The Division beta finally gave players around the world a chance to dive into its world. New York City has suffered a biological terrorist attack, and the city is now in shambles as society has fallen apart. It is up to you, as an elite agent of a secret organization, to rid the city of its threats and reclaim it for the survivors who just want to pick up the pieces.
Once you jump into this narrative, you will find something similar to another shared-world game that has you reclaiming lands: Destiny. Of course in Destiny players are guardians instead of agents, and they’re pushing back the darkness instead of terrorism (as we understand it). But, the way in which you accomplish your mission in both games shares the same core, so much so that some may even consider jumping ship from the interplanetary offering of Destiny for the snow-blanketed streets of The Division.
It may seem far-fetched at first, but when you look at the factors in effect, The Division may be the next great experience for Destiny’s large fan-base.
Destiny’s Lull
The Taken King took Destiny and transformed it into something much closer to the initial vision of its players. The story got some much needed attention, challenges provided better loot and more strategy, and the new sub-classes brought some interesting balance to team dynamics. The main problem was that most players ran through the content rather quickly.
Bungie promised more events to keep players engaged, but aside from the Sparrow Racing League, things have been pretty quiet on that front. With the news that there are no large expansions on the horizon, there are now guardians looking to ply their trade elsewhere. After clearing the endgame content and collecting every coveted piece of gear, there really isn’t much left to do in Destiny. This is doubly true if you don’t partake in the PvP activities such as the Iron Banner or Trials of Osiris.
This lull creates an opening for other games, usually of a similar nature, to swoop in and snag a bit of the fan-base at an opportune time of boredom. And, while it may not seem so at first glance, The Division delivers a lot of the action that players might be missing.
The Division Offers a Bit of the Same
While The Division takes place in the “real world,” it still offers a lot of the same MMO elements as Destiny. The story mission structure seen in the beta resembles your typical quest in Destiny – you head to a particular location either searching for something to retrieve or someone to kill (sometimes both). While in that location, you’ll deal with pre-determined waves of enemies, with each particular group involving a certain strategy. When that’s done, you’ll interact with something to tell you which direction to go next.
You can play all of this alone if you so choose, but the game is designed around a team of players working together. In essence, the same ebb and flow, as well as a focus on team strategy, that is found in Destiny makes up the core of the Division.
The similarities are more than just the mission structure, though. You are not the only player in this New York City, and you’ll have the opportunity to cross paths with others like you. Everyone will be able to assist or ignore each other on a whim. Not only that, but random events where players can complete tasks in the hopes of earning some coveted loot help to keep the similarities in effect. It’s that constant feeling of an active world and it helps to keep you locked in just like all of those patrols and public events did in Destiny.
Although it is very much its own game, these similarities may be just enough to entice players looking for something to keep them invested. Of course, the enticement is only the beginning; what makes The Division unique apart from Destiny will be the true deciding factor.
What Part Will The Division’s Differences Play?
Though they are the same at the core, The Division’s strength comes across where it differs from Destiny. These features, unique to Ubisoft’s game, will ultimately decide whether players will shift their allegiance away from Bungie’s latest.
While the two titles share a lot of similarities – team structure, mission structure, MMO elements, loot system – The Division wants you to be a part of its evolving world, not just drop in and save it. There is much more investment into the events unfolding around you than just grinding strikes hoping for a particular drop. The world is more than a hub for constant enemy patrol spawns. There are people out there, and they need your help. You can provide that help or just go about your own business.
The Dark Zone helps to magnify this feeling of agency and control with its take on player interaction. Instead of the Crucible’s standard arena, you wander a specific area of New York City that has been hit the hardest. Here, you’ll stumble upon other players, and what comes next is up to everyone involved; you can acknowledge one another’s presence and move on, assist each other, or one of you can decide to go rogue and steal the other’s spoils. It’s a tense survival situation that relies entirely on player choice.
It’s all a bit different from how things work in Destiny, and a lot more grounded. It’s a fresh take on open world and PvP systems that have proven to work, and that may be enough to keep players locked in for the foreseeable future.
Will Players Make the Jump?
It all comes down to preference, but as it stands, Destiny players could find a welcome home in The Division. Destiny’s current slowdown may be countered by incoming content, but the exodus gates are wide open for now.
The Division’s success won’t without its own hurdles, though. Ubisoft must avoid the same snafus that Bungie made as it steps out into the open. A scrambled launch may cause players to stick with something that has already gone through the many fixes, as Destiny has painstakingly done over the past year.
A brand new IP available on both consoles and PC has everyone watching and many excited. If Ubisoft plays its cards right and keeps the focus on point and the content flowing, it can benefit wildly from an already established fan-base looking for another home.
More The Division
- Watch 30 Minutes of The Division Beta Gameplay
- The Division’s Clothing System is Worth Going Rogue For (Video)
- Here’s Why You Went Rogue in The Division’s Dark Zone
- The Division’s Beta Wasn’t Much Like Destiny at All
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