Back To New York City

This latest expansion takes everything good about Division 2 and refines it for the better, whilst also fixing those underlying niggles. The City That Never Sleeps Although Washington was vast and offered a bit of variety, my heart remained with the first game in New York. It may be down to the fact that I have been to New York on several occasions and could recognise many of the landmarks. They're here. Not all of them, just enough to make me believe in the locale. This time, the harshness of the winter has dispersed and you can see the devastation that the pandemic has had on the city. Litter and dead cars are strewn about the streets and the detail has been amped right up. It's great to return back, with my only niggle being that the map is so much smaller than Washington. I'd love to be able to fight up the Empire State Building or try and reach the Statue of Liberty without it being in a mission. But otherwise, I love NYC. The City That Never Sleeps Back to the Grind Stone First thing I noticed was how my level 30 build no longer cut the mustard in New York, my equipment had for want of a better phrase, been nerfed. Not that I minded. Picking up a level 33 blue and deconstructing my named gold weapon seemed a bit counter-intuitive, but the new stat system made it very easy to tell at a glance that I wasn't losing out. Over the course of the next few hours, my team and I completed the hunt and destroy missions for 5 of NYC's most deadly Agents. We would quickly swap out weapons for newer and better stat versions. There was no point getting too attached to anything until we hit level 40, so we just grind up. Keeping any weapons that possessed stats that we liked so that we could then go and store them in the new Gear Stat Library. That then became the goal. We would grind to find a weapon containing that one stat you wanted - be it a 15% Critical Hit Chance or Reload Speed, or Headshot Damage. You find the piece with it on - you bank it in the library. Next comes the grind to find the perfect armour piece, the weapon you want WITH two of the stats that you like, then back to bank it in the library. The Indestructibles One of my personal frustrations about the game is the sheer amount of punishment enemies can take. Some of the brutes of the game just stand in front of you and your squad, firing blithely into your group as each one of you empties clip after clip into their seemingly indestructible but somewhat human frame. I mean, I'm not expecting the one-shot kill of other Tom Clancy games, such as Ghost Recon Wildlands, but these bosses just become frustratingly hard to kill and ruin the immersion of the game. The division of the Division As far as the story goes, this one is a pretty standard affair. There are a number of rogue Division agents, led by Aaron Keener, who has taken over lower Manhatten to develop their own biological weapons. The game allows you to take on the four lieutenants in any order, revealing parts of the story as you defeat each one. Some are easier, some are more memorable, but they all lead you to the ultimate showdown with Aaron Keener. Playing through the game on Heroic or Legendary makes this final battle a slog, with a tight group needed in order to bring him down. In terms of enemies, Aaron Keener is definitely one of the more interesting ones out of any of the Division games and their expansions. Conclusion While the Warlords of New York doesn't deviate too far from the formula that helped The Division and the Division 2 to succeed in the looter shooter market, it does bring a number of improvements to the game. Being able to create a library of stats gives players the opportunity to create their perfect build, even if obtaining those stats can be a bit of a slog. The map is wonderful and being back in New York is a good feeling, I hope they return to here again in the future, but maybe add some verticality to it. If you have a group of friends who enjoy a looter shooter, want something they can drop in and out of, then The Division 2: Warlords of New York is a firm recommendation. ##Pros • Still gorgeous to look at, with incredible vistas and nice attention to detail. • Sound is great with nice effects to the guns and the voice acting is pretty good. • The updates to the stat system and the introduction of the Stat Libary 👌 • Back in New York ##Cons • Enemies take far too many bullets to take down, feels like you're fighting superhero. • Cookie-cutter plot ——— Original ratings: • Visual Design: 10/10 • Sound Design: 9/10 • Gameplay: 9/10 • Longevity: 9/10 • Fun: 9/10