‘The Division’ DLC Plan Mixes Free And Paid Content

Ubisoft began laying out its DLC plans Thursday for The Division. The upcoming third-person open-world multiplayer shooter will provide a mix of free and paid downloadable content to gamers over the next year. Season Pass owners will also see unique in-game benefits.

The Division will support three paid DLC releases following the game’s launch on March 8, 2016. The release windows for each have not been announced, but they are all planned for the current year. The first takes players under New York City, while the second appears to bring a survival mode to the game. It’s unclear if this will be a horde mode-like gametype or something more like the survival mode added to Rise of the Tomb Raider. Information on the last has not been shared yet.

• Expansion I: Underground – This first major expansion opens up a new area to players as they explore the uncharted underworld of New York City with up to three friends for intense co-op action.
• Expansion II: Survival – In this expansion, players will have to survive as long as possible in a very hostile environment that will challenge even the most talented agents.
• Expansion III: Last Stand – Stay tuned for more information.

Those who purchase The Division Season Pass can look forward to receiving additional in-game content. Ubisoft plans to host special events and exclusive content drops. Here is the full overview of the Season Pass content provided by Ubisoft.

• The Division Expansion I: Underground
• The Division Expansion II: Survival
• The Division Expansion III: Last Stand
• Exclusive Sawed-off Shotgun, a unique sidearm customized for short-range destruction.
• Full set of exclusive outfits and weapon skins
• Special monthly benefits including exclusive content drops and special events.

It will be interesting to see how the exclusive content drops and special events work out. This has been a staple in the Battlefield franchise from Electronic Arts but was limited to the equivalent of skins and double XP events.

The Division Season Pass is included with the Gold and Sleeper Agent Editions of the game, which cost $99.99 and $159.99, respectively. The Season Pass will go on sale when the game launches in March and is expected to cost around $40 at release based on the Gold Edition price.

The details on the free content planned for The Division includes “several free updates” in the months following the release. These will be available to all players in the game and add new features and functionality. Examples given by Ubisoft include “new game modes such as challenging group-oriented operations to test players’ abilities in co-op mode and win unique rewards.”

Interestingly, there was no mention of timed exclusivity for any of the DLC content. As previously covered by the Inquisitr, GameStop recently promoted The Division pre-orders with a “get new content first on Xbox One” banner. Additionally, Microsoft announced the exclusivity deal with Ubisoft at its E3 2014 press conference. It’s possible that Ubisoft simply does not have anything to announce at this time, but the publisher has been contacted for clarification.

The Division is set for a March 8 release on the PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and PC. Microsoft’s console will receive the closed beta first on January 28, followed by the other two platforms a day later. Beta entry can be gained by signing up on the game’s website for a chance at being selected or guaranteeing entry by pre-ordering the game from major retailers.

A live-action short film called The Division: Agent Origins was recently made available to view on Amazon Prime. Produced by Ubisoft in collaboration with YouTube content creators Corridor Digital, RocketJump, and devinsupertramp, the 30-minute film follows four Division agents as they explore the backstory of Manhattan in the grips of an epidemic. An Amazon Prime membership is required to watch.

[Image via Ubisoft]