The latest update to The Division 2 unlocks World Tier 5 for all players, introducing the game’s first raid alongside a flood of new content. The Division 2 Dark Hours raid release time is imminent, and is reportedly set across multiple areas in the city, including the airport. According to recent leaks, the Operation Dark Hours raid will also give players a chance to gain new loot rewards and special items, each attributed with new game-altering effects. Read on to find out everything we know on The Division 2 Dark Hours raid.
The Division 2 Dark Hours Raid Release Time
When the previous 1.05 update dropped, the game’s first big raid was not immediately available to enter, and will only be playable for a limited time. Ubisoft has announced that The Division 2 Dark Hours raid release time will be “shortly after Title Update 3,” which is set to drop on May 14. It’s not yet known if there will be a Dark Hours raid end date and time.
As Ubisoft revealed in its Title Update 3.0 post, the Operation Dark Hours raid will no longer launch in April at all. Instead, The Division 2 raid release date has now been delayed to May 2019, with no specific end date spelled out. Previously, Ubisoft had stated: “We want to make sure that we’ve properly tested the large amount of balance changes that are coming to both PvE and PvP and listen to your feedback about the changes before introducing the raid.”.
As part of the free content update, the event will be open to all players, and is not restricted to any of the paid DLC. Players will have a limited time period to complete the Operation Dark Hours missions, or risk missing out on the free content and loot rewards before the end of the event. As such, make sure you’re kitted out and ready for the April 25 release date, to make the most of the special items dropped by enemies during the raid.
The Division 2 Dark Hours Raid | Can I play it on the PTS?
In order to prepare for the raid, Ubisoft has launched a Public Test Server (PTS) for the game on PC. In The Division 2 PTS, players can test updates and balance changes to the game before they go live on the main server. Unfortunately for anyone wanting to try Operation Dark Hours early, Ubisoft has confirmed that the 8-person raid will not be playable on the PTS.
The Division 2 Dark Hours Raid | Loot rewards
According to recent leaks, the Operation Dark Hours raid will feature special enemies throughout the mission that have a chance to drop a key. These keys can be used to unlock hidden spots in the map, which each contain a random special item with new effects. However, you only have a short time to find and loot this spot, so make this a priority if one of your squadmates finds a key.
The special items act differently to the gear in The Division 2, in that they grant a short-term status effect to the player upon use. The leaks suggest that this could vary anywhere between restocking ammo, marking Exotic items on the map, or temporary support from certain factions, but none of these details have yet been confirmed by Ubisoft.
The Division 2 Dark Hours Raid | 8-player raid guide
The same leaks report that The Division 2 Dark Hours raid will take place in three stages. To begin with, players will supposedly start the raid on one side of the Arlington Bridge, and will have to fight to the other side without access to any of their skills. As your 8-player squad nears the other side of the bridge, one random player will become the Hunted; this player will be able to see the exit route, but will become the target of every enemy, so the rest of the squad will need to defend them. The new True Patriot gear set could prove handy in this scenario, hampering enemies while buffing your own squadmates.
Once you make it past the bridge, the leaks report that your 8-player squad will be divided into two teams as you approach the Bazaar area. These two teams will have different objectives; one team will need to reach the watchtower in the North of this area, while the other team recovers a hidden GPS in the Bazaar. Once found, the GPS team will need to fire a flare to signal the Watchtower team, who will then fire missiles based on the GPS coordinates. From there, elite squads will spawn in to fight both teams, and all players will need to rendezvous at a certain point before moving on to the next area.
Heading towards the airport, the raid reportedly continues with both teams moving through a parking structure, while under fire from an attack helicopter and artillery. Once your squad reaches the runway, the final stage of the raid will begin, fighting against both the “main” boss as well as a “mini-boss” to consider. The leak suggests that the main boss will not be able to directly damage players, but that the mini-boss has access to an ability to completely wipe the 8-player squad. Throughout each stage, enemies will reportedly drop consumables that buff your damage, but you might want to keep a few handy for this final stage.
The Division 2 Dark Hours Raid | Trophies and Achievements
According to the leaks, there are four supposed trophies/achievements being added for the Dark Hours raid. They sound pretty tough, especially the one about making it through the Raid in less than an hour. Here’s the full list:
- Relentless – Make it through the bridge in one hour or less
- Extreme Measures – Have your most kills with Signature weapons
- Reminder of Me – Kill any of the Hunters who killed you before
- Gone Baby Gone – In less than 2 minutes, flee from Interceptors
Tom Clancy Franchise Tour
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The Division 2 and the best and worst Tom Clancy franchises
Due to a set of circumstances only possible in our industry, the Tom Clancy name has been all over gaming. It's the first name in tactical shooters and one of Ubisoft's most valuable franchises. However, it's not all sunshine and roses. Here is the history of The Clance in video game form. -
The Hunt for Red October
In the late '80s, one of the prominent genres on home PCs were tense strategy games. Since graphics hadn't evolved as of yet, games, where you played in the theater of the mind, dominated the landscape. What better subject than the tense thrillers of Tom Clancy for these types of experiences? -
The Sum of All Fears
In 1996, Tom Clancy co-founded Red Storm Entertainment after seeing these early successes. Ubisoft subsequently purchased the studio in 2000 after establishing a working relationship with them. Ubisoft then purchased the Tom Clancy name outright for use in video games in 2006. By then, games tying into Clancy's movie successes just weren't enough. -
Rainbow Six
Originally based on one of Clancy's novels, the Rainbow Six series encompasses 17 distinct releases across multiple platforms. Each game features tactical first-person shooting and aspires to be a military simulation. This style peaked with a pair of Vegas titles released on Xbox 360. -
Rainbow Six Siege
After spending several years developing a follow-up to Vegas entittled Patriots, Ubisoft went a different way. Rainbow Six Siege is a multiplayer-focused endeavor with Overwatch-style heroes as its operatives. Although it started off on the wrong foot, constant improvements have made it one of the most popular shooters going. -
Ghost Recon
The second set of Clancy tactical shooters, Ghost Recon differentiates itself with its third-person gameplay and its large outdoor environments. There have been fourteen Ghost Recon releases, ranging from the modern day to the near future. Most recently, Ghost Recon took a turn into the open world with Wildlands. -
Ghost Recon Advanced Warfighter
A subsection of Ghost Recon, "GRAW" was one of the standout games around the Xbox 360 launch. Combining the tactics the series is known for with then-futuristic technology made for a great combination. Ubisoft would revisit the idea with a direct sequel and Future Soldier in 2012. -
Splinter Cell
Splinter Cell's Sam Fisher might have been in the running as an Xbox mascot back in the good old days. A stealth action series to rival Metal Gear, Sam's adventures are classics, particularly the original trilogy. The latest in the series was Blacklist in 2013, although there have been hints that Sam might drop in again any day now. -
EndWar
Taking Tom Clancy back to full on tactics, 2008's EndWar promoted itself on its voice-operated commands. You could control the entire game with a headset, although some reviewers found that to be difficult to achieve. A sequel started development but never saw the light of day. There was a free-to-play follow-up planned but it was canceled. -
H.A.W.X.
An arcade flying game taking place in the timeline of Advanced Warfighter, H.A.W.X. is a weird fit in the Tom Clancy timeline. Two games were released in 2009 and 2010, both receiving mixed to positive reviews. A seeming stopgap in the industry while Ace Combat slumbered, this is one name we probably won't be seeing again. -
The Division
The latest Tom Clancy joint, The Division takes the gameplay structure of Destiny and brings it down to Earth. Literally. This loot shooter doesn't quite have the tactical gameplay of past titles bearing Mr. Clancy's name, but it does have the squad controls and the storyline that attempts to match his most engaging works of fiction. Well, it doesn't have great storytelling techniques but at least it has the look and feel of a Clancy game.
