Anyone else picked this up yet? I blew through the beta a couple weeks ago and liked what I'd seen well enough to buy into the full game. I'm loving the cover mechanics, some of the most intuitive I've ever seen. Customization feels good, the missions are reasonably varied so far, and it feels like there's a lot to do. Complaints are that crafting feels a little thin and pointless at low levels, lock picks are infuriatingly rare, and the whole utterly silent protagonist thing leaves the game feeling closer to 25% RPG / 75% action shooter than a 50/50 split.
I also picked it up after playing the Beta. The design is solid and I am liking the flexibility to make your character skills branch towards healer/tanker/dps as you want.
I do like that tactics play a larger role than straight damage can overcome. That skill sets come into play does give more RPG than I expected, but you are right that the lack of characterization doesn't help on that side.
It is still early in game, but where is the storyline taking us leaves me curious and that helps keep me interested. It may seem repetitious in some cases, but it does seem like they are trying to layer a lot of little details into devastated New York.
Yeah, the massive cooperative RPG/shooter hybrid genre really seems to have a ton of potential, and what we're seeing now (in Destiny and The Division) is really only the first generation of that genre. A couple of product iterations and this will be really incredible. Destiny could learn from The Division's tactical emphasis and open world design, and The Division could take a page (or three) out of Destiny's AI, and take cues from how Destiny has grown its end-game.
(And before someone tries to argue that games like Planetside were first, they don't feel similar at all.)
Well, Planetside is the only true MMOFPS, in that you can actually interact with hundreds of players. Games like Destiny and The Division feel like they're missing an 'M' to me. You're right in that they don't feel similar though.
I love the setting, just running around NYC while there's an apocalypse going in is cool. I could do without the bland "double-secret special forces" background of your character. Especially considering that is basically the only background that Ubisoft ever uses.
I always want to be able to go inside MORE buildings, but there's actually a fair bit of the city fleshed out and I like exploring.
For the completionist, people who want to find every little thing you can, the game is actually pretty friendly in this regard. You will spend a lot of time running from place to place, but you can get perks that will highlight everything you've missed. Counters for how much you have left to find are also easy to access and zones are well distinguished.
I know there's the Dark Zone for PVP, but I'd also like to see PVP matches. I like the Dark Zone, but sometimes it's nice to just play a 10-20 minute match with very finite goals/time limit/parameters/etc. It's nice to play a match and see your score. There's a reason it works so well for so many games.
Yeah I picked up The Division and threw my fair share of hours into it now. The environment is masterfully detailed like holy cow. Just looking at some of the spray paint art on the side of the building occasionally makes me stop and go "That is awesome!" Theres one depicting the four horseman of the apocalypse thats just soo cool.
The Dark Zone is cool but Im beginning to lose interest in it because the rewards are getting stale as I get higher level. I'm level 22 right now.
I'm mostly focused on firearms and stamina so like someone above me said; I am totally that guy with the ballistic shield eating machine gun fire for the team while shooting my amped up pistol.
I hadnt played the beta so I dont really understand the complaints put up then. So far it's been worth the money for me. I hear the end game is super grindy right now since Massive nerfed the end game currency gain.
But Massive has been super active responding to folks on the reddit so this game has tons of potential.
Im on Xbox if one of yall wants to squad up. GT: LordZengar
I'm playing with some of my clanmates. I got dragged from level 13 to 21 today, playing with higher level friends. I wish the game handled letting you play with friends of different levels better - I was pretty much doing Pulse or Turret + Healing Station, reviving people when I could, and being dead most of the time. On the other hand, Firepower is my lowest stat, so at least I could blame the level difference instead of build choices :)
I'm mostly in Electronics, then Stamina. I might need to look up how to tank - it sounds like it might be enjoyable for me (and something my group might want - I'm not sure if I have the player skill for the end game content).
It is different enough from Destiny for me, though I'll have to see what happens as I go up in level and get to other content.
6 hairstyles.
30 neck tattoos.
What's bizarre about that to me is that it's not like you can even show it off well (unless one of the DLCs will be The Division: Summer Edition). Your character is covered in winter gear like 90%. Put on a scarf, and it really is a pointless add.
What's bizarre about that to me is that it's not like you can even show it off well (unless one of the DLCs will be The Division: Summer Edition). Your character is covered in winter gear like 90%. Put on a scarf, and it really is a pointless add.6 hairstyles.
30 neck tattoos.
Yeah, this bugged me for all of thirty seconds, and then I started playing and realized I will almost never see my face. Even the cutscenes sort of stop after the first few missions.
There are two basic ways to tank. Up close and personal (ie Balistic Shield, First Aid, and strong sidearm with a shotgun and assault rifle) and long range (LMGs and assault rifles, and usually the turret and wither the Flash bang bomb or the gas mine.
The first focuses on get in the bad guys face and will want a 1911 or M45A1 with extra clip size and threat generation or maybe a sawed off shotgun.
The second focuses on threat generation and suppression. Good news is that suppression doesn't require precise aim.
Similarly, one of the main thigs you pack a turret for is to tank for you since the mobs will focus on it instead of you and your team. The seeker mine will attract some attention, but not as much or as reliably.
Currently not getting enough time for any serious play.
I experimented some with the Ballistic Shield with the Health regen perk and a newly purchased good sidearm (don't remember the model - it was level 21, purple, had a 20 round magazine but didn't have a magazine modifier slot). I don't have any perks for the First Aid skill yet (all my friends were picking up Support Station for group play, then I was saving up for the Medical super skill), so I was using Support Station.
Just roaming the world and fighting regular guys five levels below me it seemed to work fairly well, though I was solo so I didn't really get to test the attracting attention part of tanking. When position properly, shield was taking most of the damage and I was nearly full health. Killing with the pistol was not too bad.
When I got fixated and things went south, with one or two rioters flanking me, my health (~11,000) dropped quick (a few seconds) and cover + Support Station was needed. Things seem to go bad quick in the Division (though it might be my build).
I'm thinking the cover, threat generation, and suppression plan is much more survivable.
Things seem to go bad quick in the Division (though it might be my build).
No, it does seem to be a condition of the game play (especially for solo or two-man teams) I have noticed. One lucky shot or bad move and you can find yourself down quickly. I've seen it play out both ways - against and for me. I've played the marksmen style, where one good bullet can put down a yellow-level boss if the modifiers drop right.
It depends honestly. I'm at the endgame and did mainly a Firearms/Survival build and I can eat a grenade full on and it only does about half my health.
If you REALLY wanna tank, it's important to use the double health ballistic shield over the extra damage one.
The extra damage is hardly noticeable whereas the doubled shield health will make you feel like a god.