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How first-time players can jump into The Division 2’s new expansion
Find out how to boost your level and access Warlords of New York if you’ve never played The Division 2 before.
Warlords of New York is, without a doubt, The Division 2’s biggest expansion yet. As detailed in our previous Warlords of New York tips, it takes players back to NYC in efforts to prevent a rogue agent from unleashing a bioweapon and plunging the city into chaos. Well, further chaos, anyway. It’s already been hit by one of the worst hurricanes in American history, flooding streets, bodying landmarks (RIP Brooklyn Bridge), and causing giant sinkholes to open up everywhere.
You’d be forgiven for thinking twice before wading into all that mess, especially if you’ve never played The Division 2 before. Fear not, because Warlords of New York features several smart ways for inexperienced players to start out on a level playing field. Make no mistake, regardless of your hours logged, you’ll be well-equipped to liberate Lower Manhattan once you hop into the expansion.
So let’s take a look at all the ways first-time players can jump right into The Division 2’s new expansion.
Gameplay overview
Boost your level
First off, when you load up Warlords of New York, you’ll be given the option of boosting your level to 30. Reaching this threshold and achieving World Tier 5 is necessary to access the expansion. Every edition comes with a free one-time level boost, so all players can instantly hit level 30 and catch a ride to NYC without spending hours grinding away. Although keep in mind that once you choose to enter the expansion, you must finish it before heading back to Washington D.C.
Buy a bundle
There are a few ways for fresh players to get in on Warlords of New York. The cheapest is buying The Division 2 and Warlords of New York bundle for $79.99 in the Uplay store. This gives you the base game, which is required, as well as the expansion and its level boost.
There’s also the Ultimate Edition, which is currently $106.49 on the Uplay store. This includes everything above but throws in the Year 1 Pass content (three specialisations, eight assignments, and some vanity items) and a bunch of powerful weapons and gear. You could buy The Division 2 and Warlords of New York separately, of course. Normally that’s more money, but the base game goes on sale a lot, so be sure to keep an eye out.
Start playing right now
You could meet this man in a matter of minutes
© Ubisoft
Before the expansion arrived, a free expansion was released, taking players to Coney Island for two missions amid twinkling ferris wheels, retro carousels, and spooky-if-you’re-five haunted houses. If you decide to hop into that first, don’t focus on the nostalgic ambience for too long, though, because a fierce battle with a faction of flamethrower-wielding sanitation workers called The Cleaners awaits.
Your task is to fight them off and extract the virologist known as Tchernenko, so you can get started on a cure. With Episode 3 came a brand new specialization: firewall. Firewall’s signature weapon is a flamethrower, which is perfect for roasting enemies at close range, as well as a shield and cluster grenade. Bring those into the expansion and those baddies won’t know what hit them.
The story is easy to follow
The Division’s story begins back in 2015, with the outbreak of a deadly virus spread over one disastrous Black Friday in New York. If you’ve not been following its twists and turns over numerous expansions and updates, however, that’s no issue, because Warlords of New York is a safe jumping-on point.
It strikes a smart balance between referencing the past and starting anew. The primary antagonist, Aaron Keener, is a familiar face, yet his lackeys are all packing new gear to make fighting feel different. Similarly, New York is a location fans will know well, but this section of it has never been showcased before. It’s got a uniquely charged mood, too. Here, civilians have soured on trigger-happy Division agents, moving to establish a new force called the Peacekeepers and taking matters into their own hands. Your job, in a nutshell, is to earn back everyone’s trust.
The UI has been reworked
The UI has been removed completely from this image, which is a bit extreme
© Ubisoft
In a bid to take the stress out of building your character, Warlords of New York re-examines the UI. It’s markedly clearer, telling you what you need to know about weapons and gear at a glance. While still the same impressively deep RPG under the hood, now only the essentials are exposed. This makes it much easier for new players to understand what information to focus on.
In addition, all loot you gather will compliment your gear set, meaning you’ll always find something that’ll help you play your way. An in-game system decides what sort of stats and bonuses your loot comes with, tweaking them based on your path through the game. Everything you find will help you in some way, taking the headache out of organising your arsenal.
The Dark Zone’s revamped
Alongside the more streamlined interface comes a friendlier Dark Zone. OK, ‘friendlier’ may not be the right word for Washington D.C.’s untamed PvP area, but it’s definitely easier to get your head around now. For starters, all weapons you find there are contaminated, and need extracting before you can use them beyond its borders. This lean into a less convoluted contamination system will help prevent new players feeling overwhelmed.
Ubisoft has said this new and improved Dark Zone is about “returning to a simpler rogue mechanic and rewarding players who help each other.” There are more extraction points for loot, there will be no more signature ammo drops but extra regular ammo crates in each of the three zones, and more Dark Zone perks for levelling up your Dark Zone level.
Earn free stuff
In New York, the streets are paved with free stuff. Most of it is smashed
© Ubisoft
Everyone loves free stuff, and Warlords of New York is full of it. Provided, that is, you partake in seasons. Seasons last for 12 weeks and introduce exciting new events and activities that will earn you loads of lovely rewards, including equipment, resources, and some rather fetching apparel.
The seasons themselves are completely free to play. If you’d like to earn even more rewards for your trouble, there is the option to purchase a premium reward track, but those who are undecided can still try out the seasonal PvP leagues, manhunt targets, and global events, without spending a penny.
