On April 26th, Division 2 began a beta test in China. Division 2 is an online-only looter-shooter video game developed by Massive Entertainment and published by Ubisoft. Division 2 was released in 2019, and Tencent acquired the publishing rights for a server in China in 2021. Four years after the initial release of the game, the beta test of the Chinese server has left many players unsatisfied with the changes made to the game.
As players progress through Division 2, they will get firearms and armor, which are categorized by level and rarity. Typically, the loot that drops will be the same level as the player's character to ensure that it fits with their current stats. As players acquire better gear, they can begin to improve their stats and farm more loot. In total, there are 13 slots for skills and equipment available, including weapons, armor, and more.
A screenshot of Division 2’s loadout menu.
On the Chinese Division 2 server, the game mechanics differ significantly from the original game. All loot drops at level 1, and players must spend an exorbitant number of materials to upgrade their gear to the top level, which is level 40. This can cost hundreds, if not thousands, of materials per item. Moreover, players are restricted by a daily material cap, preventing them from accumulating more materials until the next day. Many players complain that they cannot find the motivation to play the game, given that every piece of loot they farm will be level 1 and won’t be useful without a ton of investment.
A screenshot of the Division 2 China Server shows all the dropped loot is level 1 with traits locked.
A screenshot of the Division 2 China Server shows a daily quest that rewards the player with very little material.
To make matters worse, the game includes microtransactions that allow players to purchase upgrade materials. This has caused concern among players, who worry that the game may become Pay-to-Win.
A screenshot of the Division 2 China Server shows the game offers paid options from 6 CNY to 648 CNY (roughly equal to 1-100 USD).
A screenshot of the Division 2 China Server shows the game offers materials as rewards for paid players, the top reward level is 800 CNY (equals 115 USD).
The lack of a weapon customization feature has left players dissatisfied as well. While the original game allows players to modify their firearms by changing weapon mods, such as adding a better scope, laser sight, or larger magazine, the Chinese server has replaced this with a trait unlock system. This system requires players to use materials to unlock traits, such as +25% clip size, instead of physically adding a larger clip to their firearms. As a result, certain gameplay features, such as zooming in with a scope on an assault rifle, are not possible on the Chinese server. This limitation has frustrated players and detracted from their overall gaming experience.
Screenshots of the weapon customization comparison between the original Division 2 (above) and the China server version (below), the latter only have a skin slot remains.
There are many minor changes that have not been mentioned, but there is one that many appreciate. Players in China saw significantly improved ping and connection, providing fewer disconnects or instances of lag and improving the gaming experience. This is a marked improvement compared to the original version, where Chinese players often experienced disconnection issues, even with the use of connection-boosting software.
Despite the availability of a free-to-play Chinese server, there has been a noticeable rise in the number of Chinese players joining the game's original server. It is believed that these players initially attempted to play on the Chinese server but grew frustrated with the changes implemented there, leading them to switch over to the original game. This trend has led to some humorous comments regarding the Chinese server's effectiveness as an unintentional advertisement for the 4-year-old game.
A screenshot of comments saying that many of their friends purchased the original game after playing in the China Server.