Back in 2021 reported about Ubisoft's upcoming free-to-play The Division game, Heartland. During the Ubisoft Forward held last September 10, 2022, we also got our first glimpse of what Heartland will be like. Now, in the recently concluded Division Day Showcase, Ubisoft gave us more information about the game. Here's everything we know about The Division Heartland, its release date, beta dates, gameplay, and more.

For starters, Heartland will retain the franchise's survival-action multiplayer shooter gameplay. Players take control of agents from the fictional Division, a group of sleeper agents activated after the Dollar Flu pandemic. Instead of fighting in the streets of New York or Washington D.C. (the locations of the first and second Division games) however, the game takes place in Silver Creek, a town located in the American Midwest. Once a pleasant town, it is now in ruins after being ravaged by the pandemic. As loyal Division agents, it is the player's job to respond to calls for help coming from Silver Creek.

The recently released cinematic intro (embedded above) gave us more information about the game's story. Players help out fellow Division agent Mackenzie Reed. Reed was originally stationed in Boston. However, when her commander, Killian Tower, went rogue and killed her team, she started chasing him down. Following his trail of blood, they end up in Silver Creek, where for some reason, the Dollar Flu acts differently. Not only that but Tower is also amassing an army of Reapers. You, the player, must help Reed get to the bottom of things, and uncover the town's secrets.

While exploring Silver Creek, players will be fighting alongside other Division agents, as well as against agents who have gone rogue. Rogue agents are a recurring gameplay mechanic from previous Division games, where agents take down other agents. It is still unknown if these rogue agents will all be AI-controlled, or if players may also go rogue. Either way, this helps introduce the mechanic to those new to the franchise.

A recent Developer Deep Dive gave us more information about the gameplay players can expect in Heartland. For starters, as mentioned above, Heartland will retain most of the gameplay mechanics from previous Division games. this includes third-person cover-shooter mechanics, looting, missions, and more. Additionally, Heartland will introduce more survival mechanics, namely hydration. Before going out to town, players must prepare their go-bags with items ranging from ammunition to bottles of water. Water is important as if your player becomes dehydrated, they will receive a hit on their mobility, stamina, and more.

Additionally, Silver Creek will have moving circles where the virus is extra strong. Similar to the contaminated zones in previous Division games, these circles whittle down on the player's gas mask filter. Staying inside these zones without a gas mask will be fatal to the player. However, diving into these zones could yield high-rarity gear and materials. As such, players will have to weigh the pros and cons of entering said zones.

They also talked about the Rockit Rink, the Base of Operations for the game. Players will be spending a lot of their time here, rebuilding it as well as socializing there with other players. Here, players can prepare their go-bags, manufacture gear, form groups, take missions, and more.

They also brought up the game's three classes: Weapons Expert, Medic, and Survivalist. Similar to the Specializations from previous games, this lets players match their skills to their play style. Each of these classes has a passive and active skill. The Weapons Expert, for example. marks enemies after shooting them with a firearm, and can deploy Assault Turrets. The Survivalist, on the other hand, can detect nearby loot while crouching, and can also deploy a UAV drone that scans for nearby enemies. Players can freely switch between classes while in the Base of Operations.

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Speaking of which, Heartland will be a standalone, free-to-play The Division game. People who want to check the franchise out can therefore use this as their entry into the franchise. Should they like Heartland, they are free to try out the paid games themselves. If the players just want to stick to Heartland, that's fine as well.

Development of Heartland is led by Red Storm, the developers who have been working on The Division since the first game. The game will be available in 2022-2023 on PC, consoles, and Cloud. Players interested in signing up for the Division Heartland closed beta tests can sign up on the official website. If chosen, the player will receive five additional invites that they can give to their friends to try out the game with them.

That's everything we know about The Division Heartland, its release date, beta dates, gameplay, and more. Check out our gaming news articles for the latest in gaming news.