This review is based on 100% completion and 111.4 hours of gameplay.

Would I recommend this game? Absolutely.

I've been a fan since its Xbox release and recently picked it up on Steam. While the player base is smaller than it once was, it’s still an amazing experience. Some modes, like full lobbies in Survival, Strike (PvP), and other group activities, can be difficult—if not impossible—to find games for, but a small, loyal community keeps the game alive.

What really draws me in is the well-crafted story and atmosphere—it’s a masterclass in world-building. This is one of the few games with a realistic, gritty narrative that doesn’t feel far-fetched and seems like something that could actually happen. That extra layer of believability makes it even more immersive. While the graphics may feel a little dated compared to its sequel or newer titles, the art direction and style more than make up for it. In fact, I personally think this game has a stronger narrative and visual identity than The Division 2. Those two aspects alone make it worth playing.

The gameplay and gunplay still hold up today. While The Division 2 refines many mechanics, combat remains fun and satisfying. The key is optimising your build—without good gear, enemies can feel like bullet sponges. But once you’ve got a solid setup, the combat becomes much more rewarding.

PvP isn’t really my thing, so I only played enough for the achievements. In the Dark Zone, you’ll either find no one (due to the small player base) or run into fully optimised players who’ll melt you. That said, it’s still fun—even when getting destroyed by a Russian guy on proximity chat saying, "Please brotha, heal brotha. Good job brotha." Like the rest of the game, it’s best with others, but the low player count makes it far less active than it used to be.

One of the biggest downsides is the near non-existent matchmaking. I struggled to find players for any mission or mode. While a small, dedicated player base remains, I rarely saw others in the Dark Zone or Survival and only a handful in the main hubs. If you want a team, your best bet is to organise one outside the game or hope to run into someone to invite.

Now onto the DLC, which I personally wasn’t a fan of.

• Underground is a massive grind with little reward. Missions consist of 1–3 randomly generated phases, each taking at least 15 minutes. Levelling is painfully slow, and the limited tile sets make the gameplay feel repetitive fast. After a few runs, you’ve seen it all, making the mode a complete time sink with minimal payoff.
  
  
• Survival is slightly better—not a mode I enjoy, but I’ll give them credit for trying something fresh. I only played PvE for achievements, but PvP works like the Dark Zone with survival extraction mechanics added. The difficulty can be brutal, and playing with one other person is highly recommended. Full squads might struggle due to limited resource sharing. Interesting concept, but not for me.
  
  
• Last Stand (PvP) was also a complete miss. The mode is completely dead, so I couldn’t find a single game. Worse still, the DLC adds unskippable dialogue every time you visit the Terminal, and the only way to remove it is by playing a PvP mode that you can’t find a match for. Not worth it.

Despite its age and a small but dedicated player base, The Division is still 100% worth picking up—at least for the base game. I strongly recommend getting it on sale, as it frequently gets discounted. Unless you’re going for 100% completion, the DLC isn’t worth it.

Recently, Steam achievements were added to the game. If you’ve played before and already met the requirements, they will unlock retroactively.

At the time of this review, Last Stand DLC achievements haven’t been added, which is a good thing since the mode is dead.

DLC is required for 100% completion, with multiple co-op, multiplayer, and PvP achievements.

The good news is that all achievements are unmissable and can be completed at any time, so you can play at your own pace and clean up anything later. Since Steam doesn’t have a dedicated achievement guide yet, I highly recommend using TrueAchievements. That said, a guide isn’t essential, as most unlock naturally. If you complete everything as you go, by the time you reach endgame, you should only have a few things left to mop up before tackling the DLC.

Collectibles are extremely easy to get. There’s a perk in the Base of Operations (BoO) that reveals all collectibles on the map for a completed area. I recommend leaving collectibles until the end and just picking up any you happen to find naturally along the way.

The main ones to watch out for are the PvP achievements in the Dark Zone. If possible, boost these with another player, as you’ll likely run into people with fully optimised builds. You’ll also need to extract at all 8 different extraction zones in DZ01 – DZ06, and having another player helps a lot. We only ran into one other player while doing this, but if you’re struggling, try:

• Playing during off-peak hours
  
  
• Lowering your gear score (if max level) to get placed in a lower bracket
  
  
• Starting a fresh character
  
  
• Completing these achievements during the levelling process

Unfortunately, there’s no guaranteed way to avoid getting wrecked by other players—you’ll just need some luck and/or skill.

Underground is a massive grind, especially if you play solo. You’ll need to reach max level (40) and run at least 80 phases to get all collectibles. If possible, find a high-level host, as they can apply more modifiers to speed up XP farming. For collectibles, you’ll only ever find one per phase—usually at the start or halfway through—so don’t waste time searching in combat areas. You’ll also need to finish a game with 3 other players while the host is level 30 and has all modifiers enabled.

Survival is brutal. You can queue for up to 6 minutes, and as long as one person is in the queue, the match will start. I highly recommend playing in PvE, even though PvP gives more XP—you’ll already get more than enough XP in PvE, so only play PvP if you enjoy it or want the challenge.

The Hoarder achievement requires 17 successful extractions with all 6 loot slots filled. This is the real grind—each run takes 40+ minutes, and if you die, that’s 40 minutes wasted. Playing with another person is highly recommended, as a teammate massively improves your survival chances. Unlike Underground, where XP accumulates over multiple runs, the Survival XP achievement is based on a single run’s rating. This means you can unlock it in one go if you score high enough by surviving longer, extracting with better loot, and securing high-value items etc.

A big tip for Survival mode is to use a sniper as your primary weapon and anything else as your secondary—the G36 assault rifle is a solid choice. When extracting, use the big area in the middle of the Dark Zone (DZ03), then head into the back corner building and use that as your spot to take down Hunters. This makes dealing with them much easier.

The biggest tip I can give for PvP-related achievements or gameplay:

Trust NO ONE.

Many players will try to mess you up or grief you, so only trust yourself or a premade team—just focus on what you need to do.

Overall, while many achievements are easy, the co-op and PvP ones can be a pain, and Survival and Underground require a serious grind. If you’re going for 100%, be prepared to put in the time—but if you boost with others, it’s more than manageable.

it would be more fun if i can join in some group in dark zones or missions online if there anyone at all in the game that isn't private mode but still fun, just more fun to play with people

Ubisoft kills yet another good game with their garbage launcher