Ubisoft has shed some light on the life of an agent in Tom Clancy’s The Division. Detailing aspects such as the experience system, skills, and perks, the developer has explained how agents can adapt to various scenarios and play styles.
It goes without saying that players’ experience level will determine how powerful their character is and what level of challenges that they can take on. According to Senior Game Designer, Marcus Rosengren, the experience system “helps contextualize a player’s progression,” and the more powerful we become, the more access we’ll have to “advanced technology.” Within the Dark Zone, however, there’s a different form of experience system.
Detached from the regular level experience, players gain Dark Zone experience more as a rank system rather than a level.
With a higher rank you will gain access to superior equipment and crafting recipes at specific vendors, but it will also be a requirement to access the high value crates the agents will stumble upon throughout the Dark Zone. Unique to this experience type as well, you can also decrease in rank if you end up dying enough within the Dark Zone. Going rogue certainly has its risks: you will lose even more Dark Zone experience based on your rogue status, but is the potential loot reward from other agents worth the risk?
The Division‘s skill system is what defines an agent’s role. Each skill is “unique” and caters to different play styles. As players complete assigned missions, they’ll gain access to a wide variety of skill sets that will further enable them to equip modifications, which including increased damage, increased scan range, and more.
Modifications are made available through your mission progress. While some may take more time to gain access to than others, the two main skills you select will come down to personal preference and tactical advantages. When you have access to multiple choices, they can be swapped around as you see fit, so be sure to plan your approach!
Similar to skills, talents and perks are unlocked through mission progress, and they further specialize the agent.
Each talent provides a unique combat enhancement triggered through defined activities that assist you in overcoming a challenge. When you have unlocked every one of them, you can select and freely swap between them to explore a variety of options.
As for perks, Ubisoft describes them as “convenience enhancers” that, once unlocked, remain active. Perks include a number of enhancements – from increasing the number of items agents can carry to additional crafting materials.
Tom Clancy’s The Division will release on March 8, 2016 for the PlayStation 4, Xbox One and PC.
[Source: The Division]
