Tom Clancy's The Division
An online-only action RPG set in a pandemic-stricken New York City.
Tom Clancy's The Division is an online action role-playing game that came out in 2016. It was created by Massive Entertainment and published by Ubisoft, launching on March 8 for Windows, PlayStation 4, and Xbox One. The story takes place in a near-future New York City just after a viral pandemic. Players take on the role of a Special Agent from the Strategic Homeland Division, working to restore order in Manhattan, look into the source of the outbreak, and fight crime. This game was the first to use Massive and Ubisoft's Snowdrop game engine.
The gameplay is built around an open world in a crisis-stricken Manhattan, where players can freely explore and destroy parts of the environment. The main goal is to find the virus's origin and bring back stability. Each character can carry three weapons and use explosives like sticky bombs and seeker mines against enemies. Players can take cover during fights to avoid damage and gain a tactical edge. The game uses a third-person perspective. As players advance, they earn experience points and currency, which they spend on weapons and gear, or use to unlock new talents and skills. Gear comes in seven quality levels—worn, standard, specialized, superior, high-end, gear set items, or rare exotic items—each marked by a specific color. Gear can be bought, found as loot, or crafted from materials. Story missions tie into one of three wings at the player's home base: Medical, Security, and Tech. Completing missions for a wing earns points that unlock new talents, perks, and facilities. Intel videos from each wing's leader provide virus reports, faction insights, or camera footage. The game has a dynamic weather system that changes over time, with storms reducing visibility and making aiming harder, plus a day-night cycle that affects enemy behavior.
The Dark Zone is a separate player-versus-player multiplayer area where high-end weapons are left behind after the military retreats. It has its own progression system. Better items can be found there but are contaminated; other players can steal them, and they must be extracted by helicopter to keep them. Players can team up with co-op partners or neutral agents, but anyone can turn rogue and attack at any time. Dying too often in the Dark Zone lowers a player's level and ranking.
Quick Facts
- Title
- Tom Clancy's The Division
- Developer
- Massive EntertainmentAdditional work by Ubisoft Reflections, Red Storm Entertainment, Ubisoft Annecy, and Ubisoft Leamington
- Publisher
- Ubisoft
- Series
- Tom Clancy's
- Engine
- Snowdrop
- Platforms
- Windows / PlayStation 4 / Xbox One
- Released
- 8 March 2016
- Genre
- Action role-playing, third person shooter
- Modes
- Multiplayer
- Director
- Magnus Jansén / Julian Gerighty
- Producer
- Petter Sydow
- Designer
- Matthias Karlson
Facts from the source article.
Lore & Background
The game is set in an open world mid-crisis Manhattan with destructible environments that can be freely explored. The player's mission is to restore order by investigating the source of a virus. The player character can carry three weapons and explosives such as sticky bombs and seeker mines. Players may take cover behind objects during firefights to avoid damage and gain tactical advantage. The game is played from a third-person perspective. As players progress, they earn experience points and currency to buy weapons and gear, and learn new talents and skills. Gear is categorized into seven levels: worn, standard, specialized, superior, high-end, gear set items, or exotic items, each with a specific color code. Gear can be bought, found as loot, or crafted from gathered materials. The Base of Operations has three wings—Medical, Security, and Tech—each granting points for missions that unlock talents, perks, and facilities. Intel videos from each wing provide virus reports, enemy faction insight, and camera footage. The game features a dynamic, time-based weather system and a day-night cycle that affects enemy behavior.
Reader's Guide
Tom Clancy's The Division received generally positive reviews from critics. It introduced the Dark Zone, a player-versus-player competitive multiplayer mode separated from the main campaign with its own progression system. In the Dark Zone, higher quality items are found but are considered contaminated; they can be stolen by other players and must be extracted via helicopter. Players can be accompanied by cooperative partners or neutral agents, who may turn rogue at any moment. The game's plot begins on Black Friday 2015, when a viral epidemic known as 'Green Poison' or the 'Dollar Flu' spreads through New York City. The player, part of a second wave of Division agents, reclaims the James A. Farley Building as a base and combats criminal groups including Rioters, Rikers, Cleaners, and the Last Man Battalion. The story involves rogue Division agent Aaron Keener and virologist Vitaly Tchernenko. A sequel was released in March 2019.
Did You Know?
- The game was originally being developed as an eighth generation consoles exclusive before PC support was announced.
- The Division uses Ubisoft's Snowdrop engine, which was made for PC, PlayStation 4, and Xbox One.
- The companion app, which would have allowed tablet players to join as a drone, was cancelled.
- The game was delayed from its original 2014 target to 2015, and later released in March 2016.
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