What’s Next for The Division’s Story?

STORY SPOILERS AHEAD

The Division has been around for a few weeks and has managed to impress many that have stepped into its world. This new take on an attack on such a major city, and the aftermath that ensued was engaging, and filled players with a sense of gravity and purpose.

After fighting through several landmarks, and dealing with rogues throughout the Dark Zone, players finally reached the end. The reason for the Green Poison, the person behind it, and even where the strongest enemies were coming from. There was a lot to take in, but there were also some lose threads left so that players could cling to the frayed edges as they awaited the future.

That future, the one that’s being hinted at as The Division’s New York City starts to rebuild itself in earnest, is a bleak one indeed.

Aaron Keener, first wave agent who went rogue and has been a jerk and a thorn in your side from behind the scenes throughout the game, found Gordon Amherst’s lab. Gordon Amherst is the bastard that spread the disease on Black Friday. His reasoning was extraordinarily twisted, but Keener is far worse. The fact that he has found his lab, along with some hardware and deadly research, can only point towards one thing. Something worse is coming.

Hidden among Amherst’s belongings was research and formulas on a new, possibly deadlier, virus. Keener, a former top agent of The Division whom is now angry, power thirsty, and out for revenge, is the last person that anyone would want to have these resources.

So where does that leave players and the story? It leaves them with an impending threat that may dwarf the scope of the original virus.

The Division was originally planned to include a lot more than just Midtown Manhattan. Yet somehow, from what we can tell through the game’s Field Data and Evidence, the brunt of the biological attack was confined predominantly to the area players are set loose in. The rest of New York City, although still struggling, is better in comparison.

The chances of an expansion leaving the confines of the city is slim. Connecting players to other states, or even other cities within the state of New York, is no small task. Whole new areas, differentiated by landmarks, regional speech, and more would have to be added in. That’s a lot of work to throw into a game that’s already set in a location with plenty to offer.

Keener would most likely set his sights on another New York City area. After being sent in as part of the First Wave, he grew to hate the government and the city that claimed the lives of so many of his comrades. He wanted to take over the city that had taken everything from him. There is no way he’s given up on that goal, and definitely not because some snot-nosed, Wave Two Agent (that’s you) came and ruined his plans.

Because of this, players should probably expect another biological attack. Only this time, you won’t come in during the aftermath. The way things are shaping up, the story will give players a direct “Ground Zero” experience. Being surrounded by those just succumbing to some new and nasty virus will definitely give the existing narrative an injection of intrigue and fear.

Another possible next step for the story will center on the Dark Zone. One of Aaron Keener’s final messages to the player had to do with the horror’s of the Dark Zone. How agents went in to save those who were in trouble. and then were eventually forsaken by The Division. A wall was put up around this new “no man’s land,” and everyone was left to fend for themselves. If you’ve played the Dark Zone, you will have already come across all sorts of goons who have found solace in its infected limits. But there must be something bigger brewing within if the developers are hoping to keep players interested.

The war for New York City is far from over. If you’ve completed all of the currently available missions, you’ve only won the first battle. The Last Man Battalion was only a pawn, the King, Aaron Keener, is still very much in play in this game of chess. How it will all unfold depends on how much you’re willing to fight for the people.

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