it did more damage than repairing. Should I play The Division 2, if all is not bad news, right?
How Warlords of New York Made The Division 2 Base Game Useless?
All players were on the same page and the drop would depend on your dedication to the game. Now, DLC will decide how much dedication you have for the game. You won’t reach level 40 no matter how hard you try or how much you play the game. Players from the expansion are on a different level even if they join your session. Their damage, skill damage, and defense is higher than players who don’t own the DLC. The difference in gear stats is something that can dishearten even the most dedicated players. Imagine spending hundreds of hours in a game with huge promises only to realize that all that was useless. Instead of a reward you get nothing, that’s what The Division 2 did.
Even if you are planning on buying DLC, the base game is still useless to you. Looter shooters are all about getting better loot and making better builds. If you have the base game then all the loot will become useless to you once you buy the DLC. In fact, you will have to start from zero two times unlike initial owners of the DLC. The base game is forcing you to buy the expansion or stop playing it altogether. The Division 2 is not a looter shooter without expansion which destroys its whole purpose. Now think, Should I play The Division 2 even if the base game is useless?
The Division 2 Base Game Trap and Community
Before the release of Warlords of New York, The Division 2 base game was on sale on nearly all stores. On PSN and Xbox store the base game was selling for $2.99 which is an unusual price of a year old game. Many players bought the game and started playing it, only to realize that it was all a trap. UBI Soft was luring players into the base game so that they can sell their Expansion at a higher price. Once you start playing the base game you have only two choices. Buy Warlord of New York or stop playing the game.
It was a good tactic because it lured new players into a trap so that they can sell the expansion at full price. Many players bought the game due to that low price tag. Most of the players buying the game were new players. This tactic not only expands their community but also sell DLC to players that would never be buying it. After the release of Warlords of New York the community of The Division 2 is more divided than ever before. The new DLC is creating two different types of player-base that have a huge difference in their stats. Warlords of New York unlocks level 40 and the maximum level of the base game player is 30. Right now, there are two different types of players strong and weak.
The strength of players depends on DLC or even microtransactions, not their dedication. You can buy resources using real currency and anyone that says otherwise have not noticed it yet or don’t want to notice. There are also loot boxes for cosmetics that randomly give you different clothing items. The inclusion of a season pass in a pay-to-play game is outright obscured.
Is it Your Type of Game?
The Division 2 had a good start and it was the perfect pay-to-play live service game. With the release of DLC, it is like any other pay to play live service game with greedy motives. For one year the game stayed on as an example but it was all ruse in the end. The Division 2 had a good start, after that it was on a downhill journey. A few months before the release of Warlords of New York it starts to add new content. If you analyze the game, you will see that The Division 2 was an alluring trap from the beginning. UBI soft says that they only sold level 30 to base game players which is an absurd remark for a live service game. The base game of The Division 2 is useless and the expansion is doing more damage than repairs.
Now let’s answer the question should I play The Division 2? If you are already playing the game don’t have DLC and don’t want to buy DLC then you might just keep on playing it. In case you are playing the base game and want to buy DLC then stop playing. All your loot will become useless once you buy the expansion. If you want to return to the game then buy Warlords of New York before doing so. In case you want to start the game then buy it with expansion not without it. Don’t buy the game if you are expecting a different type of pay-to-play looter shooter. In short, it is like any other looter shooter with the emphasis of trapping you in a loop. I just don’t understand why no one is talking about the trap that UBI Soft laid.
