After Black Tusk's pressure eased around D.C., the Hyenas didn't waste time. They've been developing a new Potent Spice formula — one that makes their fighters more resistant to pain and harder to bring down — using a chemical compound pulled from the Dark Zone. Your job is to go in, disrupt their operation, and get the Sample Cannisters out before they turn into something worse. Here's what's coming with Into the Dark. ## The Dark Zone Gets Three Modes Now The most significant change this season is how the Dark Zone is structured. All three zones rotate between three variants, each aimed at a different kind of player. **Classic Dark Zone** is the familiar experience. Rogue Protocol is active, your SHD Watch and Expertise bonuses carry over, and contaminated loot still needs to be extracted the old way. **Toxic Dark Zone** is the season-specific mode. No Rogue Protocol, no Agent damage — just up to 12 players sharing the space in a more cooperative environment. There's a Toxicity meter that builds the longer you stay inside, and the way to manage it is by activating Surged Modifiers. Sample Cannisters spawn here as contaminated loot, but you'll need a Stabilization Agent to call the extraction helicopter, which drops from Landmark Chests and Bosses. Hunters are worth hunting in this mode — they guarantee an Exotic Component and carry a 2% chance to drop Eagle Bearer or Ravenous. **Balanced Dark Zone** is the more competitive option. Rogue Protocol stays active, but SHD Watch and Expertise are turned off, so long-term progression doesn't give anyone an edge. To sweeten the deal, deconstructing contaminated loot inside this variant gives you double DZ Currency. ### Exotic Component Drop Rates <table> <thead> <tr> <th>Location</th> <th>Chance</th> </tr> </thead> <tbody> <tr> <td>PvP Dark Zone Landmark Chests</td> <td>40%</td> </tr> <tr> <td>Toxic Dark Zone Landmark Chests</td> <td>25%</td> </tr> <tr> <td>Challenging Landmark Bosses</td> <td>33%</td> </tr> <tr> <td>Heroic Landmark Bosses</td> <td>48%</td> </tr> </tbody> </table> ### Vendor Changes The three vendor locations have been reworked with different cache types depending on where you go: - **DZ East** — Recalibration Cache (40 DZC) and Optimization Caches (60 DZC) - **DZ West** — Exotic Component Cache (120 DZC / 4 items) and Reconstructed Cache (180 DZC) - **DZ South** — Prototype Core Cache (125 DZC) and Prototype Cache (260 DZC, better odds for perfect stats) ## Modifiers: How the Sample Cannister System Works The Global Modifier this season is called Cleaning Up the Streets, and Sample Cannisters are basically the season's main resource. You can use them in two ways: hand them in at the seasonal vendor to push the Sample Size bar forward and unlock stronger High-Quality Munitions bonuses, or hold onto them and let them get consumed automatically when you trigger an Active Modifier — which turns it into a more powerful Surged version. Inside the Toxic Dark Zone, triggering a Surged Modifier also chips away at your Toxicity meter, so there's some overlap in how you manage resources. The three Active Modifiers this season are **Invincible** (healing and armor repair), **Pneuma** (weapon swap speed and stacking bonuses per weapon type), and **Vicarious** (skill damage and ally support). Each can be upgraded to improve cooldowns, duration, or Surge cost. There are also nine Passive Modifiers split across Gadgets, Resistances, and Offensive categories, plus three Hostile Countermeasures that can interact with the Toxic DZ environment in ways that make enemies progressively more dangerous the longer you stay in. Folie à Deux, Plague Doctor, and Soporific each have their own mechanics — worth reading through before you go in blind. ## New Gear ### Weapons **Caduceus** is the new Exotic AR. Critical hits repair you and nearby allies for 3% of damage dealt, and all four mod slots come with built-in crit bonuses. It's on the free Season Pass track, so most players will get it. **Underboss** is an Exotic SMG tied to the Climax Mission. The Gangland Hit talent marks enemies — up to four marks can stack, each adding 5% Amplified Damage on top of your own. Your first Master-difficulty clear guarantees it; lower difficulties can drop it too, just with worse odds. ### Exotic Gear **Nurse's Kneepads** give you and allies within 10 meters +40% Hazard Protection through the Impervious talent. Straightforward, and probably more useful this season than usual given the Toxic DZ. ### Ortiz: Reficere Gear Set The four-piece bonus is the interesting part: Healing Skills lose most of their range and duration, but Healing Efficiency jumps by 150%. It's a trade-off that pushes you toward a different playstyle rather than just stacking numbers. The chest talent increases that efficiency bonus to 225%, while the backpack talent softens the range and duration penalty from 90% down to 25% — so you can build around whichever compromise fits your team. ### Edelweiss GPz Brand Set Three pieces stack Repair Skills, Skill Haste, and Skill Efficiency. The named chest "Benefactor" boosts an ally's weapon and skill damage after you repair them. The named backpack "Momma Badger" increases total skill repair by 160% while you're at full armor. ### Named Weapons Insult to Injury and Brain Break both share the Perfect Head Scratcher talent — 35% amplified damage to confused enemies, with Confuse applied after three kills. The base version of the talent requires four kills and gives 30% instead. ## PvP and General Updates Into the Dark starts the first phase of a longer PvP balance pass. This round focuses on Weapon and Gear Talents specifically. The goal, as stated by the team, is to reduce the gap between what's overused and what gets ignored. Skills, Attributes, and Status Effects are planned for future updates. A few other changes worth knowing: - Entrance turrets now deal direct health damage to prevent door camping - There's a short invulnerability window when entering the Dark Zone, which ends if you move or shoot - Landmark Chests refresh faster and DZ Keys drop more often from Bosses and Named enemies - Prototype augment reroll costs now cap at 6 Prototype Cores from the third reroll onward - Escalation now grants +1 Exotic Component per tier starting at Tier 5 - Hyena Kill Squads can ambush you during Retaliation — something to keep in mind if you've been ignoring that system ## Classified Assignments Two assignments this season, both focused more on exploration and story than combat density. **Conspiracy Zone Hideout** launches June 16. An unidentified piece of Division tech keeps pinging the SHD network from inside an entertainment complex. **McMillan Reservoir Assault** comes July 21 — a fellow Agent got injured while investigating a network anomaly at the reservoir and needs backup. Both include collectibles like echoes and audio logs, and reward backpack trophies and named items. Available from the Assignments tab on the map once you're Level 30. ## Season Pass <table> <thead> <tr> <th>Tier</th> <th>Price</th> <th>Key Rewards</th> </tr> </thead> <tbody> <tr> <td>Standard Season Pass</td> <td>~$9.99 (1,000 PC)</td> <td>Free + premium track</td> </tr> <tr> <td>Premium+</td> <td>~$29.99</td> <td>Extra cosmetics and rewards</td> </tr> <tr> <td>One-Time Offer</td> <td>~$19.99</td> <td>2,600 Premium Credits + CBRN Mask</td> </tr> </tbody> </table> The free track includes Caduceus, Nurse's Kneepads, two named weapons, two named gear pieces, and a brand set among other things. The premium track adds a second copy of Caduceus, Hyena Kill Squad outfits, 400 Premium Credits back, weapon skins, and gear dyes. ## What's Still Coming Later in the season, there's a new Incursion at Steel Creek Dam and Hydroelectric Plant. The Rikers have taken control under worsening conditions — breach their defenses and take down the leadership inside. No release date yet, but more details are on the way. --- *Source: [The Division 2 official news](https://www.ubisoft.com/en-us/game/the-division/the-division-2/news-updates/1fQYLA3DJkvvgyes9HWBck/the-division-2-into-the-dark)*