Tom Clancy's The Division: Last Stand

Last Stand is the title of the third major expansion to Tom Clancy’s The Division, a popular online shooter with RPG elements. The add-on, released for PC, PS4 and XONE, was a result of cooperation between Massive Entertainment and three other internal development teams led by Ubisoft. In opposition to two previous expansions, whose PlayStation 4 versions were released with a small delay, Last Stand was released simultaneously on all three platforms, and can be acquired separately, or as a part of the season pass.

Mechanics

Last Stand introduces a completely new PvP mode with PvE elements (with the participation of non-player characters). Its action takes place in Dark Zones, divided into nine sectors that include those already known (zones 1-3 and 4-6) as well as completely new ones (7-8 and 8-9). The mode was designed with team on team matches in mind, with the players receiving the objective to take control and hold encryption terminals used to transfer valuable data. The team that manages to transfer more data wins the match.

Each zone is divided into three locations (A, B, and C) each containing three encryption terminals that have to be controlled in order to begin the data transfer. The opposing team is not the only enemy – AI controlled characters that often make life difficult for both groups inhabit the maps. Eliminating NPCs result in additional SHD Tech points, offering various tactical bonuses and fortifications. Controlling encryption points nets additional benefits related to respawns, including the ability to choose the respawn location from a special map (rather than from a list). Moreover, death or lost matches doesn’t equal penalties (e.g. experience or equipment loss), as was the case in modes taking place in the Dark Zones.

Game Modes

The new mode supports 8v8 matches, with each side divided into two teams of four. The player can join a match as a solitary fighter (and get assigned to a group thanks to a match-making system) or invite up to three friends. Last Stand introduces an improved matchmaking system that pairs players based on a number of factors, including current performance and the player’s statistics from the last few matches. Therefore, if we had problems fighting against our opponents for extended amount of time, the further matches will be played against less demanding players.

Technical Aspects

Last Stand also marks the introduction of a major update of the core game, labelled 1.6. The new patch introduces a number of innovations, including controversial micro-transactions that enable the players to use premium points to buy various cosmetic add-ons including weapon skins, backpacks, clothes, emoticons, or item packs containing a choice of those items.

Last updated on 15 March 2016