An 8 player raid. A first for the Division franchise has debuted on The Division 2 two days ago. It took PC players about 5 hours to world's first completion, and those conquerers are going to be immortalized with a photo in the in-game White-House for their efforts. Console players though, hoo boy, that's a different story.
Turns out at 30fps instead of PCs 60, and without the quick twitch targeting of mouse and keyboard, this particular raid, "Operation Dark Hours," approaches the impossible.
And while that last statement is certainly hyperbolic, with plenty of valid arguments around the web being thrown about: players aren't entitled to beat raids, it shouldn't be measured simply by its difficulty on day 1, etc. But when you have a raid that one hardware can slide through in half a day and another takes multiple days, that's a problem. Especially when you consider that with a race to be first and a real prize for landing that title, this isn't just random groupings of scrubs and blueberries failing hard, this is the cream of the streams best of the best falling flat. That's a problem.
And while I'm not here to offer solutions, I am intrigued by the ride. For all the stumbling out of the block so many of these looter shooters have had. Disaster launches that the Division 2 successfully avoided, I'll give them the benefit of the doubt at being able to sort this out.
The First Eight-Player Raid in The Division Franchise’s History, “Operation Dark Hours”, Playable May 16
The Race to World First Begins Soon
SAN FRANCISCO— May 14, 2019— Today, Ubisoft announced “Operation Dark Hours”, the first eight-player raid in Tom Clancy’s The Division franchise history, goes live for all The Division 2 players globally on May 16th 6pm CEST / 9am PT. Tom Clancy’s The Division 2 is available on the Xbox One family of devices including the Xbox One X, PlayStation®4 computer entertainment system and Windows PC.
With “Operation Dark Hours”, Ubisoft introduces the toughest of all challenges to date. “Operation Dark Hours” will test the teamwork and ability of the most experienced agents who have reached World Tier 5 and defeated Tidal Basin. Operation Dark Hours will bring Agents to Washington National Airport, controlled by the Black Tusks who are using it to fly in even more soldiers and supplies. Capturing the airport will strike a significant blow to their operations. Players will discover that the technology available to the Black Tusk is even more advanced than what they had to face so far.
Players will take on some of the games’ most challenging bosses yet. In a team of 8 players, agents will have to figure out the fight mechanics and work closely as a team to execute their strategy in order to overcome these tenacious opponents. The Raid will reward players with exclusive loot, such as new gear sets, an exotic weapon as well as other unique rewards.
The first team to complete “Operation Dark Hours” after it goes live will be forever immortalized in-game by having their team photo and names displayed in The Division 2’s White House for all players to see. All other players that complete “Operation Dark Hours” between May 16 and May 23 will receive a commemorative Arm Patch, while players who complete the raid after those dates will be rewarded with a clan banner icon and a trophy in their clan space.
Fans can follow the race to the World First by checking out “Operation Dark Hours: Race to World First” Twitch Rivals Program at https://www.twitch.tv/twitchrivals beginning at 9am PT/6pm CEST.
Led by Massive Entertainment in collaboration with seven other studios around the world*, Tom Clancy’s The Division 2 is the next evolution in the open-world online shooter RPG genre that the first game helped establish. Set seven months after a deadly virus was released in New York City, Tom Clancy's The Division 2 brings players into a fractured and collapsing Washington D.C. The world is on the brink, its people living through the biggest crisis ever faced in human history. As veteran Division agents, players are the last hope against the complete fall of society as enemy factions vie for control of the city. If Washington D.C. is lost, the entire nation falls. Building upon more than two years of listening to and learnings from The Division community, Tom Clancy's The Division 2 will offer a substantial campaign that organically flows into a robust endgame, to create a cohesive and meaningful experience for all types of players, helping players emphasize their freedom to make strategic choices and hone their own approach.
For more information on Tom Clancy’s The Division 2, please visit: tomclancy-thedivision.ubisoft.com. For the latest news on Tom Clancy’s The Division 2 and all of Ubisoft’s games, visit Ubisoft News: news.ubisoft.com.
About Tom Clancy’s The Division 2
Led by Massive Entertainment in collaboration with seven other studios around the world*, Tom Clancy’s The Division 2 is the next evolution in the open-world online shooter RPG genre that the first game helped establish. Set seven months after a deadly virus was released in New York City, Tom Clancy's The Division 2 brings players into a fractured and collapsing Washington D.C. The world is on the brink, its people living through the biggest crisis ever faced in human history. As veteran Division agents, players are the last hope against the complete fall of society as enemy factions vie for control of the city. If Washington D.C. is lost, the entire nation falls. Building upon more than two years of listening to and learnings from The Division community, Tom Clancy's The Division 2 will offer a substantial campaign that organically flows into a robust endgame, to create a cohesive and meaningful experience for all types of players, helping players emphasize their freedom to make strategic choices and hone their own approach.
*Associate studios are Ubisoft Reflections, Red Storm Entertainment, Ubisoft Annecy, Ubisoft Leamington, Ubisoft Shanghai, Ubisoft Bucharest and Ubisoft Sofia
About Ubisoft
Ubisoft is a leading creator, publisher and distributor of interactive entertainment and services, with a rich portfolio of world-renowned brands, including Assassin’s Creed, Just Dance, Tom Clancy’s video game series, Rayman, Far Cry and Watch Dogs. The teams throughout Ubisoft’s worldwide network of studios and business offices are committed to delivering original and memorable gaming experiences across all popular platforms, including consoles, mobile phones, tablets and PCs. For the 2017-18 fiscal year Ubisoft generated sales of €1,732 million. To learn more, please visit www.ubisoft.com.
© 2019 Ubisoft Entertainment. All Rights Reserved. Tom Clancy’s, The Division logo, the Soldier Icon, Ubisoft, and the Ubisoft logo are registered or unregistered trademarks of Ubisoft Entertainment in the US and/or other countries.
