Surprise! 2016's Christmas beanies are returning! Log in to #TheDivision before January 10th to redeem the Noel and Yuletide Holiday Hats!

/The Division Team

Agents!

The Division cosplay community surprises us every single day with their creativity, dedication, and passion outside of the game. We recognize the level of hard work and fine detail that go into producing this content, and we are always blown away with the results. Today is no exception as we have a special community feature to share with everyone. We are venturing inside an authentic underground bunker with cosplayers Denis Gusev (Goose) and Danilina Mariya (Kenga) to showcase one of the most ambitious Division-inspired photoshoots yet!


Goose and Kenga are a unique pair of cosplayers from Moscow, Russia! Beginning his adventure into cosplay in 2014 as Watch Dogs' Aiden Pierce, Goose sought to improve his skills while attending more conventions. For Kenga, the adventure began a year later—taking her first steps into cosplay in 2015 as Skyrim's Azura. Fast forward to 2017's IgroMir Expo where Goose and Kenga kicked off their first Division Agent cosplays that definitely caught our eye once or twice! With only two years of cosplay under their belts, we cannot help but admire the work put together by these two.


Anyone who actively cosplays knows the final product does not happen overnight. For Goose and Kenga, it is fine attention to the details that make or break cosplays, and we cannot agree more. The team has decided to tackle a more gritty perspective on the traditional SHD Agent with dirt, bruises, and scratches to simulate a ware-and-tear on the gear itself. Generally speaking, the final cosplays were the result of seven months of labor-intensive work, but upgrades and improvements are an ongoing process. Elements were always subject to change—Goose's sunglasses or Kenga's tool pouch to name a couple—until the two were proud of the result. We certainly are!


Access to a legitimate underground bunker is not a common resource, unless you are in contact with Sergey Masterkov and Nikita Karpaev from Firetag[www.instagram.com]—one of the most authentic combat simulation experiences available. Utilizing infrared impulses to register eliminations over combat rounds, Firetag is the closest you can get to military combat. These simulations need a playground as authentic as the game itself, and what a better setting than the underground bunker!

Originally posted by author:

"AFTER A WHILE I SAW NEWS ON SERGEY'S PAGE THAT THE FIRETAG TEAM NOW HAS ACCESS TO A REAL UNDERGROUND BUNKER, AND I SAW THE FIRST PHOTOS FROM THIS BUNKER HE MADE. PEOPLE SHOOTING BLANKS IN THE DARK AND THESE MUZZLE FLASHES! I FELL IN LOVE WITH THEM AND MY MIND STARTED WORKING ON IDEAS."

- DENIS GUSEV

Nikita granted Goose and Kenga a pass to access the bunker for their cosplay, and it could not be a better fit. Dark corridors, tight choke points, and multiple cover options are reminiscent of The Division's first DLC—the Underground. Grant us a pass and we will meet everyone on the field for a game or two.


Goose and Kenga made sure to give credit to all of the folks over at Firetag for making the photoshoot possible. From photographers to extras to prop suppliers, a huge thanks goes out to Nikita Karpaev[www.instagram.com], Sergey Masterkov[www.instagram.com], Roman Nikonov[www.instagram.com], Katya Zhukovskaya[www.instagram.com], and Dmitry aka Skif[www.instagram.com]. We would not have these badass shots without everyone!

A final thank you goes out to Goose, Kenga, and the rest of the Division cosplayers for participating in the community. We enjoy your work as much as you do!

Until next time,

/The Division Dev Team

Celebrate the holidays in #TheDivision with the return of the Holiday Cache, available until January 10th!

/The Division Dev Team

Greetings, Agents!

November Agent Highlights has arrived! As always, you guys have been sharing with us so many great creation, and some really funny ones as well. So let's get started!

You probably know how it works by now: all featured Agents will receive an in-game gift of 1000 Phoenix Credits.

Agent Max, AKA the composer, has created another musical piece for The Division 2. We decided to start with it, to give you thematic background music while you read through our Agent Highlights for this month.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yHK8KPKfa5o&feature=youtu.be

Now that the tunes are set, let's move to our next Fan Creation submission by Goose and Kenga.


These Agents never cease to amaze us! We leave you with their latest photoshoot.

Check out more of their amazing work here.


Next, we have Agent Mab admiring some street art. It feels like something straight out of the game!

The Division Graffiti Monday will never be the same after this!


Neutralizing a rogue Agent has always felt special, whether it is the first time, or the the hundredth time. However, it's never easy to see SHD Agents turning rogue and then seeing them go down, as Tri_San portrays it in this clip below.

As it was Black Friday last month, we have seen many great creations by the community. One grabbed us instantly though with its wittiness!

Keep them coming, Goose!


The next one has a very special place in our hearts, and we think you all will agree once you see it. Jonatan Lang, one of our Agents is expecting a baby girl!

Best wishes from all of us!


It is very rarely that we see Agents hanging out with Hunters. But our Agents, Nadya Marchenko and The0Pro, have amazing negotiation skills!

Do you agree, Moonlight?

Moving on to our Fan Art section, we have a very cool pixel art by Jurowa. What do you think Agents?

Where do we sign up to play?


It is no secret that we are big fans of cross community members projects. Having said that, we have a masterpiece of Timmeh, by Davidjlw.

Amazing work Davidjlw, the facial details are spot on!

This month's team favourite is brought to you by Area the Fox, Phoenixand Scp048. We had several ideas for a caption on this one, but we would like to see what you guys think!

That's all for this month's Agent Highlights! Remember Agents, if you would like to be featured in next month's Agent Highlights article, don't forget to tweet your creations with the hashtag #AgentHighlights.

ATTENTION: Agents, please follow @TheDivisionGame on Twitter so we can get in touch with you for the rewards.

We do have one extra creation by Area the Fox to share with you, in the spirit of the holiday season.

We wish you all happy holidays and a happy new year!

Thank you from all of us!

Until next time,

/The Division Community Team

The Prime Shield launches today, and we hope everyone has a few Classified gear sets in their stash!

To start, collecting any three full Classified gear-sets will unlock Prime. Each one of the 14 standard gear-sets has a 6-piece Classified version, bringing its standard equivalent to the next level by magnifying its power and effectiveness. The following activities have a chance to drop a Classified gear-piece:

• Open World bosses
  
• Dark Zone bosses
  
• Underground Hunters
  
• Phoenix Credit Cache at the Terminal
  
• Season Pass Supply Drop
  
• Legendary Missions

Yes, this Shield is retroactive. Get gearing, Agents!

MORE ON SHIELDS
Found in the first tab of the Dossier, Division Shields are a group of unique commendations that reward both long term and new players for completing very specific challenges across The Division. Remember to check back in, since an additional Shield will become available every month for you to unlock.

CURRENT SHIELDS

• New! Prime – Collect three full Classified gear sets
  
• Fang – Complete every available mission on Legendary difficulty
  
• Rebel – Get to wave 15 in Resistance
  
• Talon – Attain a Commendation score of 3,000
  
• Phoenix – Extract 5 items, survive for 5 hours, and kill 5 Hunters in Survival
  
• Sacred - Complete 10 phases, get to level 10 and kill 10 Hunters in the Underground
  
• Shepherd - Unlock the Base of Operations
  
• Avenger - Eliminate 10 Named bosses in Manhattan, 10 in the Dark Zone, and 10 in West Side Piers
  
• Deadeye - Complete all weekly High Value Targets
  
• Hazard - Clear 25 landmarks in the Dark Zone

THE DIVISION 2 REWARDS
As Agents collect Shields, you will be placed in a tiered system. The more Shields earned in The Division, the higher the tier you reach, the more rewards you will receive in The Division 2. A higher tier grants players more rewards:

• Tier 1 - Weapon Skin
  
• Tier 2 - Outfit and Patch
  
• Tier 3 - Emote and Gear Dye
  
• Tier 4 - Taunting Emote and Backpack Trophy

/The Division Dev Team

While it is technically always Christmas in Tom Clancy's The Division, we have a bunch of stuff planned for December to help make this time of year more special. It will be a busy month, with a new Shield, Global Events, Santa costumes, and a Holiday gift for you all!


December will bring another Shield challenge to The Division – Prime. To unlock this Shield, you will need to get your hands on three full sets of Classified Gear. Completing Shield challenges will unlock special rewards in The Division 2. On December 28-31, we will also be running a Double Field Proficiency Cache event to round up 2018 with some extra sweet loot (or crafting materials, if you are more inclined to deconstruct your rewards).


To celebrate the release of the Shield, the Holiday season and the upcoming launch of The Division 2, we will be giving you all a special Holiday gift in The Division! If you log in to The Division between December 6 and January 10, a brand new exclusive The Division 2 related Face Mask, Stripes, will be waiting for you at the Rewards Claim Vendor in the Base of Operations!


Global Event Outbreak and Blackout will make their return in December. Outbreak will be running December 6-13, and then replaced by Blackout, one of our most popular Global Events, from December 13-20! The Holidays are the time for both headshots and electrical puns. Those never get old, obviously.


Between December 6 and January 10, the Holiday Caches will once again be available at the Premium Vendor. Bought with Cypher Keys, these caches include the Santa outfit, popular amongst Rogue Agents everywhere in the Dark Zone. If you have not collected that set yet, now is your chance!


We are also introducing a new Collection Cache and making some changes to the current Encrypted Caches, which you can read more about on our website.

We wish you all happy holidays and a happy new year! See you all in 2019!
/The Division Dev Team

Encrypted Collection Cache Arrives in The Division

Agents!

We have released four iterations of the Encrypted Cache since its launch, with 19 collections bundled throughout Mark I – IV. We wanted to give players a more direct opportunity to earn the collections. On December 6, we are introducing the Encrypted Collection Cache! Found at the Premium Vendor in the Terminal, these loot containers include exclusive vanity items that are purely cosmetic. Designed with vanity hunters in mind, the Encrypted Collection Cache only contains collection items. If you are missing cosmetics from any of the 19 collections, this cache is your chance!

With the introduction of the Collection Cache, we are decommissioning the Mark I – IV caches on January 10th. While the caches themselves are being removed, players will still have the opportunity to earn their contents periodically on the in-game store as direct purchases. Be sure to keep an eye out!

We are also reintroducing last year's Holiday Cache for a limited time! Until January 10th, you can earn the Winter Holiday Collection alongside holiday emotes.

Opening Encrypted Caches requires Cypher Keys, which can be earned through a few different means. The first is simply by playing The Division. Killing bosses, completing Commendations, and completing Search and Destroy missions all reward Cypher Key Fragments. Ten Fragments are required for one Cypher Key, and one Cypher Key opens one Encrypted Cache. The alternative is through Premium Credits, which can be purchased at the Premium Vendor. Cypher Keys can be purchased in bundles to open Encrypted Caches.

Thank you to our community for supporting The Division! Be sure to share your Agents in complete Collections with us on the Official Forums[forums.ubi.com], Reddit, and Twitter!

/The Division Dev Team

Agents!

Welcome to the third Intelligence Annex—our series of detailed development blogs covering all aspects of The Division 2. This month, we are covering five different skill categories: the Chem Launcher, Drone, Hive, Seeker Mine, and Turret. Each skill category comes in several variants with very different gameplay and effects. These are just some of the skills you can expect to see on March 15th, so prepare for more options and build customization! If you are new to The Division 2, skills are specialized abilities that change the way you play the game. They provide advantages in combat that directly affect the outcome of your engagements. Whether you want to specialize in offensive abilities or roll full utility, the choice is yours.

First on the list is a new skill that we are introducing in The Division 2—the Chem Launcher. As a grenade launcher inspired weapon, the Chem Launcher fires various ampules of chemicals in an arc that disperse into a cloud on impact and linger to cause unique and devastating effects. When you have the Chem launcher equipped, you can choose between four different chemical charges:

Firestarter

• The Firestarter canister sends out flammable, near-invisible gas. These gas clouds can be ignited with any spark—bullet impacts, enemies firing their weapons inside the cloud, explosions or even enemies running into them while on fire. If you combine multiple clouds over a large area, you can create devastating chain reactions.

Riot Foam

• This skill fires a canister with riot control foam that disperses on impact. This is the same riot foam as you have seen the True Sons use in the E3 demo. The foam is sticky, heavy, and it expands rapidly. Anyone affected by the foam is stuck in place for a period of time, but the hardened foam can be destroyed to break them free.

Oxidizer

• The Oxidizer fires a canister that emits a cloud of corrosive chemicals. The chemical cloud lingers for a long time and efficiently eats away at enemy armor or any enemy mechanical items.

Reinforcer

• The Reinforcer fires a projectile that detonates and disperses an armor repairing cloud. If this powder hits you or your teammates, it restores an amount of your armor. Powder that sticks on the ground grants armor restoration over time. You have the ability to heal your friends very fast, or even yourself over time.

In The Division 2, we have drones! When deployed, the drones hover around your shoulder and follow you around. Depending on what drone you equip, it can stay passively by your side until assigned an order or it can automatically target your enemies and even friends in some cases. There are five different categories of the drone:

Striker

• As suggested by the name, this is an offensive version of the Drone. Built for combat, the Striker possesses a turret that inflicts continuous damage upon its target. This drone can receive remote orders from its controller to attack specific targets.

Defender

• The Defender is a defensive drone that protects its owner by utilizing an experimental directed emitter. It deflects incoming bullets with microwave bursts, creating an invisible barrier. However, each bullet deflected greatly drains the battery, and it is incapable of defending itself from enemy fire. It can, however, be ordered to guard friends or other friendly skill items.

Tactician

• Built for intel, this utility drone flies to maximum elevation at a location of your choosing and spots all hostiles it can see, effectively highlighting their location. While deployed, it gives you and your party continuous information about the position of the enemies within your area. This is the Specialist skill for the Sharpshooter Specialization.

Bombardier

• This drone can perform a bombing run across a long area. The drone flies to an area designated by the player and drops a barrage of explosives as it strafes from one end of the zone to the other.

Fixer

• This defensive drone repairs armor over time. You can choose whether you want it to fly next to you and passively repair your armor, or choose a friendly target whose armor needs repairing, including other damaged skills.

Also new to The Division 2 is the Hive—a group of advanced micro-drones that deliver special effects to their targets. You either place or throw the Hive, which affects targets within its radius. While most Hive categories are used primarily for defensive measures, there are offensive alternatives to suit all playstyles:

Stinger

• Micro-drones swarm hostile targets that enter their range, inflicting damage and targeting weak spots, destroying them efficiently.

Restorer

• When the Restorer detects missing armor on a friendly agent in its range, it deploys micro-repair drones towards the agent. On impact, an amount of armor is repaired.

Booster

• The Booster sends out one micro-drone per friendly player that administers stimulants to increase combat efficiency—boosting weapon handling, movement and other physical capabilities of the agent.

Reviver

• When deployed, the Reviver Hive can revive allies within a specific radius on the ground. If any of your downed allies are within the range of your Reviver Hive, you can manually order a set of micro-drones to revive them. However, you can also press and hold the button to charge up the micro-drones. The longer you hold the button, the more health and armor your ally revives with.

Here is a skill every Division Agent should recognize — Seeker Mines! These spherical, self-propelled ordnance delivery devices are returning in The Division 2 with more features and abilities. These mines use sensors that allow them to target hostiles — or friendlies — as needed to perform various effects. You can activate Seeker Mines by dropping them to the ground or throwing them straight into the action. Each category offers something new to Agents in the field:

Explosive

• This classic seeker mine chases the target, designated by the owner, and detonates with a staggering explosion. However, it can be avoided as there is a slight arming time before it explodes.

Airburst

• This mine rolls to your designated area and then launches an explosive burst into the air at head height of the enemy when reaching proximity.

Mender

• Similar to the Reinforcer Chem Launcher, this friendly little seeker mine releases repair chemicals. These chemicals form a cloud that repairs your armor or that of an ally. If you have not chosen a specific target for the Mender Seeker Mine, allies that lose all their armor are automatically targeted by the mine. This is the Specialist skill for the Survivalist Specialization.

Cluster

• The Cluster contains a number of smaller charges in one package, each capable of propelling itself. When deployed, each of the smaller mines picks a target and sets off towards it. However, these smaller mines are easier to avoid as they do not have room for advanced tracking equipment and cannot adjust their destination if their target moves.

The last skill on today's list is no stranger to Division players — the turret. This compact, self-unfolding device tracks and shoots designated targets. Turrets can be placed next to you with a quick-press of the Skill button or thrown a short distance with a long-press. Let's discuss turret variants:

Assault

• Similar to the Striker Drone, this skill is designed with offensive players in mind. Equipped with a machine gun turret with 360-degree rotational capabilities, this skill attacks the closest target while you are in combat. Outside of combat, you designate your turret's targets.

Incinerator

• If you enjoy crowd control, this skill is for you! Equipped with an incendiary tank, the Incinerator ignites fuel and fires it in a cone to deal area-of-effect damage. This turret can be toggled on and off when deployed.

Artillery

• The Artillery is a specialized deployable that launches exploding ordinances at locations of your choice. Firing once per press, shells are launched in an arc at a target position. This is the Specialist skill for the Demolitionist.

Sniper

• This long range, semi-automatic turret targets the same enemy you are engaging. While there is a slight delay on target acquisition, the Sniper can adjust its aim to match your own aim on the target.

Remember that the game is still under development and all the names and details are subject to change.

Which of these skills are you most excited to use on launch day? Be sure to join us over on the Official Forums or on the community Reddit to discuss today's article; we would love to hear your thoughts! We will be releasing these articles regularly, so remember to keep an eye out!

/The Division Dev Team

The sixth Global Event, Onslaught, is returning to The Division! Agents will have to adapt their playstyles around three global modifiers that change the pace of the game. Utilize three variations of special ammo to deal more damage!

• Start: November 19th, 08:00 AM UTC
  
• End: November 26th, 08:00 AM UTC

The following modifiers will be live during Onslaught:

• Onslaught—Always active. Deal Burn, Bleed, and Gas effects to enemies in addition to normal damage. Reload to change the effect.
  
• Savage Onslaught—Onslaught behavior, plus enemies are vulnerable to one effect type and resistant to others. Agents take increased damage from resistant enemies.
  
• Brutal Onslaught—Savage Onslaught behavior, plus when two or more group members kill a vulnerable enemy within two seconds, each member can reload to gain a damage bonus for a single clip.

Agents will have an opportunity to earn the following Classified gear-sets:

• Classified FireCrest
  
• Classified LoneStar
  
• Classified Predator’s Mark
  
• Classified Reclaimer

The event works the same way Onslaught has in the past. The Oni, Smiler, and Ember masks will be available alongside weapon skins. Please note if you have already earned Onslaught's weapon skins, leaderboard caches will not yield new rewards.