The Division May Feature Multi-Group Raids
By Weston Albert 26 January 2016
Ubisoft is keeping The Division‘s end game a secret for now, but there is some evidence that the shared world shooter could feature multi-group activities such as raids.
The Division Beta has wrapped up and one of the big questions that has come up after playing it is “What will The Division‘s end game content be like?” During the Beta, Ubisoft laid out some plans for the Season Pass and DLC that will be coming to the game, but they weren’t clear about what any special end-game content might be.
YouTuber Arekkz Gaming did some digging during the Beta, though, and he theorizes that activities requiring the coordination of multiple groups could be coming in The Division. Here’s a video summing up his thinking:
Arekkz quotes Game Director Ryan Barnard who said in 2013 that The Division would have end game content:
For retention and the end game, ‘Group-Plus’ content will be really important; I can tell you that there will be multi-group content. I can’t get into it too much, but I can say there will be at least eight-player content.
But that statement from two years ago could have changed or have altered during the course of developing The Division. Arekkz goes on to say that during a preview event recently held for the game, the developers were very much focused on keeping The Division‘s end game a secret. However, during the Beta one developer was answering a question about item trading on their stream and made reference to a “high-level raid” in his answer.
All those comments could be taken with a grain of salt as they are far from concrete confirmation, but Arekkz then shows evidence that he believes almost certainly confirms multi-group content. In the PC version of the game, players can rearrange the UI, and when selecting the Group Panel in the UI it shows an extra box where an additional 4-man team’s screen names would go.
Again, the footage is from the Beta and could change before launch. Not to mention, The Division‘s developer, Massive Entertainment, has yet to confirm raids or multi-group content.
We hope that Massive does have big plans, though, because end game content is vital for a game like The Division. As a shared world shooter with MMO and RPG elements, players will want more to do once they reach the level cap. Although the games are different, there is a comparison to be made with Destiny, the other popular console shared world shooter.
It didn’t take long for Destiny fans to hit level 20, which was the first step towards the end game and the Vault of Glass raid. After the story missions and strike content had exhausted itself in Destiny, players kept playing the raid every week to reach the initial level 30 cap and get the best loot in the game. It did much for the longevity of Destiny, and when Bungie’s game has been without a new raid for too long—such as in the House of Wolves expansion—fans felt it.
Whether the end game content in The Division takes the form of a raid or a different kind of activity, it will no doubt play a vital part in the overall longevity of the game. But more details will have to wait until an official reveal from Ubisoft.
What do you think the end game content in The Division will look like?
The Division releases March 8 for PC, Xbox One, and PlayStation 4. An open beta may be coming later this month.
Source: Arekkz Gaming (via VG24/7)
