A game I have not talked about in a really long time is The Division, or at least in the case of today The Division 2. For the longest time I have not known why I actually bounced off of this game so hard. It came out, I was enjoying myself and then in my faulty memory I just suddenly was not playing it anymore. Turns out what ACTUALLY happened is this game launched fifteen days ahead of Anthem. Anthem was a game that I had been clamoring to get my hands on and I ultimately threw myself into it entirely… for as long as that lasted. Quietly however in the background Division 2 was just being a good game, patiently waiting for me to notice it.
Ultimately I can thank Scarybooster for mentioning the game. The other night I was talking about being disillusioned with Avengers and not certain what I should be playing instead and he threw out Division 2. It turned out that I still even had the game installed, and at some point picked up the Warlords of New York expansion on sale thinking I would make a return. I found it odd just how easy it was to slide back into the game. I had some significant issues with the first game that I have never really been able to put my finger on. The moment to moment gameplay did not feel near as fun as it does in Division 2, and I am guessing maybe it is just because I feel like I have a significantly stronger solo kit in the form of a turret and a healing drone.
Additionally I feel significantly more sturdy than I did in Division, and that is combined with the fact that the individual encounters feel less bullet spongey. Whatever the case and whatever balance patches that have been applied, the state of the game at this very moment feels exceptionally good to be playing. I am not sure if I am just in a different place mentally, and maybe in a better mindset to approach combat tactically. It could be any number of factors adding up to the game clicking at this very moment in time. Whatever the case I am enjoying myself and mainly enjoying the moment to moment play of roaming the streets and helping people.
I think part of it as well is the tonal shift between the first and second game. There were a lot of moments in the first game where you were left wondering.. Are we the baddies? So much suffering was caused by Division agents and it did not help that most of your interactions on the streets were either shooting someone or watching civilians run away screaming at the sight of you. Now the game has shifted and after the fall of society a number of communities have sprung up, and you spend a pretty good amount of time helping these groups out. Little things like taking back an outpost from some hostile faction, then clears the way for the folks to return there safely. This then triggers caravans to move between settlements and these outposts and slowly converts a neighborhood to being mostly friendly folks trying to live their lives in the apocalypse, giving you even more opportunities for casual assistance.
The other thing that I dig is that I am finding it significantly easier to stay with a loadout that I actually enjoy. When I came back the other day I think I was level 16 and have since progressed to 23 with 30 being the initial level cap, and then New York taking it the rest of the way to 40. My gear of choice is a semi automatic rifle and a shotgun. I tend to spec the rifle to high stability, which allows me to use it long range to do some sniping, but the high rate of fire allows me to chew things down as they are getting closer. If someone absolutely runs up on me I can swap to the shotgun and drop them pretty quickly. I rarely if ever use the pistol, and it is mostly there as a last ditch “I ran out of ammo” option which seems to occur significantly less in this game.
My engagements tend to follow a pattern, where I will survey the room and look for a perch to set my turret up on an elevated position that can hit most of the targets. Then it provides suppression fire while I pick off the individual targets. If anyone clusters within range I throw a grenade, but slowly but surely I can chew down the initial wave until the boss and mini boss start to arrive. At which point I will pop my healing drone and hope for the best. I like that I can proactively destroy my drone and turret and I tend to wait out the timer while I search an area for anything worth looting, before ultimately triggering the next event. Division 2 is pretty good about giving you pauses in the action where you can wait things out if you so choose, and I appreciate this greatly.
You would think that it would not be enjoyable to play a game about the fall of society due to a biological agent… when we are effectively living through the fall of society due to a pandemic, but it weirdly works for me. Like I said above, so much of I think why it works so nicely is the change in tone. Division 1 was bleak and so much of my actions felt like the dying gasps of an old regime. Sure there is some of that in Division 2, but there is significantly more of the content that feels like I am actually helping folks out. I think that is why I enjoy roaming the streets so much because you are constantly coming across a caravan that needs assistance or saving some hostages from one of the armed groups. Those little moments make me feel far more like a wild west sheriff than a clandestine paramilitary operative.