Tom Clancy’s The Division 2 – Echoes of Central Park is the third DLC to be released since The Division 2’s 2019 release. Boasting seven narrative missions that work to unravel a mystery around the iconic Central Park, introducing the player to a host of new characters, new mechanics, and an additional end-game experience, Echoes of Central Park is shaping up to be an impressive addition to the long-running looter-shooter.
With the campaign in my rearview mirror and the new end-game experience ahead of me still to be fully explored, I wanted to take a moment to provide a review of the Echoes of Central Park DLC. Having had a small taste of Echoes of Central Park during a recent preview event, it was a delight to be able to play through the campaign properly. Before jumping in, a couple of quick notes for our readers. First, this will be a spoiler-free review, which includes not unpacking key story beats, new skill variants, weapons, or armour sets.
Additionally, while I’ve had the opportunity to get through the campaign during an early access build provided to reviewers, the new end-game experience will not be a part of this review, as at the time of writing I haven’t been able to group up with others to really give it a proper shake-down. So, with that being said, grab that coffee and let’s get into it.
Echoes of Central Park sees players head back, once again, to the heart of New York City. This time, as the DLC title would suggest, in and around Central Park. Specifically, players will spend most of the campaign navigating their way through the Upper West Side of Manhattan. The new map is divided into three main sections: Central Park (primarily used for the end-game experience), Lincoln Square, and the Dakota District.
“Without giving anything away, I will say that I absolutely appreciated the attention to detail in the world-building of Echoes of Central Park. “
Along with these three new areas, players will run operations out of a new mission hub called the Tower, which takes on the role of the one-stop shop for The Division 2 players. Much like Haven and The Bridge Settlement before it, The Tower provides all of the necessary elements for players to develop their character and loadout.
The Echoes of Central Park map is a welcome addition to The Division 2 universe. While each zone has its own distinct landmarks and feel, the map as a whole has a much wilder and more dangerous overall town than seen in the previous DLC. Vegetation has taken over much of the zone, creating a much more daunting and mysterious backdrop for the story to unfold. As a fan of The Division’s original New York City setting, I’ve been quite content to continue exploring areas of New York City on this latest outing.
Without giving anything away, I will say that I absolutely appreciated the attention to detail in the world-building of Echoes of Central Park. As someone who frequently goes back and forth to NYC, seeing so many iconic landmarks presently fairly accurately is so very appreciated. Obviously, there is some artistic freedom at work in the overall world design; the key pieces that make up parts of the Upper West Side are present and accounted for, and it’s that attention to detail that is appreciated.
As for the narrative, I have, for the most part, thoroughly enjoyed not only the story but its delivery as well. The team over at Massive Entertainment took a bit of a risk with both the narrative and its delivery, stepping out from the tried and tested methods of previous content. Leaning into the theme of fear, the team pushes the boundaries on the kind of stories that can be told within the world of The Division.
For the most part, it works, and works well to create a much more suspenseful and mysterious experience for the player. While there are a few moments where the narrative didn’t quite land as impactfully as it intended, I was still, nonetheless, happy with the overall experience. As I noted in my preview write-up, the feelings when first stepping into the Echoes of Central Park DLC were similar to the first time watching the pilot episode of Stranger Things so long ago.
The spoiler-free version of the story is that you receive a distress call from within Central Park, an area that has been all but completely cut off from the rest of the city since about five months after the initial Dollar flu epidemic. From here, everything goes sideways, and all that has grounded the player in the world up to this point begins to lose its footing, leaving you with far more questions than answers.
Echoes of Central Park reintroduces the companion system, which we first experienced at the end of 2025 during the Mutiny Seasonal update. In this latest iteration, players will be introduced to three new NPCs who will play a role in the Echoes story. While players are free to choose and level each one in any order they like, the first story playthrough will see you team up with each for one world mission to help expand their personal backstory.
“If you’re a fan of The Division 2, at $19.99 for the standard edition, Echoes of Central Park is easy to recommend.”
Mechanically, the companion system feels functional but a bit limited. Players will work to unlock four traits for each companion (three of which can be active at a time) and two abilities; there is no gear or advanced talent tree to customize. That being said, each companion plays a specific archetype: tank, healer, DPS, and their kit can work well to complement your build.
While it would have been nice to load out my companion with an LMG for some serious stopping power, I actually think it makes more sense, in the context of The Division 2 and its robust crafting and optimization systems, to have this more streamlined and impactful companion system.
Combat and exploration are on point with this latest DLC as well. Though I haven’t had the opportunity to bring my level 40 Bullet King build into Echoes of Central Park just yet, as we were given temporary accounts for the early access, players will be excited to know that there are many new nooks and crannies to explore on this map, along with some great new collectibles and lore pieces spread all over the area.
The Echoes of Central Park DLC is a great addition to The Division 2. It offers players a brand new part of New York City to explore, new mechanics and gear to master, and the most unique story told to date that I have a gut feeling will, at some point, tie back to previous narratives. If you’re a fan of The Division 2, at $19.99 for the standard edition, Echoes of Central Park is easy to recommend. For those who have been waiting to give the franchise a try, with cross-play coming soon, there is no better time to dive into The Division 2.
