THERE’S TONS OF SIDE CONTENT
Because The Division is a Ubisoft game, you can expect tons of collectibles just waiting to be picked up in Manhattan. But this isn’t the only form of side content available. When you pull up your map in The Division, you’ll see a bunch of markers around the city. Some are main missions, but most of them are optional missions and encounters that you can engage in. These come in the form of tracking down missing agents, defending supply caches from enemies, and rescuing hostages.
While Destiny did give players some side content in the form of public events on the various planets, they were only available periodically. Besides, you couldn’t predict where these events would occur without the help of a web tracker. The Division handles its side content much more efficiently, giving you all the information you need if you wish to attempt them.
YOUR LOOT IS GUARANTEED
While all of the best loot drops can only be found in the Dark Zone, players not interested in PVP can still get decent loot drops from just playing missions in their own world. When you pull up your map, you can hover your cursor over the various missions that are available, and the game will give you a rundown of exactly what you can get from completing said mission.
The top left of your screen will display the amount of experience points you get, credits, the types of mods, weapons, armor pieces, and even blueprints for new gear that you can craft. Yes, there’s still an element of luck and RNG involved in random loot drops, but at least you can complete missions in The Division with the assurance that you will be rewarded for your time.
THERE’S A HUB YOU ACTUALLY CARE ABOUT
My main gripe, which I have since gotten over, with Destiny back when it first launched was that the Tower felt empty and barren. Sure, there were tons of players in the Tower, and there were vendors and NPCs milling around. But the Tower never really felt like anything other than a place I occasionally returned to for more quests and to curse and swear at Master Rahool.
The Division gives you a Base of Operations consisting of three wings: medical, tech, and security. As you complete missions and gather supplies, you can use these supplies to upgrade the three wings to make your Base even more functional. This also unlocks skills and talents that you can equip. Perhaps it’s the design itself, but the Bases (yes, there are multiple Bases in this game) in The Division feel a lot warmer and homely than the Tower ever did. There is a real sense of camaraderie as everyone is always working, always toiling away in the effort to take back Manhattan.
The Base of Operations isn’t perfect, but I find myself returning very often to make sure everything’s in tip top shape.
THERE’S MATCHMAKING
I’ve spent too much time on the Destiny subreddit to not know that there are tons of players out there just begging for in-game matchmaking for some of the game’s content, including the Nightfall and story missions. You can imagine my glee when I embarked on my first main mission in The Division and saw a tiny option that said ‘Quick Matchmaking’. It’s a wonderful option to have, especially when your friends aren’t online to play with you.
Some of the main missions in The Division can get rather challenging, and it’s always a fun experience to tackle a mission together with other people. With the matchmaking option, The Division allows you to form groups with strangers on the fly without you having to resort to online forums to look for groups that will take you in. Did I mention that there’s also a matchmaking station in the Bases that allow you to jump straight into other players’ worlds without having to start up a mission?
YOU CAN TRADE GEAR WITH YOUR FRIENDS
Okay, so maybe this feature isn’t available in the game just yet, but a promise is still better than nothing, right? Like many other Destiny players out there, I’ve often found myself groaning in frustration at receiving my fifth Jade Rabbit from the Cryptarch. If only you could trade that Jade Rabbit for a more valuable piece of exotic gear with another player, huh?
Ubisoft has promised that the feature to trade gear with your friends will be coming up in an update this April. With the sheer amount of stuff you can pick up in The Division, it’ll definitely be handy to be able to sort them out and hand out your lower level stuff to friends who are just starting out in the game.
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