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moonlightchess · 5 years

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I see a lot of dark academia aesthetic involving the classics fields, literature and languages and theater and music, but can the STEM kids get in on this too? Where’s my dark science aesthetic at? where’s my STEM gothic?

• It has to be a mistake, on the syllabus your professor e-mailed over yesterday. The lab class can’t possibly start at 8pm. Not that you’d notice the time of night anyway, considering that for some reason it’s held in a basement of the STEM buildings that you were sure was closed off. You’ve never seen anyone emerging from its depths, and honestly you’re not even sure how to get down there. But not to worry, your professor assures you when you reply with your concerns. He’ll send his TA to pick you up. Just try not to stare at their hand. Especially if it sparks. They’re still working out the kinks.

• The transparent lightboard you use in your apartment building for working out math equations that require more room is the only illumination piercing your otherwise dim living room. You’ve been working for hours, and haven’t noticed how late it’s become, mostly because you’re pretty sure that you accidentally just determined exactly when the world is going to end. Before you can grab your phone to tell everyone, there’s a knock at your door. “Well done,” the man and woman in dark clothes and glasses that reflect even the minor light so that you can’t see your eyes as they enter your apartment. “A little too well done, we think. You’ll be coming with us now.”

• H2 = H 2 0 [ Ωm(1+z) 3 +ΩDEexp {3 Z/z 0 dz 1+z [1+w(z)]}

• “We are doctors,” in heart if not yet in degree,” the neurologist teaching your afternoon class says, laughing. “We are the ones who stand between that looming reaper Death and all of our patients, scalpels and syringes in hand, and say “not today, old friend. Not this one.” But then the mirth fades from his voice, and his gaze drifts to the left of the lecture hall for some odd reason, fixed on some dark corner. “That’s why it hates us, you know. Death. All of us. We as doctors must be very, very careful in our everyday lives, because Death despises us for stalling its work time and time again, and it constantly has its eyes on us. Waiting for us to relax, to look away. There are rituals, as we get older and Death steps closer every day...” but then they come back to themselves, shaking their heads and laughing. “Not enough coffee for me today, apparently!” Shadows in the corner where no one sits seem to be shifting.

• The chemistry majors always seem to know something that no one else does. They all keep tiny glass bottles of clove oil in their backpacks at all times, for some reason. You’re starting to wonder if it wouldn’t be smart for you to do the same.

• The engineering majors know exactly what the chem majors think only they know, and they laugh when you mention the clove oil. “They really think that will protect them,” one future robotics pioneer says to you, shaking his head. “They really think they can stop what’s coming.”

• Something in the forensics lab whispers at night, but only when a lone student is working down there alone. One of them snags you in the halls one morning and says, “I know you’re not forensics and you’ve never heard it before, but last night I was working on a paper down there and, well. It knows your name.”

• Your roommate is a biogenetics student. She keeps beakers brimming with bubbling fluids in the fridge, and she often seems restless and distracted. You’ve caught her stealing hair off of your brush before, and one night as you watch her mixing and stirring and taking notes as she’s hunched over her desk, you realize that a single blinking eyeball is staring back at you from the green fluid surrounding it in her glass tube.

• The mathematics students have figured out what the chemistry students know, and what the engineering students have known for years. They all look anxious now, walking around campus and constantly looking over their shoulders. One of them suggests to you that maybe you should start stockpiling bottled water. Just in case.

• An astronomy major comes barreling into one of your classes one dim and dying afternoon, slapping a star chart down onto a desk in front of a newly enlightened mathematics student, sweating and furious. “You weren’t even going to tell us, you bastard?! You were just going to let it happen while we sat around unprepared?!”

• A week later. You sit up in bed and your roommate is gone. Their things are gone. Campus is still and quiet, the chem and engineering and astronomy and mathematics students having all cleared out save for you. The bio, forensics, and med students are left blinking, dazed. Clearly you’ve all missed something important, but your roommate responds to your text with assurance that it’s fine. You’ll all know soon enough.

#stem #dark academia #science gothic #aesthetic #gothic #microfiction #my writing #mathematics #astronomy #chemistry #biology #medicine #engineering #science

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paknives01 · 4 years

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If a regular pen is mightier than the sword just think how effective the new DZS Pen Stun Gun will be in protecting you from an attacker! The metal clip on the top of the unit holds it firmly in place in your pocket, purse or backpack so you always know right where it is.

#Pen Stun Gun #stun gun #Best Stun Gun #pink stun gun

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themensbag · 4 years

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^^*!@ Waterproof Travel Bag 15-Inch Laptop Backpack Computer Notebook School Bag DZ https://ift.tt/3hJmEJq

#bag #Men

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crozbow · 7 years

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OH BOY QUESTIONS?!?

@fujiquacki tagged me in a thing and I guess I’m gonna do it and pass it on.

1. nickname: Crosbee/Crozbow/Potato/Tato pick one idfc

2. gender: male i think idfk

3. star sign: scorpio

4. height: larj (6′4″)

5. time: 22:54

6. birthday: 13/11/97

7. favourite band(s): that’s kind of a big question but maybe rage against the machine or fall out boy or iron maiden or king gizzard or the smiths or the cure or honeyblood or biffy clyro or enter shikari or the front bottoms or the wombats or slaves or pink floyd or baroness or coheed and cambria or the specials or the clash or vampire weekend or faith no more or my chemical romance or thin lizzy or elbow oe mumford and sons or red hot chilli peppers or mister bungle or sleater-kinney or black flag or neutral milk hotel or AJJ or ghost town or sex bob-omb or mogwai or social distortion or the sex pistols or panic! or the fratellis or refused or blood red shoes or DZ deathrays or death from above 1979 or the vaccines or skunk anansie or

8. favourite solo artist(s): maybe childish gambino??

9. song stuck in my head: all night long by lionel ritchie

10. last movie I watched: Point Break

11. last show I watched: last i actively watched was M*A*S*H i think but antiques roadshow was on earlier lmao

12. when did I create my blog: 2013 and still going strong

13. what do I post: M E M E

14. last thing I googled: uni stuff

15. do you have other blogs: I have an aesthetic blog here

16. do you get asks: nah fam

17. why did you choose your url: uhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh it’s my name?

18: following: 1,579

19. followers: not enough but 85

20. favourite colour: like green? or maybe black? brown? anything neon? all of the above at once?

21. average hours of sleep: what does “sleep” mean

22. lucky number: 42 or 13

23. instruments: Guitar, Bass, Vocals and learning to play Ukele rn

24. what am I wearing: where’s wally pjs

25. how many blankets do I sleep with: 1 or none it’s so hot in this room

26. dream job: tappity tappity at the keyboard till a game happens

27. dream trip: back 2 tokyo or backpacking canada or norway

or some really strong lsd jkjkdw

28. favourite food: if it’s near me and it’s not a mushroom it’s my favourite

29. nationality: british

30. favorite song now: You can’t make me pick this.

ok i have 2 pass this on so @standarddivination, @thehavenabovereality and @pure-love-and-destruction ya’ll can check this out if you like

#my stuff #questions #my text

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ed-star · 5 years

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Jack Wolfskin Timberwolf 3 in 1 Jacket, Woodland Green Check Jacket by Jack Wolfskin, TEXAPORE technology, Offers 100% weather protection, Waterproof, windproof and breathable fabric, NANUK technology, Provides fast-drying and windproof insulation, 3-in-1 layering system, Check pattern, Fixed hood, Jack Wolfskin logo, Zip fastening, Functional pockets, Regular fit - true to size. Inspiring a sense of adventure since 1981, Jack Wolfskin's outerwear and accessories are made for the great outdoors. Combining functionality with comfort, the label's parkas and padded jackets protect you from the wind, rain and cold, while its suspension-system backpacks help you carry the heavy load. available at www.ed-star.com #clothes, #fashionpost, #fashionstyle, #instastyle, #look, #lookbook, #lookoftheday, #menstyle, #menswear, #outfitoftheday, #streetfashion, #streetwear, #styleblogger, #styleinspiration, #stylish, #trending, #trends, #trendy, #wiw, #wiwt #edstardenim #summer #vacation #holiday #holidayfun #jacket #hoodie #jackwolfskin https://www.instagram.com/p/BuLQ9bHA-dZ/?utm_source=ig_tumblr_share&igshid=1ev2sqn0i1bgy

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essentiallyessence · 7 years

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Denim Dress by dz-eminaa featuring a blue backpack ❤ liked on Polyvore

#polyvore #fashion #style #Converse #Marc Jacobs #clothing

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terryblount · 5 years

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The Division 2 Update 6 full patch notes revealed; Targeted Loot, Inventory Management 2.0 & more

Ubisoft has revealed the full patch notes for The Division 2 Title Update 6. As the team noted, this patch brings an unprecedented number of fixes and improvements, as well as a brand new PvP mode. Moreover, it introduces Targeted Loot and Inventory Management 2.0.

Loot targeting is a new feature introduced with Title Update 6 / Episode 2. When reaching World Tier 5 players will be able to see Named Zones and Main Missions now have icons to reflect a higher drop chance for specific items. This allows agents to target specific brands, weapons and mods in these missions and zones.

Alongside these two features, patch 6 overhauls Named Items, increases stash space, and re-balances talents and weapons. Moreover, it brings changes to Dark Zone Supply Drops, Recalibration and Crafting.

Lastly, this update improves the Early Game, UI, Tutorials, and fixes numerous issues.

Below you can find a portion of the huge changelog. For the complete list of changes, we strongly suggest visiting its official website.

The Division 2 Title Update 6 Release Notes

Gameplay changes Blueprints

Added a missing blueprint for the Aces & Eights kneepads.

Removed 3 blueprints from the blueprint collection as they were not obtainable in the game.

Blueprints that haven’t been acquired yet will now be visible in the crafting bench interface with hints on how to acquire them.

Brand sets

Brand sets now have an item available on every slot, Mask, Backpack, Vest, Gloves, Holster and Kneepads.

38 new branded gear pieces have been added overall.

Control Points

Control Point Officers will now revive all downed players, instead of only reviving the player that was downed last, in co-op sessions.

Crafting

Enemies will no longer drop crafting materials that the player is currently capped out on.

Deconstructing gear and weapons have a chance to provide Polycarbonate.

The chance to gain extra materials from deconstructing stays the same.

Lowered crafting costs. When crafting fewer grey and Brand materials will now be required.

At Gear Score 500 base materials required are now 60 (down from 85).

At Gear Score 500 Brand materials required are now 5 (down from 8).

Enemies will now drop higher amounts of crafting materials.

Green materials up to 12 (from 6).

Blue materials up to 9 (from 4).

Named enemies drop larger quantities than before.

Crafting material containers will now drop one green and one blue material, instead of just one of either.

Added a notification to the crafting interface that increases clarity when an upgrade to the Crafting Bench is available.

The crafting vendor Inaya now sells a perk that allows a player to share materials between all their characters.

Increased perks for upgrading the material inventory size:

Base materials cap with all perks unlocked now 2000 (up from 600).

Green and blue materials cap with all perks unlocked now 1500 (up from 400).

Increased material caps for rare materials:

Purple cap now 300 (up from 100).

Orange cap now 80 (up from 50).

Hard Wired base materials cap now 50 (up from 30).

Hard Wired components cap now 10 (up from 5).

Gear Mods

Offensive Protocol: Precision, Defensive System: Resistance, Utility Protocol: Repository Gear Mods have been removed from the loot pool.

XP Bonuses are no longer granted by Gear Mods.

Weapon specific Critical Hit Chance / Damage is no longer granted by Gear Mods.

Existing gear mods have not been affected by these changes, they will only apply to new gear mods.

Descriptions updated to no longer include the keywords System / Protocol as requirements to equipping mods.

Kenly College

A Mastery System is coming to Expeditions, rewarding completion time on different difficulties.

When competing for Mastery Medals, a special Mastery Modifier is active.

Dead Drop is the modifier active when Kenly College is going live with Title Update 6.

Dead Drop: Enemies, based on their veterancy, will drop different types of live grenades when they die.

The requirements to earn a medal are shown in the UI, allowing players to compare their completion times.

Players will now be able to play Kenly College on Normal, Hard, and Challenging difficulties with each difficulty mode has its own Mastery Time.

Kenly College will be opening again on October 15th, with all three Investigation Areas active.

The Expedition will then close on October 29th and go on a two weeks closed, one week open rotation.

The Diamond Back Exotic Rifle will be a guaranteed reward for your first completion of Kenly College when the Expedition opens.

Loot targeting

Named items

We’ve added new named items as well as upgraded existing ones.

Named Items are improved versions of normal items, with a unique name and a fixed talent. The talent is a slightly better version of a normal High-End talent, to ensure that these items are more rewarding and powerful.

Onboarding Improved tutorials

The Prologue mission pace has been tweaked to allow an easier entry into the game. The UI of tutorials during the Prologue mission have been improved.

New tutorials: Weapon Switching, Grenade Throwing, Roll, Melee, Set Waypoint on map, Open Map, Open Inventory, Loot, Level-up, Living World Activities, Safe Houses, Fast Travel, Detection, Weak points, Destructible Armor, Veterans and Elites, Coop, Matchmaking, Switch to Side Arm, Armor, Combat Tactics, Climb Up/Down, Field Proficiency Cache, Side Missions and Staff.

A Tutorial Codex has been added to the Character Menu which can be used to access previously seen Tutorials.

Early Game

Players now automatically start with a second weapon slot; the perk has been removed.

Tutorials for and unlocking Perks now happen later in the progression.

The first upgrade of the Theater Settlement now unlocks after the first safe house is unlocked, which should be a smoother flow of progression in the early game.

The Jefferson Trade Center, Viewpoint Museum, American History Museum and Air and Space Museum missions received a starting level adjustment for a better initial pacing of progression.

The second skill unlock is now awarded from the Jefferson Trade Center mission instead of the Grand Washington Hotel mission, for better pacing and onboarding experience.

UI improvements

The character menu has been renamed to Inventory to add clarity.

Multiple improvements to notifications meant to reduce clutter and improve pacing of information.

Bug fixes Apparel

Fixed an issue where chest skin particles would look low quality when wearing the Malibu Shirt on a male agent.

Fixed an issue that could cause several shirts to look too tucked in when wearing the Hawaiian pants on a female agent.

Fixed an issue that caused the Dallas necklace to clip through certain high-end vests.

Fixed several clipping issues for the Gunner uniform.

Fixed multiple missing textures between the Seattle Sneakers and multiple pants on a male agent.

Fixed an issue that caused an agent’s weapon to show when using the “Aerobic” emote.

Fixed props missing from the Band Dance and Impatient emotes.

Fixed an issue that caused a small freeze at the end of the “Excited” emote animation. Now you can get really excited again.

Fixed the Bermuda gear dye to be applied incorrectly to some “Tay” Protective Pads.

Fixed an issue causing the agent’s face to twitch when performing and previewing the Facepalm and Mime emotes.

Fixed an issue causing the agent to freeze for a few seconds after performing the “Sassy” emote.

Fixed an issue that could cause the flare to be offset on a female agent’s left hand during the Signal Flares Emote.

Fixed an issue that caused the agent model to snap into position when using the Golf Swing emote.

Fixed several clipping issues with Apparel.

Audio

Fixed an issue that could cause an abrupt transition between spinning and winding down the barrels of the Gunner’s Minigun.

Fixed an issue that caused Manny’s and ISAC’s VO to be too low when Mena language was selected.

Fixed several props in the world not having audio.

Fixed an issue that could cause a collected Recording to not automatically play when picked-up after fast-travelling or logging in to the game.

Fixed an issue that could cause the sound of mounted guns to stutter and break when fired for prolonged periods.

Dark Zone & PvP

Fixed an issue that could cause players to not be able to join a matchmaking server under certain circumstances.

Fixed an issue where Turrets could drop through the environment when being quick deployed in some Dark Zone areas.

Fixed an issue causing enemy NPCs to become stuck in certain areas of DZ West.

Fixed several props during the Intro Mission for DZ South.

Fixed an issue where player speed would briefly slowdown in Conflict when walking over a supply drop area.

Fixed occasions where a downed player name could appear multiple times inside a Checkpoint in the Dark Zone.

Fixed an issue that could cause a player to become immune to damage in certain areas of the Stadium map in Conflict.

Fixed several display errors that could occur when using multiple monitors in Conflict.

Fixed an issue that could cause enemy NPCs to be stuck in DZ West.

Fixed several audio issues in Dark Zones.

Fixed several props providing cover in Dark Zones.

Fixed several cover issues in Conflict.

Fixed several cover issues in Dark Zones.

General

Fixed an issue where players were unable to speak to Manny after finishing Tidal Basin in a group.

Fixed an issue that caused some PC players to be unable to see items linked in chat when clicking / hovering on them.

Fixed an issue that caused chat to appear in an incorrect color after linking an item.

Fixed an issue that could allow players to pickup a Hunter’s mask in another player’s session without defeating the Hunter encounter.

Fixed an issue that caused character animations to be incorrect when aiming down sight against a wall.

Fixed an issue that could cause aiming down sight not working when aiming backwards in low cover.

Fixed an issue that could cause camera movement to be misaligned when spectating an agent and switching team member buttons too fast in spectator mode.

Fixed an issue where characters would float after performing a combat roll from the top of stairs. No more parkour!

Fixed an issue where trying to reload while an interaction prompt is available would cause the reload to fail.

Fixed a missing animation after reaching level 1 in the Shepherd system.

Fixed an issue that could award an incorrect amount of XP when using the Shepherd system.

Fixed an issue that could cause reloading to behave in an unintended way when the reload key was mapped to mouse wheel.

Fixed an issue that could cause low textures on enemy NPCs when using the 12.0x scope.

Fixed an issue that could cause the Gunner’s signature weapon to clip through an agent’s body when using an emote in Photo Mode.

Fixed multiple gear and agent clipping issues.

Fixed a number of collision issues throughout the game.

The post The Division 2 Update 6 full patch notes revealed; Targeted Loot, Inventory Management 2.0 & more appeared first on DSOGaming.

The Division 2 Update 6 full patch notes revealed; Targeted Loot, Inventory Management 2.0 & more published first on https://touchgen.tumblr.com/

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smaouh · 4 years

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Kelvingrove Art Gallery and Museum, Glasgow | Scotland

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gcinformationorillia-blog · 5 years

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Volunteer Opportunities: Emergency Response

Are you in emergency response or looking to gain new skills? Look no further! Check out these awesome opportunities related to Emergency & Response, happening right now in our community!

Volunteer Assistant for Search and Rescue

(Georgian Bay Volunteer, Search & Rescue) Do you have an interest in emergency response? This opportunity would be great for you! Georgian Bay Volunteer, Search and Rescue is currently looking for a dependable and trustworthy individual that has an interest in assisting officers search for missing persons. They are looking for individuals with strong communication and interpersonal skills, excellent ability to work in a team, and is skilled in First Aid and Medical Assistance. The individual must be at least 18 years of age, and have their own form of transportation. Georgian Bay is looking for volunteers that are able to make a minimum of a 1 year commitment with at least 7 hours per month. Training is required for this position, starting in September. Training is on-going and there will be one night class on theory training and on class on Saturdays on practical training, once per month. Volunteers are required to purchase a team uniform and jacket (approx. $250) and provide their own search gear (boots, compass, backpack). A police check is required to volunteer with this organization. If you would like more information or would like to volunteer for this opportunity please contact: Shawn McNeice Team President, Georgian Bay Volunteer Search and Rescue Office Phone: (705) 722-1950 Email: [email protected] Address: Georgian Bay Volunteer Search and Rescue 65 Cedar Pointe Dr, Suite 165 Barrie, ON L4N 9R3 For More Info: http://www.gbvsar.com/

Volunteer Firefighters

(Severn Township, Orillia, Fire and Emergency Services) Severn Township is looking for individuals that will be assigned to work under the supervision of company officers to conduct public fire safety education programs, inspect buildings for fire hazards, fight fires, perform rescue work, administer first aid/CPR, and operate and maintain firefighting apparatus, fire equipment and fire stations-after a successful completion of recruit level training. Individuals must be at least 18 years of age and able to commit to volunteering or at least one year with a minimum of 10 hours a month. Shifts are available Monday through to Sunday in the morning, afternoon and evening. The individual hoping to volunteer with this organization should have at least their Grade 12 diploma or equivalent. The individual must be able to intense physical effort, be able to fully communicate in English, be willing to participate in all examinations, tests including written and oral, as well as physical agility tests before they are assigned to active duty. A DZ License is required within 6 months of being hired. Training is provided and on-going. If you are interested in volunteering with this organization please contact: Tim Cranney Director of Fire and Emergency Services, Severn Township Fire and Emergency Services Phone: 705-325-9131 ext. 247 Fax: 705-327-5818 Email: [email protected] Address: 1024 Hurlwood Lane Severn, ON L3V 0Y6 For More Info: http://www.townshipofsevern.com/

Personal Disaster Assistance (PDA) Responder

(Canadian Red-Cross - Simcoe Muskoka Branch, Disaster Management) The Personal Assistance Response Team is activated to respond to disasters up to 72 hours following them. The individual in this position is responsible for providing a needs assessment to determine the needs of clients. Within the appropriate guidelines with local authorities, the individual will provide Emergency Social Services (ESS) for relief, referral services and direct assistance for recovery, in addition to working with the PDA supervisor to organize preparedness activities. The individual in this position must be comfortable with working in unstable conditions, such as environmentally, physically or socially with the possibility of working in uncomfortable conditions such as noise, odours, smoke, humidity and vulnerable clients. You must be 18 years of age or older to volunteer and be able to make a long-term commitment of at least 2 years. A car and a police check are required for this position. If you are interested in volunteering please contact: Volunteer Resources Services (VRS), Canadian Red Cross Phone: 1-844-818-2155 Fax: 705-719-1281 Email: [email protected] Address: 65 Cedar Pointe Dr, Unit 809B Barrie, ON L4N 5R7 For More Info: https://trr.tbe.taleo.net/trr01/ats/careers/requisition.jsp?org=CRCS&cws=56&rid=2197

Emergency Response Team (ERT) Responder

(Canadian Red Cross - Simcoe Muskoka Branch, Disaster Management) If you have interests in disaster planning and assistance, distress, crisis or bereavement support, then this is an opportunity for you. The Emergency Response Team is used when responses exceed Personal Disaster Assistant (PDA) capacity. The individual that is assigned this position will be responsible for delivery a specific task but must be trained to deliver all services at the ERT level. The individual interested in this role must be 19 years of age or more and be willing to make a long-term commitment of at least 2 years. Orientation and training is provided and a car is required for this position. If you are interested in volunteering for this position please contact:

Volunteer Resource Services, Canadian Red Cross

Phone: 1-844-818-2155

Fax: 705-719-1281

Email: [email protected] Address: 65 Cedar Pointe Dr, Unit 809B Barrie, ON L4N 5R7 For More Info: https://trr.tbe.taleo.net/trr01/ats/careers/requisition.jsp?org=CRCS&cws=56&rid=2198

#volunteering #emergency #response #emergencyandresponse orillia simcoemuskoka helping healing learning newskills

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ftwrthtx · 5 years

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Tom Clancy’s The Division 2 has been released upon the World and we have spent 30+ hours roaming the streets of Washington DC. The question is, should you venture there yourself or should you leave the death and destruction to the politicians.

Read on to find out

Three years ago Ubisoft and Massive Entertainment introduced the world to a brand new franchise. The Division took off in a hurry and shown the world what a ravaged New York City could look like. The game was met with praise and decent review scores, and created a fan base that were still active up to the release of The Division 2 (and probably still are). Fast forward 7 months after the Green Poison Outbreak, and The Division 2 begins its story arch.

D.C. in Distress

The game opens up as you are defending a settlement outside of New York somewhere and receive a distress call from Washington D.C. You are then transported to the area and must fight your way to the White House, which has been setup as the base of operations for the Joint Task Force (JTF). Once inside, you meet Manny Ortega, the Division controller for D.C, and he informs you of how the city is now laid out and who controls which areas.

Different factions control different areas, with each area having a difficulty level that will limit your ability to control them until your agent level matches or exceeds the area level. The factions are called the Hyenas, the True Sons, and the Outcasts and can be formidable foes, especially if they are much higher in level than your agent. We ran across an enemy that was a 28 while we were only a lowly 10 and the guy killed us with one shot. Each region has control points that’ll need to be taken over, and you’ll have a flare gun to call in some AI to assist you.

Upgradeable Settlements to Build Upon

Scattered across the city are three settlements that are in need of your assistance. As an agen, you’ll have to speak with different folks to unlock side missions that will give each settlement certain upgrades such as a better roof, a better water supply, maybe a games area for the kiddos, or even a shooting range for these folks to learn to defend themselves or sharpen their shooting skills. Every able bodied adult is a member of the local militia, so they all need to know how to safely handle firearms. This is something we could all benefit from, even without this Dollar Flu scenario.

As you upgrade each settlement, you’ll also start on and complete projects for them. Whether its feeding the needs outside the settlement or taking over control points and supplying them with needed resources, these projects will unlock blueprints for you to craft better weapons and add-ons for your weapons. A UMP .45 is a very effective weapon, but add an extended mag and a nice red dot site, and it can be even more effective.

The Virus Continues its Destruction

The story is told through cut scenes and collectibles, and if you follow along, you’ll find an intriguing back story that is well written and well acted. Tape recorders are littered throughout the game and can give tidbits of information that reveal the bigger picture. There are also digital echoes that will reveal key scenes from the past and how they played out. There are a few political points we ran across, but all in all they were what we would expect to happen if this grand scenario actually played out. If a virus is ravaging a country to your North or South, it would make complete sense to try to stop said virus at the border, if possible.

The voice acting for the game is pretty well done. You can sense the urgency, the fear, the despair, and/or whatever emotion the actor is trying to project whenever they speak. As someone who is hard of hearing and a pretty good lip reader, the speech animations match up nicely in English as well. This really adds to the overall production quality of the game and it’s impressive. Overall, the acting and the storyline do a great job of telling a decent story. Factor in the living, breathing, always something around environment, and you end up with a pretty damn good game.

Is it an RPG or a Third Person Shooter?

The game is both an RPG and a third person shooter set in a living, breathing, very active and ravaged Washington D.C. As you progress through the story and take out bigger and badder enemies, they’ll drop weapons and armor for you to gather up. These drops will scale with your agent level and will allow you to raise your armor level as you go. Early on these drops might not be as important as when you reach the max level of 30, but keep in mind that armor sets can increase different attributes of your agent, so just because a vest or a backpack might give you a slight armor boost, breaking up a set might make you weaker in the bigger picture.

As you complete some of the main missions, you’ll unlock skill points which in turn are used to unlock one of eight specialized skill platforms. These are all upgradeable devices that will become invaluable to you as you play through the game. Our two favorites are the drone and the turret, but they didn’t become truly effective until we found some mods to apply to them. Better batteries for the drone allowed it to stay around longer and cool down faster, and a better targeting mod increased the accuracy of the turret. The turret comes in several variances like a machine gun turret, a flame turret, or a sniper turret, but that machine gun turret works best for us.

Not an Easy Game for Solo Play

The Division 2 works best as a team centric game, but it is possible to play through it solo. The game requires an always-on internet connection and you’ll see other online players in your world quite often, but once you start a mission, you’ll be on your own unless you already have team mates. If you do find yourself in a dire predicament, it is possible to put out a call for back-up and hope someone will come in and save your ass, but those calls are only answered if someone online takes the time to actually answer them, and there’s no guarantee they will. If they do, prepare to see more enemies than you had before as the game will actually adjust that according to the number of players in a team. While that might make the mission a little harder, at least your team mate can revive you if you go down so you won’t have to restart at the checkpoint, unless you both go down.

This isn’t a run-and-gun, spray and pray like Rambo style game. That method will result in your death. Make no mistake on that point. If you run into an area, during a mission, unprepared and hoping to just kill everyone in one quick sweep, you will fail miserably and you will die. If you just stand out in the open, with no protection other than the armor you are wearing, you will die. Doesn’t matter if you have level 30 gear with some awesome weapons, if the enemies are somewhat close to you in level, and you try to act like Rambo, you will die. The game uses a cover based system that works very well, and blind fire is your friend. Playing solo with a drone and turret does make the game a little easier, but still, use cover and your brains or you will die.

The AI Bad Guys Are Not Stupid

One of the things that surprised us the most was how intelligent the artificial intelligence is in the game. While the lower level enemies might have a lower IQ and are easily led to slaughter by using a doorway as a choke point, the higher level you go, the smarter they become. You’ll need to pay close attention to the layout of each battlefield and make damn sure you can cover your six by either utilizing a wall or planting the turret accordingly. The AI won’t stay stationary either, as they will constantly try to flank you or maneuver behind you.

The enemies use of grades and gas can be a pain in the ass as well. The can hit you with standard frag grenades, electric grenades, fire grenades, or our least favorite is the confusion gas grenade. That damn thing will make you think up is down, right is left, over is across, or run is jump. Your controller becomes useless because it doesn’t do what you want it to do. The first time we were hit by it, we thought we broke our controller somehow, then we read the tip on the screen and realized the developers were just being buttheads. Honestly, it is a very creative weapon and very effective, even against the AI. We have noticed that regardless of who throws it, everyone within is the gas is affected, and the same goes for fire, meaning that the AI can actually hurt their own team mates.

Map of D.C.

It really feels like the developer spared no expense when researching and creating the overall maps of Washington D.C. Using GPS to map the area on a 1:1 scale, they did an incredible job of recreating it in-game, albeit aged and decayed accordingly. From the White Hose to the Lincoln Memorial, this has to be the best recreation of a locale to date in a video game. The game is complete with wildlife like wild dogs, rats, deer, and vultures.

The buildings and locations themselves are also recreated internally, with most being repurposed by whichever faction took that area over. The space museum made me want to try on an astronauts space suit, or at least find some armor that looked similar. There’s one place in a museum where the Vietnam War was being historically displayed, complete with sound effects of a Huey. That made for an interesting battle once the bad guys showed up.

The DZ and End Game

As with the previous game in the series, the Dark Zone returns. In the Dark Zone, other online players can follow you around and wait for you to find some cool gear, then kill you and take it. It’s an area of PVP that can really be a pain in the ass while playing solo, but with a decent team, can be a lot of fun. We aren’t big fans of folks taking things from us that we worked hard for, so this mode can really get our blood boiling.

Upon reaching level 30, Division Agents will be able to activate one of several specializations. Each one unlocks a unique signature weapon and additional skills that offer new ways to play. These are the Survivalist, the Demolitionist, and and the Sharpshooter.

Glitch Free and Gorgeous

After spending over 30 hours in the game (we aren’t finished and shall continue on), we have yet to come across any glitches or even have any crashes. After participating in both the closed and the open beta, with only a few issues there, the beta seems to have helped the developer squash any bugs folks came across. We have heard about issues with turrets not deploying properly, and skills not acting properly, but we haven’t personally ran across these issues. We have also been told of the sound occasionally dropping but haven’t experienced that ourselves.

The graphics for the game on our PS4 pro are some of the best we have seen. The game has run smoothly with little to no frame drops, even when we were heavily outnumbered and stuff was blowing up everywhere. We were sent a code for the digital version of the game and that 90GB download was a bit much, but after experiencing the graphics, we know understand why it was so large.

Ubisoft and Massive Entertainment set a pretty high bar with the first game in the franchise, but they went above and beyond the call with The Division 2. An exceptional story, memorable characters, great voice acting, with an RPG weapon and armor system that will keep us busy for some time to come.

Very impressive!

Tom Clancy’s The Division 2 provided by the publisher. For more information on scoring, please read What our review scores really mean.

Tom Clancy's The Division 2 Review - Better Bring Some Back-Up Tom Clancy's The Division 2 has been released upon the World and we have spent 30+ hours roaming the streets of Washington DC.

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