The Division 2’s latest season has arrived, bringing the Cleaners to Washington D.C., changes to the Dark Zone, a new seasonal Modifier system and confirmation that crossplay is coming in November.
Washington D.C. has a new problem.
With Year 8 Season 3: Red Horizon, the Cleaners have finally moved beyond New York and are now operating in the capital. The faction will appear throughout D.C.’s open world for the duration of the season, taking part in activities, capturing Control Points and triggering Retaliations.
It means Agents who have spent years dealing with the Cleaners in New York will now be facing them on much more familiar ground.
Watch the Red Horizon launch trailer:
The Cleaners arrive in D.C.
During Red Horizon, the Cleaners can appear across Washington D.C. and will also affect the existing Retaliation system.
Rather than Black Tusk accumulating Agitation during Retaliations involving other factions, the Cleaners will now build it based on kills and Control Point retakes.
They are also bringing their own Elite Kill Squad with them.
Known as 95 Company, the new squad can invade Retaliations belonging to other factions, adding another potential threat for Agents attempting to clear them.
Red Horizon introduces a new Modifier system
Modifiers return for the new season, but Red Horizon changes how players interact with them through a new Pressure Gauge.
The Global Modifier builds pressure when players complete particular combat actions, including headshot kills, multi-kills and grenade kills. Spend too long outside cover, however, and that pressure begins to fall.
Building enough pressure allows players to activate one of the season’s three Active Modifiers.
These provide bonuses including increased Damage Resistance, the ability to spread burn damage and boosts to weapon damage and shield health.
One important change this season is the removal of cooldowns from Active Modifiers. Instead, their use is directly tied to the Pressure Gauge.
Red Horizon also includes three Hostile Modifiers designed to make fights more difficult. Their effects can reduce magazine capacity, allow enemies to overheal or lower the player’s damage output.
Setting affected enemies on fire can remove or reverse these effects.
A further 20 Passive Modifiers are available throughout the season, providing additional buffs and interactions with the Pressure Gauge, equipment and skills.
Toxic Dark Zones are staying
One of the bigger changes introduced during Into the Dark isn’t disappearing when the season ends.
The PvE-focused Toxic Dark Zone is now a permanent part of the Dark Zone rotation.
The Toxicity mechanic remains, although its intensity has been reduced, while season-specific mechanics such as canisters have been removed.
Enemy variety is also being expanded, with all factions now able to appear inside Toxic Dark Zones.
Rogue protocols remain disabled, keeping this version of the Dark Zone focused on cooperative PvE survival rather than the usual threat of other players turning Rogue.
Blackout Dark Zones join the rotation
Players looking for something at the opposite end of the scale are getting the new Blackout Dark Zone.
Normalisation is disabled inside Blackout Dark Zones, allowing SHD Watch and Expertise levels to remain active.
Prototype gear can also be used at full strength in terms of its attributes and Augments, although specific PvP overrides remain in place for balancing.
The existing Balanced Dark Zones aren’t going anywhere and continue to provide the normalised, competitive version of Dark Zone PvP.
Between Toxic, Blackout and Balanced zones, Ubisoft is effectively giving players three increasingly distinct ways of approaching The Division 2’s Dark Zone.
Two new Classified Assignments
Red Horizon also adds two new Classified Assignments.
The first, The District Mall Inferno, is available now and sees Agents responding to a Cleaner attack on the mall while assisting another SHD Agent attempting to complete his mission.
A second assignment, The Georgetown Dead Zone, is due to arrive later in the season.
One of the biggest announcements isn’t part of the Red Horizon launch itself.
Crossplay is coming to The Division 2 in November.
Ubisoft has yet to release the full details on exactly how the system will work, with further information expected closer to its arrival.
For a game that originally launched back in 2019, the addition of crossplay is a significant change and should make it considerably easier for players on different platforms to play together.
New gear and Exotics
As expected from a new season, there is another batch of gear to chase.
Red Horizon introduces the Ember Engine Gear Set, along with the Loaded for Bear Exotic Gloves, which will become available as a Climax Mission reward towards the end of the season.
Other seasonal rewards include:
- Fafnir Exotic Shotgun
- Iron Will Exotic Chest
- Boiling Point Weapon Talent
- New weapons and gear
- Gear dyes
- Weapon and equipment skins
- Caches
- Premium Credits
- Vanity outfits inspired by the 95 Company Elite Kill Squad
Some rewards are tied to the Season Pass, while others are available through the season’s free reward track.
The Division 2 isn’t slowing down
Seven years after The Division 2 first launched, Red Horizon is another sizeable update for a game that Ubisoft continues to support well beyond what many would have expected from its original lifespan.
The Cleaners arriving in D.C. give the season an immediate change of scenery without actually leaving Washington, while the three different approaches to the Dark Zone should give PvE and PvP players more choice over the experience they want.
Crossplay arriving in November could ultimately prove to be the more important change, particularly for maintaining an active player base across multiple platforms.
For now, though, Washington is burning again.
Time to get the fire extinguisher out.