After six years, and five years on from the last expansion, The Division 2 finally has its long awaited second DLC.
The first game in the series had three DLC expansions, but the landscape was very different back then, and its sequel has followed a very different path.
But now, as we wait for The Division 3, we're left in a good place. There are three open world maps, modes such as The Summit, Descent, and Countdown, a pair of raids, an Incursion, and a recently reworked seasonal model.
The Division 2 has also just joined Xbox Game Pass, with everything except the latest DLC included. But I absolutely recommend buying it, whether a new player, a veteran, or someone just coming back after time away.
At just $15 it's worth every single penny. It's cheaper than some cosmetic bundles in a game like Call of Duty: Black Ops 6, and has so much more to offer.
A smaller DLC, but with plenty to offer
I'm not going to talk about the story so as to avoid spoilers for anyone who hasn't yet played through. It's described as a "mini-campaign" and I think that's fair.
It took me about five hours to complete, with a little random Brooklyn wandering thrown into the mix. Unlike Warlords of New York, there is no levelling involved in Brooklyn, everything is played at level 40.
If you go on map size, it's about half the size of Warlords of New York, with only two districts compared to the four we got the last time we came back to New York City.
But there are plenty of new missions to play through, which is important not only for the DLC, but for the longevity of the game.
With no properly new missions since 2020, I'll happily admit that I felt the game had become a little stale. To Massive's credit, there's never been a shortage of things to do, but multiple years of the same missions started to grind a little.
Not only are there new missions, but they're superb. You get some new mechanics to play with in the environments, the Cleaners' Purple Flame adds a new peril, and I think they're easily some of the best designed in the series.
Some of the new settings feel quite claustrophobic. The older missions, by now, veterans can run with their eyes closed, knowing where to position, how to get out of trouble and such.
One of the boss fights in Battle for Brooklyn made me feel like there was no real escape, no real tactical advantage to be had. Keep moving and unleash hell for the win.
Outside of missions, there's the usual collectibles to hunt, Hunter Masks to acquire, and locations to explore. For what you're paying for this DLC, you get a lot of content.
Some subtle features that would be good to port back to older content
What I also like a lot is something I touched on above. While the core experience remains tried and true, there are some tweaks that I'd love to see retroactively applied to some of the older content.
For example, stacking a massive rocket launcher on a Control Point. Not only do you have bad guys to eliminate, you need to figure out how to do that and disable the thing firing missiles at you.
As the continuing story evolves in The Division 2, I'd love to see some little touches like this make their way to some of the activities on the other two maps.
Similarly, with the way there are electric traps on the floors. I'd love the overall environment to become a little more challenging in a similar vein to Battle for Brooklyn.
The Division 2 is still a gold standard live service game
That we're even here in 2025 with a new expansion for The Division 2 is nothing short of amazing. The truth is that it was never in the original plan, not even close.
After Warlords of New York, we were supposed to get a year or so of fresh content through the seasonal model, and then things would start to wind down. Resources to be shifted to Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora and Star Wars: Outlaws.
But The Division 2 community is special. It's a game that from the outside people still to this day look at in surprise that so many still play.
But the team listens to its players. It reversed course, rebuilt a dev team, and started making fresh content again. Just last year, the seasonal model was refreshed, but not in the way originally planned. Feedback led to it being changed to what it is now.
And it's still a gold standard example of a live service game. Aside from two DLC expansions being paid, everything else has been added for free. You can buy cosmetics, you can buy a premium battle pass, but all the main aspects, each season's new items, can be had with no additional purchase.
Battle for Brooklyn has reinvigorated my own excitement for The Division 2, a game which I've put over 1,000 enjoyable hours into. All of the recent quality of life changes, the new seasonal model, and another new location to play, this is one of the best value games there is.
Now it's on Xbox Game Pass, too, long may it continue. At least until The Division 3, anyway.
You must confirm your public display name before commenting
Please logout and then login again, you will then be prompted to enter your display name.
