The Differences
While The Division definitely exists in the same realm as Destiny, it is a wholly unique experience. From the very beginning it is clear that this is an RPG, one with a lot of depth. Yes you’re shooting everything, but the gear management, weapon modding, skill selection, and different branches of character progression provide a lot of options to The Division. It’s more than just choosing the best subclass, in part because classes don’t exactly exist here.
Sure, if you really wanted to, you could build standard tank, a DPS master, or a field medic archetypes, but the intricacy provided through The Division’s leveling system allows you to be literally anything. You will have three branches of skills to choose from as you progress, but to provide even more control, you can mod these skills as you upgrade their respective branches at your home base.
Think of it as Diablo III’s rune system for all of your abilities. You may start with a simple sonar, but upgrade the medical wing and now it masks your teams location, or you can provide a damage boost against all revealed enemies. Little touches like this allow you to fine tune your build, and your weapons become an extension of that specialization in their own.
Destiny had a lot of weapons, sure, but you had no real control of their capabilities. Modifications were predetermined, and many players ended up using the same popular guns. In The Division, weapons are an extension of you. Your ability to add mods to a varying number of slots (depending on the weapon) allows you to build your perfect arsenal. There is no specific weapon to grind for. Instead, you can make everything work as you’d like.
Another major difference is the world itself. You’re actually a part of it, and it feels alive. You will spend your time upgrading your base to better assist survivors, and in turn you will draw attention from enemy factions. There’s no just hopping into a planet that doesn’t remember anything you’ve done in it. You’re in New York City, you are fighting to return it to order, and its residents will make note of that for better or for worse.
That evolving world feels even more unique once you step into the Dark Zone. This is the PvP section of The Division, but works nothing like other features of its nature. In this area, you have to rely on your instincts and skills. Any player here can be either a friend or the reason you die.
The tension present in the Dark Zone is palpable, as most individuals are working towards the same goal: get some sweet loot and get out. With lurking predators both AI and human-controlled, it is an experience unlike anything in Destiny. With the abundance of different skill combinations and weapon loadouts, and no defined teams necessarily, it is serious fun and a nice break from the story and sidequests.
The Division does many different things within its virtual confines, and they all melt together to give it a very unique voice.
