The Division 2 dev reveals Descent mode was almost a "Survival experience"

The Division 2 is looking to surprise fans with its next year of content, with a new roguelite mode, Descent, coming to the loot shooter that originally launched in 2019.

As part of the game's fifth year of seasonal content, the free new mode is intended for new and experience players looking to compete for high scores - but won't offer traditional loot.

Confused? We've got a lengthy interview with Yannick Banchereau, the game's Creative Director that goes into more detail.

As part of that interview, Banchereau revealed that the mode was originally quite different from what it became.

The Division 2 Descent mode was almost a "survival experience"

"We didn’t develop Descent with the intention of making a roguelite mode," Banchereau reveals.

"We initially thought about creating a Survival experience where you start with no gear and you have to grind for your gear within the mode, but as we worked and integrated on the mode, it slowly evolved to the roguelite style."

"The fact that they [Roguelites] are popular now didn’t really make it easier for us to decide on making the mode, because at the time nobody really challenged us to make the mode anyway."

That initial pitch sounds a lot like the original Survival mode that was added to the first game in the series, which was positively received.

As for upcoming survival action, it sounds like players will want to check out The Division Heartland for that. The game is an upcoming PvPvE title that'll be rolling out in a series of access periods in the coming months.

Looking for more Division 2 content? Check out our interview where Banchereau discusses the challenges of developing for multiple console generations or our rundown of The Division Resurgence pre-registration.