The Division - Dark Zone

There are two main gameplay spaces to experience in The Division's compacted version of New York City. The main campaign zone, though mid-crisis, is under the control of agents who respect one another's daily duties in exchange for modest gains. Elsewhere, there exists a walled-off, quarantined area called the Dark Zone, which agents enter at their own risk in search of high-end weaponry, gear and mods, all while earning a lawless reputation specific to the locale.

The Dark Zone is essentially The Division's end-game, the place you turn to after the campaign has been rinsed and the XP level cap has been hit. Here, agents boasting the highest 'DZ rep' stand to earn the greatest spoils, although not without a fight. The Dark Zone is also The Division's player-versus-player arena, meaning that agents may open fire upon each other in order to steal loot, or just gain bragging rights. You have been warned.

Be ready to fight!

Agents need to be in an alert frame of mind when entering the Dark Zone. You must be prepared to engage with antagonistic players at any time, and with little or no warning. Your Agent's status displays as Neutral by default, leaving your intentions unknown, and rivals can open fire at any time. It's a tough situation to manage, given that killing an aggressor immediately ups the stakes by granting you Rogue status - even if you retaliated as an act of self-defense.

In the case of the Closed Beta, the agent that fires the first shot already has the upper hand if his intention is to kill. The victim is left weaker, unless they're able to heal themselves, and are almost certainly more likely to die if the firefight continues. Firing the first shot is throwing down the gauntlet, in other words, and usually occurs to agents with no visible backup. Thus, the crucial first lesson here is to travel through the Dark Zone in packs.

The Rogue system

Killing another agent in the Dark Zone changes your status to Rogue, placing a conspicuous skull icon over your head for all to see, along with a countdown timer indicating how many seconds this status lasts. The more agents you've killed, the longer the countdown remains until it eventually reaches a five-minute cool-off period, in addition to putting a bounty on your head. Rogue 5s are branded with a yellow skull, and all agents within range are alerted to a Manhunt with the offending Rogue's name on it.

(Newbies take note: Low-ranked Rogues are only detected by other agents within a small radius. The higher the rank, the larger the radius.)

It's no secret that there were ways to cheat the cool-off mechanic in the last Beta. In order to clear your name legitimately, the trick is to find an ideal spot from which to defend, staying alive until the timer reaches zero. If you die, you'll lose Dark Zone reputation, DZ funds and keys acquired for Dark Zone chests. The Agent that scores the kill gains bonus rep for being the good guy, plus they get to loot your dead body. In other words, there are benefits for virtuous behaviour - even in the Dark Zone.

Managing Extraction points

Any loot acquired in the Dark Zone is considered contaminated, and requires extraction. A maximum of six contaminated items can be carried at any one time, indicated by a yellow container attached to your backpack and detailed in a separate window under the items menu.

There are only a handful of extraction areas dotted around the Dark Zone - just three in the Closed Beta - from where agents can call in helicopter assistance to carry away the goods. Calling for extraction starts a 90 second countdown, and this is where the tension begins.

Predatory agents are likely to be lurking just on the perimeter of the extraction area, and likely resting as Neutral so as to remain undetected by any 'threat' detection devices. In the rare event that the coast is completely clear, all that is required is to wait for the helicopter to drop a line onto which you can attach the contaminated items.

More likely though, rival agents lying in wait will pounce at the last possible moment before taking the first shots that help ensure you and the rest of your group are killed. They are then free to steal your loot, attach it to the line and claim it as their own.

Thankfully, the extraction blues can be well and truly beaten by using some team coordination.

• It may seem rude, but aiming your gun at another agent's head shows that you are ready to rumble.
• Have medical kits and healing skills ready in case other agents decide to chip at your health.
• Arrange for the group to cover all corners of the landing pad, with clear line of sight on all approaches so there's no chance of anyone sneaking up from behind.
• Hold on to any incineration or frag grenades that deal major wide-area damage in one throw. Don't waste these on enemy NPCs.

Whichever side of the moral fence you wish to fall, learn the most effective escape routes.

(It seems the Jumping Jack emote has become the universal sign of peace in the Dark Zone. Jumping Jacks at extraction areas signal that you mean no ill will. Of course, there's nothing to stop unscrupulous players from doing Jumping Jacks then gunning you down regardless.)

Landmark battles and contamination areas

Away from the grisly business of dishonourable PvP, tackling enemy NPCs is a sure fire way of gaining and retaining Dark Zone reputation. High level NPCs spawn at landmark locations, which in the Beta were the Kalkesse Sports Store, The Library, Construction Site, Abandoned Gas Station, Koreatown and Blockade. Landmark foes tend to be upgraded versions of their peace zone counterparts - they're tricky but quite easily conquered with a good team.

Contamination areas, such as the underground, present much stiffer challenges against elite NPCs including a colossal Cleaner named Hardaway. While you're not always guaranteed a superior loot drop from these opponents, the victories certainly feel special.

Dark Zone chests and vendors

The largest of all crates in the Dark Zone require special keys to open, and these can only be obtained by killing high-level 'boss' NPCs - or stealing them from deceased fellow agents, who will have previously gone to the effort of killing a DZ boss for you! Others can be opened without keys, as long as your rank is high enough.

For those that do require the keys, these are usually guarded by named yellow bar enemies and their purple barred cohorts. These tend to spawn in the same areas each time, so with experience you'll learn to farm them whenever you have keys available.

One last thing that's helpful to know is that all members of the group benefit from the contents of the DZ chest, so only one member of the group needs to have a key.

Dark Zone vendors sell terrific - and horrifically high-priced - gear. Chief among these vendors is the Safe House guy who - in the Closed Beta at least - had the high-end (yellow) Caduceus assault rifle and Cassidy shotgun for sale. Since loot drops - even from Dark Zone chests - involve luck, the safest bet is to save DZ funds for purchases such as these. If nothing else, they'll improve your chances of survival while rolling the dice for greater prizes out in the field.

- Need help with something else? Head back to the first page for the rest of our Division guide.