The Division is by no means a perfect game. Best played with a group of friends, I've had the privilege of working my way to the level 30 cap and through the core game's story mode with some close comrades, and so I've found it to be a lot of fun. I understand however that if someone were to play The Division individually, or even with a group of randomly selected players through the matchmaking options, it may not shine as brightly.
That rings true once again with the new Underground DLC. Though new mechanics are introduced, there is a lot that feels the same here. Kill a certain amount of enemies, turn on a generator, defend the generator, find supplies, find collectibles etc. Because of that I enjoy the Underground mode as, once again I am playing with friends and people I know, but it may not be worth the price tag for everyone.
The biggest change made in Underground is that if your team is wiped out during a mission, that's it. You have to start a new one all over again. There are absolutely no respawns, unless you are brought back from the brink by a fellow team member. Some may complain that this doesn't give enough opportunity, but I feel it's a great way to ensure your entire team is putting their best foot forward. It adds another level to gameplay and forces you to hone in on your best skills and abilities to gain success.
I was excited when the DLC introduced the "environmental hazards" element, where you'd have to figure out a way around an electrifying broken wire or fiery vent, but disappointed when I realised that this was simply a momentary distraction from the mission. Getting around them takes little to no thought meaning there's huge wasted opportunities. You can even just walk through them, take the small hit to your health and then wait until you're fully healed before moving on. A few Tomb Raider or Uncharted-esque puzzles wouldn't have gone amiss.
What does work though is the intel you use to unlock certain mechanics for your gameplay. The Fog of War mechanic for example will remove your minimap and enemy indicators, which means you're going into battles blind and instead may have to use headphones and enemy sound to discover just which direction you're being attacked from. Be prepared for some tense battles.
In The Underground you're forced to level up all over again, but this time it's known as your rank. The higher your rank, the harder missions can be selected. Missions in general are perfectly streamlined, just the right length and cut out a lot of the mindless wandering that some may have found irritating in the main game.
Phoenix credits are used for Underground gear which is a little disheartening when you've got hundreds of thousands of regular credits sitting in your inventory. It's understandable that developers want to force you back into the main game however. Daily and weekly missions won't complete themselves and a good job has been made of keeping everything fresh for play.
The Underground DLC is available for The Division players now on Xbox One, Windows PC and PlayStation 4.