The next season for The Division 2 is due to launch next week, introducing a three-month season of endgame challenges, as well as new exotic weapons, a new skill variant, a new skillset, and a brand new 8-player Raid called Operation Iron Horse. While Season 2 will be available on June 23 for owners of the Warlords of New York expansion, the new Raid won’t be available until the following week, and players will need to have finished the Warlords campaign and reached Level 40 to attempt the challenge.
Operation Iron Horse is the second Raid to be released in The Division 2 and will be available on June 30th to play from 9 AM PT. Players will be tasked with taking down the True Sons, a ruthless faction that’s set up camp in the United Ironworks foundry and is once again scheming against The Division, creating a new array of advanced weapons as they prepare for a fight. The new Raid features a new set of bosses each with their own unique mechanics, and there will be an easier Level 30 version released on July 7.
Completing Operation Iron Horse will offer players a chance at obtaining some of the new exclusive loot including two new Exotic weapons, two brand new gear sets, as a range of new cosmetic items, commendations, and new arm patch rewards. Players will be able to earn the Ravenous double-barrel rifle with offensive and defensive bonuses; the Regulus revolver which creates explosions on headshot kills; the Foundry Bulwark gear set which absorbs damage and repairs the players shield and health over time; and finally the Future Initiative gear set, which provides stronger repairs and increases the damage output of teammates at full armor.
As expected from endgame related content, rewards from Operation Iron Horse will reset each week with bosses only dropping new loot on the first defeat of the week. Massive Entertainment plans to add a new “Discovery” mode in a future update for both the Level 30 and Level 40 variants, a new mode that will allow all players to experience the new raid and explore the new location without matchmaking enabled. Finally, like Operation Dark Hours there will be a ‘Race to World First’ competition on June 30, starting at 8 AM PT on the game’s official Twitch channel with Twitch Drops enabled.
Operation Iron Horse is the first piece of real endgame to be released in The Division 2 in over a year and the only Raid that takes place in the game’s latest expansion, Warlords of New York. Adding new endgame content is always a welcome edition in a live-service game, particularly at the stand of a full new season of content, so it’s safe to say the fanbase has a lot to look forward to. It’s also nice to see Ubisoft and Massive Entertainment added accessibility options for casual players to experience Raids with the new discovery mode, something the Destiny series has never been able to figure out.
The Division 2 is out now for PC, PS4, Xbox One, and Stadia.
