We’re Going Back to Brooklyn in Tom Clancy's The Division 2
Division Agents, we’re heading back to Brooklyn. In Tom Clancy’s The Division 2: Battle for Brooklyn, Ubisoft sends us back to Brooklyn with this new chapter packed twists, tactical upgrades, and a more ruthless Cleaners and Rikers factions. Battle for Brooklyn isn’t just another map addition. It’s a return to one of the franchise’s most memorable locations, only now it's more chaotic, more layered.
Brooklyn might feel familiar at first, but don’t let nostalgia fool you. The borough has changed and so have the enemies.
Why Brooklyn
You probably remember a snow-covered Brooklyn from the original Division as the prologue zone. It gave us a taste of the outbreak, then quickly shifted focus to Manhattan. This time, it’s not a tutorial. You're entering a full-blown battleground, where the Cleaners have carved out a stronghold and introduced a dangerous new weapon called Purple Flame.
The Cleaners didn’t just relocate; they’ve evolved. They have developed a more potent chemical fire called Purple Flame. It’s capable of causing both burn and corrosion effects, so, you’ll need to do your best not to get burned. You’ll need to adapt, coordinate, and find gear that can handle the deadly flames. The fight for Brooklyn also serves as a transition between The Division 2 and the upcoming third installment.
What’s Waiting in the New Zones
Brooklyn Heights and DUMBO are the new zones in Brooklyn you have to reclaim. In case you were wondering DUMBO means Down Under the Manhattan Bridge Overpass. These new areas have all-new control points, bounty targets, and side missions that contribute.
Battle for Brooklyn will definitely test your reaction time and loadout. As you push through the borough, you’ll start piecing together how the Cleaners gained a foothold and what it means for the future of the Division program.
Mission in Brooklyn
The story arc in Battle for Brooklyn introduces a mini campaign that’s anything but small in impact. You’ll work through three main missions that unveil the layers of the Cleaners’ plan. Two story missions take you into the buildup and aftermath of their attacks, while four replayable world missions offer variety and extra loot potential each time you jump in.
The storyline moves fast, and the pacing keeps you engaged from the first firefight to the final confrontation. You're not just fighting for territory; you’re fighting to stop something that could change everything.
Credit: Ubisoft
New Weapons and Gear and How to Get Them
You’ll have new weapons and gear to help you stand a chance. The Smart Cover skill returns with upgrades that make it more useful in both PvE and PvP situations. It’s definitely a welcome return for flanking enemies or taking defensive positions. The Smart Cover Skill unlocks after completing the third main mission at the Brooklyn headquarters.
The Catalyst Exotic Mask is another highlight. It doesn’t just look good; it reduces the impact of negative status effects and boosts your damage output. It’s definitely to have on when Purple Flame starts eating through your armor. The Catalyst Exotic Mask is a random drop from the final main mission in Battle for Brooklyn.
Other gear additions include:
Pakhan Exotic RPK-74: Bringing back this beauty from The Division, you can get the Pakhan Exotic RPK-74 from completing the Master Climax mission.
Nimble Holster: The Nimble Holster is a random exotic drop. Some Redditers have said that they got the Nimble Holster from the Season stash. Increases reload speed and weapon swap time for fast-paced engagements.
New Gear Sets: Designed to support aggressive, team-based strategies or solo runs.
Level 40 Boost
Even if you haven’t logged in for a while, Ubisoft makes it easy to catch up. With Battle for Brooklyn DLC, players get a Level 40 boost, which gets you straight into the action without grinding through older content.
Other quality-of-life upgrades include:
Stash Expansion: 50 more slots to manage your favorite builds.
Economic System Tweaks: Improvements to recalibration, optimization, and the expertise system make upgrades smoother and feel less grindy.
SHD Tech Caches
With the new zone comes new SHD tech caches to find throughout Brooklyn. Before you can collect an SHD caches in DUMBO, you first have to unlock the Safe House there. The same goes for Brooklyn Heights. Once you’ve accessed the Safe House and Search Data on the laptop, you’ll activate the SHD Tech Caches in the area and they will appear on your map. Some of the SHD tech caches in the sewers are tricky to get to.
The location of The Retreat Safe House in DUMBO is on John St.
The location of The Lookout Safe House in Brooklyn Heights is between Orange St. and Cranberry St.
Map Location of The Retreat Safe House in DUMBO.
Map Location of The Lookout Safe House in Brooklyn Heights.
Autumn in Brooklyn Hits Different
Forget the snow-covered streets of the first game. Now you're moving through Brooklyn during autumn, the effects of the virus and the ensuing chaos are much clearer. The Christmas lights and decorations are gone and have been replaced by yellow, orange, and red leaves on covering the streets. There’s a certain beauty to the sun setting on the chaotic borough. However, the mood is a little different. What was chaos in a city of people trying to figure out how to survive the virus is now a city protecting themselves, not from the virus, but from violent factions that want control.
Washington St. in Brooklyn - Tom Clancy's The Division
Washington St. in Brooklyn - Tom Clancy's The Division 2: Battle for Brooklyn
Stay Sharp or Get Left Behind
As Tom Clancy's The Division 2 continues to grow, Battle for Brooklyn shows how the game still knows how to surprise you. From the twists and turns in its captivating narrative, reintroducing fan favorites with a unique spin to challenging your loadouts and skills with deadlier enemies, Battle for Brooklyn will keep you on your toes. Stay alert.
The DLC isn’t just content padding, though, it feels too short to be a DLC. Battle for Brooklyn is supposed to segue into The Division 3. Now, I’m wondering if The Division Heartland content will be used for The Division 3, but that’s a topic for another day. Oh! Don’t forget to watch your favorite Twitch streamers for Division 2 drops!
