Tom Clancy’s The Division 2 – Episode 1 Release Date and Overview

Episode 1 – D.C. Outskirts: Expeditions, a free content update for Ubisoft’s Tom Clancy’s The Division 2, will become available for the game’s Year 1 Pass holders on July 23, 2019, and for everyone else on July 30th. Apart from the usual assortment of balancing tweaks and new items, the update will introduce two new main missions as well as the so-called “Expeditions” activity.

You can find a detailed overview of the update in this article on the game’s website, but here’s a press release with a quick summary:

LONDON, UK – July 10th, 2019 — Ubisoft has announced new details of its first episode of free content for Tom Clancy’s The Division® 2. The episode is titled Episode 1 – D.C. Outskirts: Expeditions, and will be available for Year 1 Pass holders from July 23rd, and for all players from July 30th. Tom Clancy’s The Division 2 is available on the Xbox One family of devices including the Xbox One X, PlayStation®4 computer entertainment system and Windows PC. The game will also launch on the new generation gaming platform, Stadia.

Episode 1 – D.C. Outskirts: Expeditions is part of the game’s Year 1 free content plan, and takes the fight outside the streets of Washington D.C. The episode features new locations to explore and picks up where the story leaves off after the final boss at Tidal Basin. Players will be taken to the surrounding areas of Washington D.C. in two new main missions and a new game experience where players will investigate the fate of a lost convoy, encountering unexpected threats along the way. Players can look forward to the following content in Episode 1 – D.C. Outskirts: Expeditions:

• Two New Main Missions
  • Camp White Oak: Division Agents stage a well-planned attack into the presidential compound, as they seek to bring the now-traitor President Andrew Ellis to justice.
  • Manning National Zoo: Emeline Shaw, leader of the Outcasts, fled after her defeat in D.C. and is now held up at the Zoo regaining strength. Agents are on the hunt to eliminate Shaw, nipping the Outcasts’ reawakening in the bud.
• New experience: Expeditions
  • In this new experience, players enter Kenly College, where contact has been lost with a military convoy full of vital supplies. When they receive what appears to be a final broadcast, they form an expedition to find any surviving members in need of rescue. Expeditions will be split in three different wings for players to complete. Each wing will have a specific theme and tone, to be released on a week-by-week basis. Completing all three wings grants access to an exclusive treasure room full of rewards.
• New Weapons and Gear: Players can obtain:
  • One exotic weapon: Diamondback Rifle
  • One exotic gear: BTSU Datagloves
  • Two weapons: Stoner LMG and Carbine 7
• Classified Assignments: Agents can take on two new classified assignments in Washington’s Central Aquarium and NSA Site B13 (Exclusive only to Year 1 Pass holders).

Alongside new content, Episode 1 will also bring game updates based on player feedback:

• New Discovery Difficulty setting for the “Operation Dark Hours” Raid
  The new Discovery Difficulty setting, along with its corresponding matchmaking option, will allow more players to experience The Division 2 in its entirety. While Operation Dark Hours Exotic loot remains exclusive to the Normal difficulty setting, Agents playing the Discovery Difficulty can expect a variety of great rewards, while training for the Normal Difficulty.
• Crafting improvements
• Players can now craft their gear up until Gear Score 500 and share blueprints across characters. Additionally, crafted weapons can now be recalibrated.
• Weapons balancing and skills buff
  • As part of the ongoing updates to answer community feedback, awaited balance and buffs will be added to the next title update.