The Division 2 Private Beta Leaves Us Wanting More

After a weekend of rushing through the ruins of Washington, DC between overturned cars and concrete barriers, I have officially rediscovered my love for this franchise. The Division 2 Private Beta offered a wonderful taste of what can be expected from the full release coming mid-March. I had such a wonderfully rich and dynamic experience with so many positive impressions on this game and what we can expect from the final product, I hardly know where to begin!

First, let’s start with the interface. Never before have I felt such a harmony with the UI as I did with The Division 2 Private Beta. Somehow, they struck the perfect balance between informative, elegant and out of the way. I mean, I usually don’t put too much emphasis on the quality of a UI, but even I could not help noticing how well thought out it was. From the ammo count to the overhead pathway guide, knowing my Agent’s status and objectives was never a concern.

Moving on to the graphics and animations, The Division 2 Private Beta boasts some of the most immersive graphics and smoothest animations to date. This does not come as a surprise, as Ubisoft has a decent track record when it comes to keeping their games on the cutting edge of graphics, but it is pleasant to have the reassurance that this trend has been kept up with The Division 2.

The gameplay, namely the movement and gun play, are also top-notch. You can feel discernible differences between each weapon you fire, the recoil patterns and stopping-power are unique to each weapon, and the cover movement system allows you to make critical tactical decisions quickly and easily.

The strategic aspects of gameplay, including skill selection and settlement upgrades, also have a pleasant amount of depth to them. For any MMO, character uniqueness plays a drastically important role. Why spend the time upgrading your character and fighting for rare loot when everyone else will end up the exact same as you? Incorporating different to acquire items and deep skill customization and later character specializations, creates an intrinsic value to playing with others. Too many games have forgotten this, and it is wonderful to find this aspect still alive and well in The Division 2 Private Beta.

I myself usually avoid PvP for the most part, but as I wanted to experience everything available to me in the Private Beta, I (briefly) braved the newly revamped PvP Dark Zone, and I must say it felt much more enjoyable than in the first title. I’m not sure I will ever warm up to MMO PvP entirely, but for those who do enjoy it, you will surely enjoy the upgrades it has received.

All in all, the only complaint (if it can be called that) is that the Private Beta ended too soon. As intended, it left me wanting and sitting here counting down the minutes until the game fully releases. You’d better believe I’ll be out on the front lines come March 15th. See you out there, Agents!

Pre-Order The Division 2 Now At: https://tomclancy-thedivision.ubisoft.com/game/en-ca/buy