The Division 2: Multiplayer Reveal - Dark Zone & Conflict Gameplay Footage

Ubisoft unveils their plans for the upcoming Dark Zone for their open world shooter sequel The Division 2, which is launching on March 15th. Get a look at the Multiplayer upgrades coming to the game!

Not only will the upcoming open world action sequel The Division 2 be playable solo, but like the original game you'll also be able to compete against other players in the revamped Dark Zone. In the original game players were unhappy with gameplay in the zone, so this time Ubisoft is making big changes to improve the PVP for all players. One of the biggest changes will include 3 zones, each of which will offer a unique narrative and playstyle.

• Dark Zone East—the largest of all three Dark Zones, players utilize long sightlines in over-grown governmental parks.
• Dark Zone South—the smallest of the Dark Zones, emphasis is placed on close-quarters combat. Sightlines are easily broken with large interiors and choke points.
• Dark Zone West—split into two parts by a large canal, Georgetown is characterized by medium-range engagements and features European style architecture.

They'll also be improvements to the server capacity, which this time will allow up to 12 players to battle at any given time in the Dark Zone areas. This change will hopefully improve the experience for all players. Additionally, the Dark Zones will react to what's occurring within them. For example, you could be fighting in one part of the zone and events will appear in another that will draw them to new locations and keep things fresh.

A perk system has also been added to the game for Dark Zone players that will reward you for leveling up. Players can unlock a variety of bonuses for every 5 Dark Zone levels. These bonuses include: extra space for contaminated items, increased rewards for Rogue agents, additional loot and more.

One of the biggest changes coming to the Dark Zone is the change to checkpoints. Checkpoints will now feature deadly turrets to prevent players from camping respawn points and they'll target anything that gets in the way. Loot in the Dark Zone will be more dynamic this time around, with rare items being contaminated and requiring extraction. Other drops will function normally and be added into your inventory. Weapons and Gear extracted will depend on the level of the player extracting them, any stolen gear will always adapt to your existing level.

Matchmaking will also see a big change as all 3 Dark Zones will norrmalise the player levels within them, forcing players to be on equal footing. Build choices will still matter and it'll be up to you to work out the best tools for the job. There will be 2 Matchmaking brackets for players to take part in, with level brackets (1-10, 11-20 and 21-30) which places everyone at the same power level. For those who have reached the World Tier, these players will be matched together. Solo player no longer have to fear going into the Dark Zones as Matchmaking will try to match against other solo players, though players are still free to form groups in the zones.

Finally, Ubisoft has announced that the game will introduce dynamic server-wide events known as "Occupied Dark Zones". During the event the rules of the Zone will be changed completely and it'll be a free for all environment with each player trying to compete to be the last player standing. Expect limited notifications, friendly fire and no normalisation for all players. This requires all players to use their build to maxmise their survivability.

While events occur the other two Dark Zones will remain unchanged. The idea behind this change is to encourage players to get greater rewards for higher risk challenges. More details are still to come for the Dark Zone in the near future, but it won't be long until we get to try it for ourselves as the Beta begins early next month.

The Division 2 launches on March 15th 2019. You can pre-order the game to get early access to the upcoming Beta, which runs from February 7th - February 13th. Those who pre-order the Gold Edition or the Ultimate Edition will be able to play the full game 3 days earlier on March 12th.