Summary
Announced with relatively little fanfare,Tom Clancy’s The Division 3, as it is tentatively named, is a long way off. With the rise and slump of Ubisoft’s fastest-selling new IP in its back window, the second sequel to 2016’sThe Divisionshould pick up a few of the great things the two previous games did, and avoid some of its more questionable decisions.
The later live service updates aside,The Division 2improved upon the original game in almost every aspect,crafting an experiencethat had retained its popularity somehow for years after. WhetherThe Division 3will pick up after the conclusion of the seasons, the Warlords of New York DLC or even a totally different game like the spin-offHeartlandremains to be seen.
10The Black Tusk Invasion Has To Go
Upon completing The Capitol Stronghold mission and liberating Washington from the clutches of thethree main factions, there was no worse reward for gamers than finding out they were only halfway through the game.
Having the Black Tusk invade as base game story content, effectively forcing agents to rerun many missions they had already completed with different enemies, was a poor choice. It made the content far more repetitive than it had to be, all for the opportunity to play one new stronghold. IfThe Division 3does something similar, it will have to be modified heavily to avoid the problems ofThe Division 2.
9Expeditions Should Be Explored Further
Expeditions, or rather, the singular expeditions released inThe Division 2, bear the hallmarks of anabandoned game modebut offer excellent prospects for missions outside the set open world. New York City could have been developed further with an expedition somewhere else in New York State, or even in another part of the world if Ubisoft had taken more time to develop the game mode.
Additionally, Kenly College offered very little on repeat visits, given that its gameplay rewards were neither unique nor highly desirable. IfThe Division 3includes expeditions as it should, these gameplay events should give better rewards.
8The Lifespan Of The Game Must Be Clearer
BothThe Divisionand its sequel suffered greatly from unclear content drops, which prevent players from knowing exactly why they should keep playing.The Division 2in particular seemed to indicate Season 4 was the end point of the game; Faye Lau was dead, The President was dead, and the threat ofAaron Keener’s factionof Rogue Agents was effectively nullified.
Yet soon after, Ubisoft ran repeats of all four seasons, followed by brand-new content that hugely changed the game; everything from weapons to progression was freshly rebuilt, but the time gap between the releases alienated many previous players.The Division 3should aim to keep its timeline coherent from the start; whether it will be live-service for the foreseeable future, or end with a DLC or two, this must be communicated.
7Use Winter, Not Summer
One of the core achievements of the originalDivisiongame was its atmosphere; whether alone in The Dark Zone, scavenging supplies in survival mode, or simply moving around the open world, the Black Friday decorations and heavy snowfall created a wonderfully unique environment that helped to enhance the player experience.
The Division 2’s move to summer for its next location was a dramatic downgrade. The world no longer felt as enticing, and locations were simple repetitions of everypost-apocalyptic gamealready out there.The Division 3will be a hugely improved affair if it retains the winter season of the original game.
6Retain Exotic Crafting, But Abandon Exotic Limits
One of the most rewarding experiences inThe Division 2was its awesome, but highly limited,exotic crafting mechanic. A handful of exotics, such as The Regulus sidearm or Chatterbox SMG, required parts to be hunted down before the gun could be unlocked. For these superior weapons, it was a great system that should be passed down into the sequel.
However,The Division 3should abandon the exotic limit imposed in its predecessor, and return to the roots of the original game which allowed players to wear as many exotic pieces as they like. It’s very clear the change was done to mirror the successful gear system ofDestiny,butThe Division 3should embrace a unique identity, instead of simply being inspired by success every time.
5There Should Be One Dark Zone
The Dark Zone isThe Divisionfranchise’s principal, and best,PvP mode. The Opportunity to scavenge contaminated gear from The Dark Zone for the slim opportunity of receiving valuable rewards, all while being hunted by potential rogue agents, made it a very popular location in the original game.
WhenThe Division 2changed to three Dark Zones with one occupied, it made it more confusing and less engaging, as difficult fights could be avoided simply by switching Dark Zones. The idea of The Dark Zone should be best-of-the-best working in tense circumstances, and as a result, The Dark Zone should become one location again, with weapons, armor, and cosmetics found inside unique and highly desirable.
4Skills Shouldn’t Be Tied To Specializations
It was a small, but inconvenient detail inThe Division 2. The specializations, although limited, were a great feature that should be carried into the next entry in the franchise, but their tendency to lock out certain skills should not. Skills should be universal and encourage the greatest amount ofbuild craft, not limited to whether the player uses a crossbow or missile launcher, for example.
IfThe Division 3wants to enhance the player experience, then skills could potentially be a method to unlock skills (such as defeating a certain number of enemies whilst using a certain skill) but the reward should be available no matter the specialization, and not limited to just one.
3New York Needs To Be Present, But Not In The Main Campaign
It’s no secret thatThe Division’s best content lies in The Big Apple.Warlords of New Yorkand the original game both soared compared to other locations such as Washington D.C. or Coney Island, principally because it was whatThe Divisionknew best.
It’s the location that’s received the most love, and although it should be avoided as the main location inThe Division 3, it should make an appearance somehow, preferably with an unseen part of the city, or an evolved familiar location from the first game.
2More Events Please
Unusually for a live-service game,The Division2was extremely limited when it came to events, although this was slowly bettered over time. What was, for many years, limited to a Santa hat in December should be developed into large events with more permanent rewards.
The Divisionis based in the real world, so there is no reason for real-world events to not be celebrated. A Lunar New Year event could offer a unique gear set, alongside cosmetics, whilst aChristmas eventcould potentially use a limited-time Winter Wonderland location.
1No More Bullet Sponges
Aside from the excellent raid bosses, nearly every enemy inThe Division 2and its predecessor suffers the same problem; they are boring. Enemies are mere bullet sponges, armor or no armor, and the only way to take them down is throughshooting. There’s simply no variety.
Even something as simple asDestiny 2’s anti-champion enemies adds depth and engagement to what would have otherwise been boring, forgettable encounters. AlthoughThe Division 3needs to avoidDestiny 2in most aspects, a few unique enemy encounters are a trade that would work wonderfully in the game.
