The Division's first update will add high-end challenges and squad trading

The Division's first big Year One update will include a new end-game activity and loot trading. And yes, Ubisoft did just go there by referring to its content plan with the same terminology as that other long-in-development shared-world shooter. Better sail out of those doldrums soon, Destiny.

According to Ubisoft, the Incursions update in April will set squads against "seemingly unstoppable enemies to gain high-level weapons and equipment", pushing both individual skill and team coordination. Or in regular MMO terms, they sound like tough instances - the kind of thing you'll only want to take on after clearing all the story missions at the toughest difficulty.

As soon as that update goes live, you'll also be able to trade the loot you earn alongside co-op squadmates. Note the distinction from straight-up player trading: you can't grab a spare rifle then sell it to some rando in the Dark Zone. Instead, if you're doing an Incursion and happen to find a High-End Marksman Rifle, you can offer it to your sharp-shooting squadmate (maybe in exchange for that sweet scarf they just picked up). Loot drops are otherwise character specific, making this a nice compromise for players who want to help each other out.

After that, the Conflict update in May will add "new features" to the Dark Zone, as well as a second Incursion set in the in the heart of New York City, Columbus Circle. Everything we've seen of the Dark Zone so far has been pretty unstructured, so I wonder if this update will layer more formal events and modes onto its tense streets.

The first paid expansion, Underground, will let players pursue targets through "an endless maze of tunnels and subways". That could just be a hyperbolic description, but it would be pretty cool if it used procedural generation techniques to create a near-unlimited supply of new-ish levels, like Chalice Dungeons in Bloodborne. The Division will get its very own Survival mode in the appropriately named Survival expansion over the summer, letting players fight to live in a hostile environment by hunting down essential supplies.

The third and final season pass expansion will arrive next winter: titled Last Stand, Division agents will need to defend everything they've worked for against a new threat and "relentless foe". After that, it's on to The Division Year Two.

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