The Division 2

[d-dave]

So I played the first on until level 16.  I was just too into Destiny at that point in time.  I really liked the game, but I felt more accomplishment in Destiny at that time.

Now here comes the Division 2.  We are in Washington DC, trying to kill off the bad guys and rebuild society.  If you played the first game after patch 1.8, then you are familiar with how the game works.

Here's why this is important and worth bringing up - it's a fully functional game.  There's a robust endgame.  The campaign and world events are big and meaty.  There's PVP and the Dark Zones.  Unlike Destiny 2, which took a LONG time to get right, or Anthem, which is floundering and may not make it, the Division 2 (aside from a few bugs which have been patched) just works.  My clan has a large group who play, and are having a blast.  I'm doing my usual snail pace, and I'm having a lot of fun.

The game systems are much more engaging.  The environment is so deep and HUGE.  There are so many things to find that tell the story.  Loot has meaning, even at lower levels with gear sets.  Mods have been streamlined.  It's almost like they learned the lessons from their mistakes as well as other looter shooters, and tried to do better.

Anyone else playing?  I'm really enjoying and looking forward to playing.  I feel much more engaged than I did with Anthem and with Destiny 2.

[Dex]

I didn't care for the first and the bullet sponge shooting gameplay. I like the idea of the game just hate the combat system. Shame.

[d-dave]

54 minutes ago, Dex said:

I didn't care for the first and the bullet sponge shooting gameplay. I like the idea of the game just hate the combat system. Shame.

That has changed.  Regular enemies (reds) are not very spongy.  They go down quickly.  Purples and yellows are tougher, but not taking a dozen reloads to kill.  They also have an armor mechanic.  You shoot off their armor, they go down very quickly.  Some NPCs have ammo packs you can shoot off, causing them to have to reload, which makes them a sitting duck.  

I mean, the bosses feel meaty without being unfair.  There tend to be a lot of red bars around though, which makes the encounters more interesting.

[carpanfan96]

I played the beta and really want to pick it up. Just gotta wait till I get paid to get it. 

[d-dave]

7 hours ago, carpanfan96 said:

I played the beta and really want to pick it up. Just gotta wait till I get paid to get it. 

Yep.  I picked it up last Friday and played just a little bit.  I've been too busy with work to really get down with it.  I had some time Tuesday, but as soon as I finished the mission, it was time for the patch, and I lost that mission progress.  But I did keep the loot, so I guess it's not that bad.

I think the gear set stuff is one of the biggest pro's the game has going for it right now.  Combat and skills are fun, but getting those three piece sets you want is pretty huge.  I just have one on my level 3 agent, and you can tell it makes me more effective.

[Skack25]

I've got about an hour and a half on it.  None of my crew fools with games like this, so I usually go at them solo or pretend like I'm going to join a clan of random people I've never met when really I won't.  Kind of takes the fun away.  I'm only level 2, maybe 3.  Also struggling to stop playing NBA2k, which would have already faded in previous years.

I do like the game and the improvements they made, just need to put some more hours in.

[d-dave]

1 minute ago, Skack25 said:

pretend like I'm going to join a clan of random people I've never met when really I won't. 

You know there are TONS of resources out there to help you find groups without playing the "I want to/NOT join your clan."  Also, there's match making in the entire game.  I just hate voice chat....  I had some 15 year old douche bag yelling for me to heal him and rez him when he ran out and died in front of a ton of enemies...  Then he talked crap to me the entire rest of the mission in a little passive aggressive way.  Though hearing him try to say my xbox name was quite funny =)  Got to love the Greeks =)

[Skack25]

9 minutes ago, d-dave said:

You know there are TONS of resources out there to help you find groups without playing the "I want to/NOT join your clan."  Also, there's match making in the entire game.  I just hate voice chat....  I had some 15 year old douche bag yelling for me to heal him and rez him when he ran out and died in front of a ton of enemies...  Then he talked crap to me the entire rest of the mission in a little passive aggressive way.  Though hearing him try to say my xbox name was quite funny =)  Got to love the Greeks =)

Yea I haven't looked at the matchmaking system yet, but I do follow the Division LFG sub on Reddit which has quite a few clans on there.  I joined a discord for one, but I haven't unlocked the ability to join clans yet.

[carpanfan96]

Playing the heck out of this game right now on PC. About 30 hours in, level 24, dz level 15. Haven't played the pvp mode yet. If anyone has this on PC and wants to play. Let me know. 

[d-dave]

I'm jealous.  I'm level 10.  I'm just at a very busy point in my year where I have zero time to game due to work and exhaustion.

See y'all in May =)  Maybe I might hit level cap before Division 3...