The Division Heartland Is An Extraction Shooter Set In Small Post-Apocalyptic Town

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The Division Heartland has been something of a mystery since its announcement in 2021, but we've finally gotten a closer look at the upcoming standalone spinoff courtesy of a new developer video from Ubisoft.

Heartland takes place in the small town of Silver Creek, in the heart of middle America, where you'll play as a Division agent tasked with restoring order to the town and finding your old boss who’s reported to be amassing an army of “reapers.” Like the post-apocalyptic cities of the previous games, the town is overrun with contaminated areas and roaming bands of hostiles.

One of the more interesting aspects of Heartland is the day/night cycle that will occur during each play session. During the day, you'll explore and scavenge for materials, complete objectives, and shoot anyone who stands in your way. But at night, things will get even more dangerous, with rogue NPCs and newly hostile players emerging to hunt you down. You'll also have to deal with dehydration and sickness, and ensure you have enough filters to enter contaminated areas.

To prepare for the dangers of Silver Creek, you'll need to visit the shared base of operations located at the town's abandoned roller-skating rink. There, they’ll be able to craft supplies, prepare their gear, and hang out with other players before heading out to impose the rule of law on the town. The goal is to complete missions, unlock new abilities, and extract with all your loot, but dying before you extract means losing everything.

“Each successful operation allows you to complete more missions, and unlock unique abilities, new map areas, and crucial functions at your base,” Ubisoft explains. “Die before you extract... and come back empty-handed.”

The Division Heartland seems to be taking a “test-and-learn” approach to development, with Ubisoft's Red Storm studio continually conducting test phases and gathering player feedback before moving on to the next phase. If you're interested in getting involved, you can sign up to take part on The Division Heartland official site.

The Division Heartland: Developer Deep Dive