I snagged a code from a friend, but missed my chance to play. I didn't expect I'd be away all weekend.
What's everyone's thoughts?
I'll just paste my thoughts from the now playing thread:
I got to play a little more of the Division 2 beta.
It really is improved in almost every single way, but - on a surface level - it's not going to look very different, and I don't think it's going to appeal that much more to non-Division fans.
That said, it's less bullet spongey - but definitely still an RPG stat-driven game more than a pure shooter.
However, if you're a fan of the first game - I think you're going to really love this one. Some of the changes are very subtle and deal with long-term design changes, and I think a lot of people are missing how different it actually is.
Almost every aspect of the game has been refined and improved. They've managed to both remove a lot of redundant clutter and add a ton of meaningful progression choice.
They've also made a huge effort in terms of making the world feel alive - and I think it's going to be one of the best launch states in terms of endgame content - at least in my experience.
It's going to have a very meaty 40 hour story - and once you complete it, the entire landscape changes - and the world will be invaded by a new faction that's going to present harder and more interesting challenges. In that way, it's almost like two games in one - at least in terms of keeping the interest going.
They've also gone out of their way to make the world interesting to explore, and there are tons of buildings you can enter and find something useful - or something that adds to the lore.
It's staggeringly beautiful in terms of detail and immersion. You really do have to look twice sometimes to realise you're not walking around in a real place.
Based on my time in the demo, they've also managed to get rid of the annoying pop-up for spawns (it was rare, but it happened enough to be distracting in DV1) - and it seems a lot more varied in terms of the environment.
In any case, if you're fan of progression-oriented games - and you enjoy the tactical/realistic take on combat, this is a dream come true.