The Division is something of an oddity when it comes to Tom Clancy games. Sure, it features plenty of tactical gameplay and cover-based shooting, but there's also a huge focus on RPG elements, loot and open-world gameplay. It's not Ghost Recon or Rainbow Six, but it's not exactly Grand Theft Auto, either.

Now, after years of waiting and multiple delays, The Division is almost here ... and, despite the fact that the game has been shown at multiple different trade shows over the years, no one really knows what to expect. Ubisoft has shown off gameplay on numerous occasions, but that's just a tiny vertical slice of the whole game — considering how many different systems and mechanics The Division employs, a 5-minute video demo just isn't enough to explain everything.

So, with the game's release date and closed beta test fast approaching, we've dug up everything that fans have seen or heard about The Division over the years. If you've been curious about what exactly Ubisoft's new RPG-shooter hybrid is all about, look no further.

The Story

The Division begins three weeks after a biological attack on Black Friday cripples the nation. Within days, a virus (transmitted via bank notes) infects millions of people across the country — as a result, most major facilities and utilities begin to fail, and the government loses control. In response to the growing crisis, the president enacts Directive 51: a covert group of self-supported agents are activated, and ordered to help restore order and civility to their respective cities. The player (aka you) then joins the battle to retake New York City.

At this point, it's hard to tell where The Division's story will go — Ubisoft has confirmed that there's some sort of worldwide conspiracy at play, but any details past the immediate situation in NYC are still scarce. The closed alpha test did introduce a few of the game's characters, but they served more as an introduction to the game's world than anything else. Given that the Tom Clancy games have always been hit-or-miss when it comes to storytelling, it'll be interesting to see how The Division shapes up. If anything, the Echoes — holographic recreations of what happened during the initial outbreak and collapse — are some of the coolest-looking story mechanics in recent memory.

Your Character

Character customization is a big part of The Division — and it's not just about choosing which haircut you like best.

Division Agents are built on two main pillars: Loot and Skills. Loot is somewhat self-explanatory: while completing missions or cleaning up the streets of New York, players will come across new weapons, gear and armor. Granted, only some of it will be worth keeping — if you decide to hold onto your findings, they can be further upgraded from there; otherwise, gear can be dismantled and used in the game's crafting system.

Skills, on the other hand, are more permanent upgrades. Again, they're somewhat self-explanatory: based on what they choose to upgrade, players will be able to unlock specific abilities for their Agent. Skills are broken into three distinct categories — Medical, Tech and Security — and each one highlights a different play-style. For example, a Medical specialist will prioritize support and healing, while Security Agents will want to play more defensively. On top of all that, Talents provide passive abilities that buff whatever Skills a player has chosen to utilize.

What's different about Skills in The Division is that they can be swapped out at any time. If a situation calls for a specific Medical ability, players can simply hop into a menu and equip that skill. Not only does the system open up quite a bit of tactical freedom, but players won't have to worry about wasting time trying out or investing in a new set of Skills — if they don't like what they've chosen, they can simply switch to a new one.

That being said, it's still a good idea to try and plan ahead. Just because you've hopped into a menu doesn't mean the bad guys are going to stop shooting.

Base of Operations

Of course, you can't just waltz into a crime-ridden New York City without having a place to hang your hat. In The Division, players will be launching most of their campaign from the Base of Operations — and, while stronghold building is nothing new to gaming, The Division handles things a bit differently.

When the game begins, the Base of Operations is basically just a shell. Without any of the major facilities up and running, it's not much more than a place to stash extra loot. However, by completing a number of different early-game missions, players can unlock each of the base's three main branches: Medical, Tech and Security. This then unlocks the respective skill trees, and players can begin upgrading their abilities. After that, more branch-specific missions will unlock, and players can continue to upgrade whatever part of their bases they'd like to focus on.

That being said, the Base of Operations is more than just an upgrade station: players will find various vendors, mission boards and loot lockers scattered around the base. The bases can also be used as a convenient way to meet with other players and gear up before heading out into the world proper. And while there are other, smaller safe zones scattered throughout the city, most players will probably want to start back at base to manage their Skills and equipment before hitting the streets.

Missions

As for the gameplay itself, The Division plays like many other modern third-person shooters: players move from cover point to cover point, then pop out to take a few shots and use whatever extra gear they have to take down enemies. There is some basic vaulting and climbing involved, but for the most part, The Division plays like most other shooters out there.

The seamless nature of the map is where The Division sets itself apart. Players are free to wonder around the city at will, searching for loot and various upgrades — then, once they're obtained, missions can be started seamlessly from the open world. While said missions largely focus on gunning down bad guys, the context that each mission provides makes the gunplay feel like more than a simple shooting gallery.

Even during the closed alpha test, missions felt important. They're not just about wandering around shooting rioters: each mission's story is based around bringing the city back online. Players may end up defending a water main while it restarts, or hunting down a particularly dangerous gang leader, or rescuing hostages —- while the gameplay formula itself may not change all that often, the fact that The Division stays on-point 100 percent of the time adds some serious weight to whatever players are doing. In short, completing objectives is a reward unto itself, even before players get ahold of their loot.

The Dark Zone

As if the rest of the game wasn't intriguing enough, The Dark Zone represents some of the most interesting multiplayer options of the current console generation.

The Division doesn't feature any traditional multiplayer modes, like Deathmatch or Capture the Flag. Instead, players travel into the Dark Zone, a quarantined (and mostly deserted) section of the city. Much of the game's standard gameplay carries over into the Dark Zone — players are free to roam the streets with their friends in search of better loot and missions, all while trying to stay alive.

What's different about the Dark Zone is that, while player vs. player combat is always enabled, it's entirely possible to make a trip through without starting a fight. Basically, it's up to the players themselves to start something. If you want, you can move through the Dark Zone without ever engaging another squad. Of course, if you've surrounded a squad of players with high-level loot, there's nothing to stop you from opening fire and taking it from them — just know that everyone in the vicinity will know that you've gone rogue. Once that happens, you may find yourself on the wrong end of a manhunt.

Oh, and don't forget — if one of your squadmates grabs a rare piece of gear you'd been hoping for, you can always take it back, with force, if necessary. No one is safe in the Dark Zone.

If anything, The Division represents the potential of current-gen hardware. Ubisoft's blend of RPG and shooter hasn't really been attempted on this scale before (even if Destiny was the first game to test the waters) and there are a lot of genuinely interesting ideas on the table. The only problem is that no one's ever tried something like this before. As such, there's no way to tell if it'll actually work on a large scale.

Then again, the closed apha test was a success for Ubisoft — not only did the game hold up under the stress, but it finally gave people a chance to give the game a try. From what we played, The Division is definitely something to keep an eye on, even if fans will have to wait a while longer before the game finally launches.

The Division is due out on March 8, while the closed beta test is set to begin on Jan. 28.

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