One of the more unique features found in Ubisoft’s The Division was its Dark Zone experience. The Dark Zone was a large section of the game map where PvP was fully enabled. Players could encounter roaming AI enemies, but they could just as likely be ganked by a squad of rogue players. Any gear found in the Dark Zone also had to be extracted via helicopter, adding tension to otherwise routine exploration.
For The Division 2, the Dark Zone remains largely unchanged, at least in terms of gameplay. However, Ubisoft is also making some key changes which should make the Dark Zone more rewarding. The most significant of those changes is dividing the upcoming sequel’s Dark Zone into three distinct areas.
Ubisoft detailed The Division 2’s Dark Zone changes in a recent blog post. Players who want to explore the Dark Zone will have three distinct areas to choose from. The map designs for these three areas will cater to different playstyles (long range, short range, etc.) and skill builds. However, they’ll also all be equally dangerous, especially thanks to the new Rogue PvP mechanics.
The Division 2 Dark Zone Changes
The full Ubisoft post is definitely worth a read, but here are the key talking points:
- Players in the Dark Zone can go Rogue via a number of methods. There’s a manual toggle, and of course shooting other players also works. Rogue status is also triggered when a player breaks into a DZ chest or performs other anti-Division actions.
- Unlike in The Division, there will be different “levels” of Rogue status which help in determining how dangerous a Rogue player is.
- The basic Rogue state simply means you can freely attack other players and they can do the same to you. Keep doing roguish things and you’ll enter “Disavowed” state and earn yourself a shiny red visibility icon. The third and final state is “Manhunt Rogue,” at which point you’ll become visible to all other Dark Zone players. Manhunt Rogue players also have a sizeable bounty put on their head.
- Rogue players can follow a hidden signal to discover a special ‘Thieves Den’ area with a unique vendor.
- The Division 2’s Dark Zone has both contaminated and “clean” loot. As its name implies, clean loot can be equipped immediately, no need to extract it first.
- By default, player and weapon stats in the Dark Zone are normalized to ensure an even playing field for all. However, once a player reaches the endgame they can also encounter “occupied” Dark Zone areas. Occupied areas aren’t normalized so players should bring their best gear if they want to survive.
- Occupied Dark Zone areas also disable Rogue markers so there’s no way to tell who’s friend and who’s foe.
- The first time a player enters the Dark Zone, they’ll play through a special PvE mission which shows them the ropes.
The Division 2 Launch Date
The Division 2 launches on March 15, but before that it’s getting a private beta next month. If you’re planning on playing the sequel on PC, be sure to read up on its PC system requirements.