Post by TRUE EB0LA on Apr 4, 2016 11:36:56 GMT -5
ALL CREDIT FOR THIS GUIDE GOES TO JokerUnique
The Dark Zone is one very large walled off area in midtown Manhattan that goes to the middle of Manhattan. The story behind the Dark Zone is, that it was basically the main quarantine zone where the military contained the sick and the scientist searched for a cure. When chaos broke out, the specialist and the military had to evacuate the zone and left all their best equipment in this high contaminated area. Now it is up to the agents of The Division to grab that equipment.
Dark Zone Map Layout
Dark Zone Sections:
The Dark Zone is structured in different sections and – like in the PvE open-world - you can clearly see, what levels the enemies have and where you can go with your specific character level. There is also a hidden matchmaker in place, that will group you up with players that have similar levels to prevent griefing of low-level players. As of now, there are 24 players in one Dark Zone Instance.
[/ul]
Layout
As you can see in this example, each Dark Zone segment has a clear structure.
How can we enter/leave the Dark Zone?
You can enter the Dark Zone by either climbing over the wall surrounding the zone or enter it through one of the security checkpoints. When you climb over the wall it is a one-way ticket, you can’t go out this way. The security checkpoints on the other hand allow you to leave the zone through an airlock, but you can’t take out any contaminated loot this way. When you carry any contaminated loot into the Checkpoints, it will be destroyed.
Dark Zone Vendor
Each checkpoint has a Dark Zone Vendor. The DZ vendor sells high quality weapons, gear and mods, that can only be bought with Dark Zone Currency. The weapons from the DZ Vendor are tied to Character Level and Dark Zone Rank and you can only buy it, when you have an equal or higher rank/level as stated on the item. Items bought from the vendor belong to you and you don´t have to extract them. When you lose Dark Zone Rank, you can still use the weapon.
Dark Zone Currency / Funds
The Dark Zone has also its own currency called Dark Zone Currency or Dark Zone Funds. This currency can only be gathered in the DZ. It will drop from killed NPCs, killed Rogue Agents (Bounty) or can also be collected from the chests.
Where can we go?
In the Dark Zone you can climb on rooftops, there is street-level combat, we can enter buildings or go underground. But be careful, there are not only only DZ Chests hidden in the different corners of the Dark Zone, but there are also areas where dangerous enemies lurk and only wait on careless agents to enter their territory. So take your time when you are exploring, so that you don´t get overrun by a group of elite-enemies.
Safe Room
Inside the Dark Zone you can find Safe Rooms. These Safe Rooms are personal to your group and can´t be entered by players outside your group. These Safe Rooms have multiple exits that allows you to leave the place through another exit than you came in. You recognize these Safe Rooms easy, because there is a big marker on the wall. In these DZ Safe Houses you can resupply and buy items from a special Dark Zone Vendor. Of course the weapons you buy from the vendor don´t have to be extracted. They belong to you.
Landmarks
As you explore the Dark Zone you will find so called Landmarks. These Landmarks can be special streets, stores, or just random buildings like an abandoned Gas Station. These Landmarks are spots where you find strong elite opponents and also named enemies that guarantee good loot-drops for one and usually guard one of the Dark Zone Chests.
Tactics
Since the Dark Zone is a PVP enabled area, there is an unknown factor in the mix, because you could be attacked by other players at any time. So it is recommended to enter the Dark Zone in a group, so that you can profit from the group-synergies and protect each other. But you can also enter the Dark Zone solo.
When you go solo, you have to be extra careful, keep an eye on the rogue-agents and other agents that are running around. Since there is no point attacking a player that has no Dark Zone Pouch (the yellow bag) you are usually not an interesting target without one or when Rogue Agents are around. But that does not mean that you won´t be attacked. Also if you are fired upon, check if it was intentional, because in could also be your mistake and you just walked into the line of fire of another agent. This way you can avoid going rogue by returning fire and becoming a big target yourself.
Recognize the skills the other players are using
Every skill you have equipped will be visually represented on your backpack. So when you meet other players in the Dark Zone, check out their backpacks to be prepared for their attacks.
Dark Zone Rank
The player progression in The Division is split up in Player Level and Dark Zone Rank. While the Player Level defines your progression as a character, your Health Pool and what weapon and items you can equip, the Dark Zone Rank is more a rank-system that has no impact on the performance of your character. But it is very important in other aspect of the progression.
Every task you complete and every enemy / Rogue Agent you kill inside the Dark Zone will give you Dark Zone Experience that gets added to Dark Zone Rank. The DZ Rank is the deciding factor what equipment you can buy from the Dark Zone Vendors and is also the deciding factor, what loot-crates you can open. The Dark Zone Rank is also unique in one specific thing, you can level-up your DZ Rank, but when you die or get killed as a Rogue Agent, you can also lose the Dark Zone Rank.
Treasure Chests
As you explore the world, the buildings and the corners of the Dark Zone or the subways, you will find smaller and bigger treasure chests that will reward you with weapons and other valuable goods. There are 3 kind of Treasure Chests in the Dark Zone. Smaller chests can be opened when you find them, other chests can only be opened, when you have a specific Dark Zone Rank and the biggest ones can only be opened with Dark Zone Keys. The big chests are located all over the map and are usually guarded by a group of enemy NPCs that need to be killed first.
Pro-Tip: Even if you don´t have a key to open the chests, when one of your group has a key and every player is close to the chest when he opens it, you can also loot the chest.
You can find the Dark Zone Chests on these locations:
Dark Zone Keys
The Dark Zone Keys are needed to open the big loot chests. The Dark Zone Keys can be found in the Dark Zone and obtained in two ways. They either drop from the high-level NPCs in the Dark Zone or you can loot them from another player that you have killed. When you are killed, you can also lose some Dark Zone Keys – or a lot depending on your Rogue Level.
Loot System
The loot-system in the Dark Zone works a bit different than in the general PvE area. While the loot of every NPC you kill in the Dark Zone is your personal loot, the loot from killed players is public. So the loot of a killed player is first come first serve. As you pick up the loot, you have the option to be greedy and take it all, or you can inspect it first and only take what you really need.
When you are killed, in the Dark Zone, your contaminated loot can drop as public loot or as private drop.
The loot in the Dark Zone is contaminated and has to be carried in the so called Dark Zone Pouch (a clearly visible yellow bag). The DZ Pouch has a limited number of slots (6 when you start the game) but that can be upgraded. The moment a player gets in the bleed out process or is killed, he loses the contaminated loot.
Dark Zone Pouch
The Dark Zone Pouch is a yellow bag, that appears as soon as you pick up any contaminated loot in the Dark Zone. When you enter the Dark Zone, this is the only equipment you can lose when you are killed. When you start the game, you have 6 slots in your Dark Zone Pouch, so you can extract 6 items per extraction. This number can be upgraded when you expand your Base of Operation. When you have all the upgrades, you will have 9 slots in your Dark Zone pouch. Only equitable gear will be stored in the DZ Pouch, consumables and ammo is directly usable. Bear in mind, there is no point attacking/killing a player, that has no DZ Pouch, because you won´t get any loot and are only marked as rogue agent.
How does the extraction process work?
The only way to permanently keep the loot from the Dark Zone is to go through the extraction process. Each section of the Dark Zone has multiple areas, where you can call an extraction. Every player of the group can call the extraction but only one group can call an extraction in such an area. If an extraction is called, a clear visible flair is fired and the players / NPCs in the area are alerted to the extraction. You will have a clear countdown how long it takes until the helicopter arrives.
When the chopper has arrived, every member of the group can bind the contaminated loot to the rope that is dropped. After that you can pick up these extracted items in the Stash at the Base of Operations. This extraction process is only for loot, the player will stay in the Dark Zone and can continue his search for loot. If a group of players is generous, also other players/groups can hang their loot to the cable and fill up the remaining loot slots (there are 4 slots). The moment the loot is on the rope, it is save and can´t be stolen again.
The Dark Zone is a so called PvP enabled area – so it is possible to engage other players that are not in your group. Per default every player is neutral and since you can only lose the contaminated loot you found in the Dark Zone, there is also no point attacking a player that does not wear the yellow Dark Zone Pouch.
When a player attacks another neutral player, the attacker and his group will become Rogue Agents. A Rogue Agent is marked with a big skull, is clearly visible to other players and has a bounty on his head. There are 5 rogue levels and at level 5 there, is a five-minute countdown until you lose the rogue status again. Each time you kill or attack another agent, the countdown will reset and to the last rogue level you had or increase. When you have reached Rogue Level 5 you go into Manhunt mode. During Manhunt you have a 5-minute countdown, you are clearly visible for other players, have a big bounty on your head and are therefore a very nice target to hunt and kill. From this point on you have to survive the 5-minute countdown to collect the bounty and the DZ XP yourself. Every time you attack another player during Manhunt, the countdown timer will stop and resume when you are out of combat again.
Depending on your rogue-level you will be marked only for other players in your area or as a clearly visible marker on the map when you hit rogue level 5. This way you really have to think about the risk/reward/punishment before you attack another player. When you are killed as Rogue Agent, you not only lose the loot that you just stole, you will also lose Dark Zone Keys and – depending on your Rogue-Level – a lot of Dark Zone XP. When you get killed as Rogue Agent your respawn timer is also longer.
The Rogue Protocol has also a level of tolerance. You will not be marked as rogue the moment you hit another player. When you accidentally hit a player that is not in your group (for example when he walks into your line of fire), you will only be marked with a warning icon. This marks you as an agent that has shot another player but has not done enough damage to go Rogue. As soon as you do more damage, you will be marked as rogue, your Health Bar turns red and the full Rogue Protocol described above is in effect.
When you attack a Rogue Agent, this has no repercussions for you. You can kill him, get his loot and the bounty that was set on his head and earn the DZ XP and DZ Credits.
Death and respawn-mechanic
If a player is downed, he goes in a bleed out-state. While he is bleeding out, he can crawl to safety to be picked up by his team-mates. As soon as a player is downed, he loses the contaminated loot that has not been extracted. When he is killed he loses some Dark Zone Experience and respawns at the nearest checkpoint where player can enter the Dark Zone. When he is revived he can pick up his loot where he died, but only if it has not been stolen already.
Learn the Dark Zone's Rules of Engagement
SOURCE
The Dark Zone is one very large walled off area in midtown Manhattan that goes to the middle of Manhattan. The story behind the Dark Zone is, that it was basically the main quarantine zone where the military contained the sick and the scientist searched for a cure. When chaos broke out, the specialist and the military had to evacuate the zone and left all their best equipment in this high contaminated area. Now it is up to the agents of The Division to grab that equipment.
Dark Zone Map Layout
Dark Zone Sections:
The Dark Zone is structured in different sections and – like in the PvE open-world - you can clearly see, what levels the enemies have and where you can go with your specific character level. There is also a hidden matchmaker in place, that will group you up with players that have similar levels to prevent griefing of low-level players. As of now, there are 24 players in one Dark Zone Instance.
- DZ06 29-30
- DZ05 27-29
- DZ04 22-24
- DZ03 16-18
- DZ02 13-15
- DZ01 10-12
[/ul]
Layout
As you can see in this example, each Dark Zone segment has a clear structure.
- Entrances on the Walls
- You can climb over the wall that surrounds the Dark Zone, but you won´t be able to leave this way.
- Checkpoints
- These checkpoints can be found in regular intervals at the wall that surrounds the Dark Zone. This is the only way to leave the Dark Zone, because fast travel is deactivated.
- Safe Room
- This is your personal Safe Room to escape from Rogues. Only you and your group an enter that Safe Room.
- Extraction Zones
- The only areas to call the helicopter to get your loot out.
- Landmarks
- Special Areas with difficult enemies.
How can we enter/leave the Dark Zone?
You can enter the Dark Zone by either climbing over the wall surrounding the zone or enter it through one of the security checkpoints. When you climb over the wall it is a one-way ticket, you can’t go out this way. The security checkpoints on the other hand allow you to leave the zone through an airlock, but you can’t take out any contaminated loot this way. When you carry any contaminated loot into the Checkpoints, it will be destroyed.
Dark Zone Vendor
Each checkpoint has a Dark Zone Vendor. The DZ vendor sells high quality weapons, gear and mods, that can only be bought with Dark Zone Currency. The weapons from the DZ Vendor are tied to Character Level and Dark Zone Rank and you can only buy it, when you have an equal or higher rank/level as stated on the item. Items bought from the vendor belong to you and you don´t have to extract them. When you lose Dark Zone Rank, you can still use the weapon.
Dark Zone Currency / Funds
The Dark Zone has also its own currency called Dark Zone Currency or Dark Zone Funds. This currency can only be gathered in the DZ. It will drop from killed NPCs, killed Rogue Agents (Bounty) or can also be collected from the chests.
Where can we go?
In the Dark Zone you can climb on rooftops, there is street-level combat, we can enter buildings or go underground. But be careful, there are not only only DZ Chests hidden in the different corners of the Dark Zone, but there are also areas where dangerous enemies lurk and only wait on careless agents to enter their territory. So take your time when you are exploring, so that you don´t get overrun by a group of elite-enemies.
Safe Room
Inside the Dark Zone you can find Safe Rooms. These Safe Rooms are personal to your group and can´t be entered by players outside your group. These Safe Rooms have multiple exits that allows you to leave the place through another exit than you came in. You recognize these Safe Rooms easy, because there is a big marker on the wall. In these DZ Safe Houses you can resupply and buy items from a special Dark Zone Vendor. Of course the weapons you buy from the vendor don´t have to be extracted. They belong to you.
Landmarks
As you explore the Dark Zone you will find so called Landmarks. These Landmarks can be special streets, stores, or just random buildings like an abandoned Gas Station. These Landmarks are spots where you find strong elite opponents and also named enemies that guarantee good loot-drops for one and usually guard one of the Dark Zone Chests.
Tactics
Since the Dark Zone is a PVP enabled area, there is an unknown factor in the mix, because you could be attacked by other players at any time. So it is recommended to enter the Dark Zone in a group, so that you can profit from the group-synergies and protect each other. But you can also enter the Dark Zone solo.
When you go solo, you have to be extra careful, keep an eye on the rogue-agents and other agents that are running around. Since there is no point attacking a player that has no Dark Zone Pouch (the yellow bag) you are usually not an interesting target without one or when Rogue Agents are around. But that does not mean that you won´t be attacked. Also if you are fired upon, check if it was intentional, because in could also be your mistake and you just walked into the line of fire of another agent. This way you can avoid going rogue by returning fire and becoming a big target yourself.
Recognize the skills the other players are using
Every skill you have equipped will be visually represented on your backpack. So when you meet other players in the Dark Zone, check out their backpacks to be prepared for their attacks.
Dark Zone Rank
The player progression in The Division is split up in Player Level and Dark Zone Rank. While the Player Level defines your progression as a character, your Health Pool and what weapon and items you can equip, the Dark Zone Rank is more a rank-system that has no impact on the performance of your character. But it is very important in other aspect of the progression.
Every task you complete and every enemy / Rogue Agent you kill inside the Dark Zone will give you Dark Zone Experience that gets added to Dark Zone Rank. The DZ Rank is the deciding factor what equipment you can buy from the Dark Zone Vendors and is also the deciding factor, what loot-crates you can open. The Dark Zone Rank is also unique in one specific thing, you can level-up your DZ Rank, but when you die or get killed as a Rogue Agent, you can also lose the Dark Zone Rank.
Treasure Chests
As you explore the world, the buildings and the corners of the Dark Zone or the subways, you will find smaller and bigger treasure chests that will reward you with weapons and other valuable goods. There are 3 kind of Treasure Chests in the Dark Zone. Smaller chests can be opened when you find them, other chests can only be opened, when you have a specific Dark Zone Rank and the biggest ones can only be opened with Dark Zone Keys. The big chests are located all over the map and are usually guarded by a group of enemy NPCs that need to be killed first.
Pro-Tip: Even if you don´t have a key to open the chests, when one of your group has a key and every player is close to the chest when he opens it, you can also loot the chest.
You can find the Dark Zone Chests on these locations:
Dark Zone Keys
The Dark Zone Keys are needed to open the big loot chests. The Dark Zone Keys can be found in the Dark Zone and obtained in two ways. They either drop from the high-level NPCs in the Dark Zone or you can loot them from another player that you have killed. When you are killed, you can also lose some Dark Zone Keys – or a lot depending on your Rogue Level.
Loot System
The loot-system in the Dark Zone works a bit different than in the general PvE area. While the loot of every NPC you kill in the Dark Zone is your personal loot, the loot from killed players is public. So the loot of a killed player is first come first serve. As you pick up the loot, you have the option to be greedy and take it all, or you can inspect it first and only take what you really need.
When you are killed, in the Dark Zone, your contaminated loot can drop as public loot or as private drop.
- Public drop:
If you are a rogue agent some or all of your loot is dropped as public, so that anyone can take it. The higher Rogue Level you are, the more public loot you drop. - Private drop:
Private drops are only for you, so you can go back and get it. The part of private-loot is decided by your rogue rank. When you are Rogue-Level 5 you lose everything, when you are a neutral player, you only drop 3 as public, the rest can be recovered at the place of your death.
The loot in the Dark Zone is contaminated and has to be carried in the so called Dark Zone Pouch (a clearly visible yellow bag). The DZ Pouch has a limited number of slots (6 when you start the game) but that can be upgraded. The moment a player gets in the bleed out process or is killed, he loses the contaminated loot.
Dark Zone Pouch
The Dark Zone Pouch is a yellow bag, that appears as soon as you pick up any contaminated loot in the Dark Zone. When you enter the Dark Zone, this is the only equipment you can lose when you are killed. When you start the game, you have 6 slots in your Dark Zone Pouch, so you can extract 6 items per extraction. This number can be upgraded when you expand your Base of Operation. When you have all the upgrades, you will have 9 slots in your Dark Zone pouch. Only equitable gear will be stored in the DZ Pouch, consumables and ammo is directly usable. Bear in mind, there is no point attacking/killing a player, that has no DZ Pouch, because you won´t get any loot and are only marked as rogue agent.
How does the extraction process work?
The only way to permanently keep the loot from the Dark Zone is to go through the extraction process. Each section of the Dark Zone has multiple areas, where you can call an extraction. Every player of the group can call the extraction but only one group can call an extraction in such an area. If an extraction is called, a clear visible flair is fired and the players / NPCs in the area are alerted to the extraction. You will have a clear countdown how long it takes until the helicopter arrives.
When the chopper has arrived, every member of the group can bind the contaminated loot to the rope that is dropped. After that you can pick up these extracted items in the Stash at the Base of Operations. This extraction process is only for loot, the player will stay in the Dark Zone and can continue his search for loot. If a group of players is generous, also other players/groups can hang their loot to the cable and fill up the remaining loot slots (there are 4 slots). The moment the loot is on the rope, it is save and can´t be stolen again.
- Pro Tip: When the countdown is finished, it takes about 5 seconds until you can really attach the items to the cable. So wait in cover.
- Pro Tip: When the rope is active, coordinate with your squad-members. It takes a few seconds to attach the loot to the rope and during that time, you are a very easy target. When you are attacked during the attachment-process, it will reset.
The Dark Zone is a so called PvP enabled area – so it is possible to engage other players that are not in your group. Per default every player is neutral and since you can only lose the contaminated loot you found in the Dark Zone, there is also no point attacking a player that does not wear the yellow Dark Zone Pouch.
When a player attacks another neutral player, the attacker and his group will become Rogue Agents. A Rogue Agent is marked with a big skull, is clearly visible to other players and has a bounty on his head. There are 5 rogue levels and at level 5 there, is a five-minute countdown until you lose the rogue status again. Each time you kill or attack another agent, the countdown will reset and to the last rogue level you had or increase. When you have reached Rogue Level 5 you go into Manhunt mode. During Manhunt you have a 5-minute countdown, you are clearly visible for other players, have a big bounty on your head and are therefore a very nice target to hunt and kill. From this point on you have to survive the 5-minute countdown to collect the bounty and the DZ XP yourself. Every time you attack another player during Manhunt, the countdown timer will stop and resume when you are out of combat again.
Depending on your rogue-level you will be marked only for other players in your area or as a clearly visible marker on the map when you hit rogue level 5. This way you really have to think about the risk/reward/punishment before you attack another player. When you are killed as Rogue Agent, you not only lose the loot that you just stole, you will also lose Dark Zone Keys and – depending on your Rogue-Level – a lot of Dark Zone XP. When you get killed as Rogue Agent your respawn timer is also longer.
The Rogue Protocol has also a level of tolerance. You will not be marked as rogue the moment you hit another player. When you accidentally hit a player that is not in your group (for example when he walks into your line of fire), you will only be marked with a warning icon. This marks you as an agent that has shot another player but has not done enough damage to go Rogue. As soon as you do more damage, you will be marked as rogue, your Health Bar turns red and the full Rogue Protocol described above is in effect.
When you attack a Rogue Agent, this has no repercussions for you. You can kill him, get his loot and the bounty that was set on his head and earn the DZ XP and DZ Credits.
Death and respawn-mechanic
If a player is downed, he goes in a bleed out-state. While he is bleeding out, he can crawl to safety to be picked up by his team-mates. As soon as a player is downed, he loses the contaminated loot that has not been extracted. When he is killed he loses some Dark Zone Experience and respawns at the nearest checkpoint where player can enter the Dark Zone. When he is revived he can pick up his loot where he died, but only if it has not been stolen already.
Learn the Dark Zone's Rules of Engagement
SOURCE