14 DAY TRIAL // Ubisoft has revealed a few more details about The Division, its upcoming online action role-playing game that will appear for the PS4 and Xbox One, confirming that there will be no predetermined classes and that a full-fledged mobile client will be available.
The Division is set to change the way online games are played, as Ubisoft puts players in the shoes of government agents sent to New York City while a pandemic is ravaging the city.
With the mission to get things back to normal by restoring power or utilities and keeping things peaceful, players will be able to explore a new type of experience, according to Game Director Ryan Barnard.
"We’re not a post-apocalyptic game but we’re also not stopping something before it happens," Barnard told Ubiblog. "The virus that started the downfall has already happened. It’s a new way to experience the world: while it’s in collapse. I haven’t seen a lot of games tackle this kind of mid-crisis setting."
What's more, The Division promises not just a special setting, but also an RPG progression system that's not determined by classes but by abilities that can see skill points attributed to them on the fly.
"We don’t have hard archetypes in our game," Barnard explained. "If you play RPGs, you know a lot of time there will be a healer, DPS and tank. We want that trinity, and that holy trinity is important for any RPG in general. But the way we are doing ‘classes’ is different."
Another standout feature of The Division is the mobile companion application that will be available for tablets.
This small app won't be just for checking out the game when the next-gen consoles aren't available, as players can use it to actually play the game in which they control a drone.
"Our companion gaming is real-time simultaneous gameplay on the tablet. You will be able to play as a drone and join a group, just as if you’re another player. You have your own persistence within the drone and have progression and skills and talents, a lot like the main game. So it’s not just a fluffy armory or an application. It’s a real game client that you can use to interact with the game itself."
While The Division is an online experience, players can go through it solo, but Ubisoft will implement many missions and events geared towards cooperative multiplayer and even competitive PvP.