The Division – Friends and Foes

The Division’s version of Manhattan is a dangerous place, but you won’t have to take it on alone. In addition to your co-op team of Agents, you’ll also have outside help from the few that stuck around the city to try to hold it together. With these allies, you’ll reclaim New York City from both the virus that devastated it and the enemy factions who have set up shop with their own designs for the city.

Friendly Faces

The Division Agents

Activated in the wake of the Black Friday tragedy, you and your fellow Division Agents are sleeper cells trained to handle catastrophic events. Upon arriving in Manhattan, you’ll find yourself facing a city at war with itself, and what better way to prepare yourself for battle than by selecting some of your closest friends and forming a squad? You can form a group with your friends and take on the city at war together. You can also seamlessly enter the treacherous Dark Zone and join up with other teams (or face off against them for loot). Teamwork is key no matter where you are in The Division, though you can certainly attempt to go it alone if that’s your preference. But even if you do fly solo, you won’t truly be on your own in Manhattan.

The Joint Task Force

Consisting of the National Guard, police and fire services, and medical personnel, the Joint Task Force is your ally in a sea of chaos. “When the fabric of society tears, these are the people who band together,” explains Creative Director Juilan Gerighty.

The various groups making up the JTF all have the same mandate as you: Reclaim New York City. Put an end to the virus. These men and women are desperately trying to keep the city together, but when you arrive in Manhattan they are losing that battle. The JTF is being hit on all sides by enemy factions and it’s definitely not looking good.

They will need your help to secure their hold and restore order. En 2013, we showed off a mission where the Agents had to clear out a police station, making way for friendlies to move in and take over. This is just one of the ways you’ll be able to assist the JTF. You may encounter a group of soldiers pinned down by a group of Clearners in the streets and it will be up to you to help then push back the threat and clear the area.

The Citizens of New York City

The citizens of New York City are trapped amidst all this violence and they are relying on the Agents and the JTF to help them stay safe. They bring life to the decaying city, but they also reflect the job you’re doing there. Have you successfully cleared all threats out of an area? Is the city returning to order? You’ll be able to tell in part because of how the civilians react to you. You can actually see a noticeable difference in their behavior when you’ve done your job right.

Rather than fear you like they initially do when you first come onto the scene, they will recognize you and treat you like an ally of the city. As Gerighty explains, the citizens’ reactions and the reactions of the JTF are essential for you to understand how good of a job you’re doing. So while they might not aid you directly, you are in Manhattan for the civilians, and they should never be forgotten.

The Enemy of My City Is My Enemy

The Cleaners

We first saw the Cleaners at E3 last year. These psychopaths roam the streets with flamethrowers, torching everything in their path. “They are burning everything and everyone just to get rid of the virus,” says Gerighty. “They have the same motivation as the Agents – to reclaim the streets and rid the city of disease – but they are going about it in a horrifying way.”

The Cleaners are attracted to areas of high contagion and are extremely aggressive. This faction is made up of blue-collar sanitation workers who have taken it upon themselves to clean up New York City. They travel throughout the city, burning the dead and anyone who either is sick or could be enfermo.

If you want to track down the Cleaners (or if you want to know what signs to avoid) look for the telltale flames and trails of charred bodies.

The Rikers

The Rikers are our newest faction, unveiled this year at E3 2015. When we first encountered them, they were clustered around a corpse in the Zona oscura, celebrating as they filled the body with more bullets. This group is made up of escaped convicts from the Rikers Island prison, so it’s pretty easy to assume they have a bone to pick with the Joint Task Force.

When the epidemic hit, these inmates rioted and left the prison, making their way onto the east coast of Manhattan. There they set up a home base and started pushing across to the west coast in order to take full ownership of the borough.

“The Rikers have become what they always wanted to be: Kings of New York,” says Gerighty. “These are criminals that are basically just living the good life now. They are reclaiming New York City for their own and that really doesn’t bode well for the city or its people.”

The Cleaners, the Rikers, and more will be waiting for you in Manhattan when you are activated on March 8. The Division is coming to Xbox One, PS4 and PC. Pre-order for guaranteed access to the beta.

For more on The Division, keep an eye on the Tom Clancy hub and check out these features:

The Division – Agent vs. Agent in the Dark Zone

The Division – Deep Inside the Dark Zone

The Division – Customization, Cleaners & Cool Clancy Tech

The Division – ECHOs, Factions and Bases

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