The beta access for The Division is finally here for Xbox One players, while the Console and PC gamers will get their hands on it from tomorrow. You can find the exact details below:
Xbox One start time: Thursday at 9 am GMT / 4 am EST / 1 am PST
PS4 and PC start time: Friday at noon GMT / 7 am EST / 4 am PST
Since you’ll all be losing a lot of sleep over the weekend playing the beta non-stop, here are 5 things that you absolutely must do in order to get the complete experience.
1. Set Up And Get Familiar With Your Base
You base will be central to playing The Division. This is where you’ll keep coming back to for upgrades. It will also be the central hub for buying and selling equipment, obtaining new missions and various other key features. So be sure to set the base up properly, and explore and familiarize yourself with all aspects of it. You’ll also be notified of all activities around the nearby areas in the bulletin board at the base. The base also has the crafting area, if you’re inclined to make your own equipment. And also the stash which can store any additional items and the loot you obtain from the Dark Zone. You will also be able to restock up on all ammo here, so don’t forget to do that before you exit the base.
2. Beat The First Mission
As soon as you exit the base, you get to access the first mission. Get right to it. This mission gives you much needed XP and gets you comfortable with all the ins and outs of the combat. It also unlocks abilities which you can then choose from back at the base. The very first perk that you need to pick is the First Aid skill down the Medical tree. It’s one of the most useful and important skill that’ll come in really handy throughout your playing the game. The missions can also be replayed at a higher difficulty, which rewards you with higher XP and rare, high-level items.
3. Gear Up For Upcoming Fights
Now that you have the first skills and better equipment, it’s now time to gear up and assign the skills as you want to use them. You can even modify the skills you want to use, and this powers you up in new and unique ways. Be sure to tinker around with the skills to know what fits you the best. All the variants are really useful according to the situation that you are faced with. Your weapons can also be modified according to how you want to play. so be sure you get comfortable with them as well.
4. Enter The Dark Zone
This is the toughest section of the game. Also where the best loot can be found. Along with the most difficult enemies. And it’s PvP enabled. Get the picture? Go there with friends you can rely on. Anyone can go rogue on you anytime. Other players may or may not attack you, and you can choose to do the same. If a person does go rogue by killing another player, he’s marked and you can take him down for a bounty, along with any loot he collected in the Dark Zone. Yes, that’s right, you lose any loot you collect in the Dark Zone if you are killed while carrying it. And the only way to get the loot out of there is by extracting it via a helicopter, and then decontaminating it at the base. So it is not going to be an easy task getting the best loot out of there.
5. Play Safe, But Take Risks
The game is technically meant to be played like a cover shooter, but be sure to use every element to your advantage and get the upper hand on your enemies. Collect anything you can get your hands on, so that you can keep upgrading and keep the edge. Don’t be a prick, but also try experiencing how it plays to be a rogue. Have fun and experiment since anything you do in the beta will not carry over to the full game when it releases.
We hope these tips help you get ahead in the game, and that you have a fun time playing the Division. That’s barring unforeseen server difficulties, of course. But The Division’s Xbox One exclusive alpha reportedly ran smoothly, so hopefully any beta issues will be fleeting. If you have a beta code (the only guaranteed way to get one is to pre-order the full game) you should be able to start pre-loading on your platform of choice.
And for more news and reviews, keep checking back at Gaming Central.
