Ubisoft has released a new video about the Active Modifiers, which are featured in the latest season for The Division 2, The Pact. Honestly, here may be some of the coolest mechanics they have added to the game in quite a while. They are basically faction-based power increases, leveling through five tiers based on MXP acquired through retaliations. It sounds complicated, but it is pretty cool once you get it.
The official Division Game account on Twitter has shown how these modifiers work, and players are already going crazy. Some have called game-changers while others have pointed out some… peculiar quirks. Let’s dive in.
Meanwhile, what ARE these things exactly? Active Modifiers are basically superpowers acquired by holding down certain areas of the map. Depending on which named zone is controlled, you get these very big buffs that change your play style. JonathanSnoddy, basically agreeing with me, feels that there should have been Active Modifiers in the game since day one; it really builds a whole extra layer of territory control and makes the world feel more alive.
But here is where it gets good-and crazy: some of them are broken-but in the best way possible. The Zealot modifier, currently being talked about, is considered insane. Walez (twosidesonelife) said that it “feels a bit like cheating but it’s a lot of fun to be immortal for a few seconds as a completely red Striker or Tipping Scale.” I mean, literally, who doesn’t want to feel invincible for a bit?”
The way they’re working out isn’t being that easy for everyone. Pete (_polter_) mentioned that it’s “tough to get Level 2 for a none veteran player,” and he’s got a good point. The modifiers seem to effectively reinforce players already deep into the game’s systems, so the new blood might be at a disadvantage.
Light modifications are also coming in from the community. g0dsnow pointed out that Season Mods now display on your HUD, which makes it far easier to see from your screen, while don’t actually show up for your group members. This really impedes good squad coordination and avoiding mod conflicts. Hopefully, Ubisoft will address this in a future update.
Another strange thing about the whole way modifiers work between characters, Antonio Esguerra (Synthrider83) said, “It’s kind of silly that the LEVELS of ur ACTIVE MODIFIER are not universal amongst ur characters.” He is definitely onto something here. Having to grind these out on each character separately feels like unnecessary busywork. Whoever designed that system really needs to rethink their approach.
But aside from being a tema of sad backwardsness, now let’s focus on its impact on gameplay – the place where those modifiers really shine. Most players have been claiming that these modifiers “make legendary strongholds easy” and “tons of fun.” quacknasty666 took it as far as saying that they alter the entire approach to endgame content, which is a huge breath of fresh air after the long disgust of grinding.
There’s a bit of strategy in there too- Walez replied to someone else regarding the Zealot modifier: “It’s best to ignite it when you know you can clear the area. Apart from that, there’s the reviver if things go wrong and you can’t get to cover quickly enough.” So it’s not about activating these powers willy-nilly – there is in fact tactical consideration to them.
And then there’s that one guy. ToufikCherifi7 described the official video as “pathetic” because the folks in the video displayed very hard and challenging difficulty while “struggling to kill red mobs.” Ah, giving away probably just showing the mechanics, and maybe barely trying to prove their MLG skills.
The conversation took weird turns concerning PVP, wherein Slay3r881 queried if there is a “we abandon the pvp community modifier,” spawning a massive debate on whether The Division 2 should be focusing on PVP more. TheseusBadger7 retorted, “Listen up, this is a PVE game! If you want PVP, go play D1.” Which… fair point honestly.
Really quite interesting is the fact that these modifiers have ties to the narrative and world events, which are unfolding in real-time. The Pact season has appeared to extend the living world concept in ways never tackled by previous seasons. This makes the gameplay loop of territory control actually meaningful outside of just completionism.
And can we just talk about the fact that just some of these modifiers have a real risk-reward mechanic in them? Peter Ian Staker gave an example: the Zealot modifier can backfire on you – “Proc Zealot and cross your fingers there are enemies within your EMP radius, or there’s a 50/50 chance it kills you.” Now that’s just some awesome game design- providing players with the means to greatly empower themselves, but with the ever-present threat of repercussions for careless use.
Despite really well-founded criticisms, most of the community responses have been overwhelmingly positive. chukthunderphuq sums up nicely: “Great job with the modifiers! Legendary is crazy fun.” If these new systems did in fact manage to bring about some amount of enjoyment to the game, then that is the real bitch. And judging by the responses, they’ve managed it a hundred percent.
Clearly, with the support of The Division 2, Ubisoft will be eternally willing to provide meaningful content updates for years after its release. Active Modifiers get into the actual gameplay, presenting an exciting new challenge for veterans who have seen these content areas for the running of hundreds of times already. Yes, there are a few rough edges still-least being the character-specific progression and the complete lack of group visibility-but the foundation is rock solid.
So what will these Active Modifiers do for players picking up The Pact season? Well, they will totally change your approach to the game. Whether running solo or with a group, these faction-specific boosts add a whole new layer of endgame strategy for territory control. Just maybe don’t get too greedy with that Zealot unless you’re sure you can deal with it in a heartbeat!
