As previously mentioned in the big The Division 2 Year 1 roadmap, we’ll be getting “episodes” in the game, with the first two set to be released in 2019. Today, Ubisoft has announced The Division 2 Episode 1 release date for July 23 for all Year 1 pass holders, while everyone else will get it on July 30!

Called “Episode 1 – D.C. Outskirts: Expeditions,” players will take the fight outside the streets of Washington DC! Players can expect new locations to explore, new Expeditions and lots more.

• Two New Main Missions
  • Camp White Oak: Division Agents stage a well-planned attack into the presidential compound, as they seek to bring the now-traitor President Andrew Ellis to justice.
  • Manning National Zoo: Emeline Shaw, leader of the Outcasts, fled after her defeat in D.C. and is now held up at the Zoo regaining strength. Agents are on the hunt to eliminate Shaw, nipping the Outcasts’ reawakening in the bud.
• New experience: Expeditions
  • In this new experience, players enter Kenly College, where contact has been lost with a military convoy full of vital supplies. When they receive what appears to be a final broadcast, they form an expedition to find any surviving members in need of rescue. Expeditions will be split in three different wings for players to complete. Each wing will have a specific theme and tone, to be released on a week-by-week basis. Completing all three wings grants access to an exclusive treasure room full of rewards.
• New Weapons and Gear: Players can obtain:
  • One exotic weapon: Diamondback Rifle
  • One exotic gear: BTSU Datagloves
  • Two weapons: Stoner LMG and Carbine 7
• Classified Assignments: Agents can take on two new classified assignments in Washington’s Central Aquarium and NSA Site B13 (Exclusive only to Year 1 Pass holders).

In addition to those new stuff being added by Ubisoft, Episode 1 will also bring changes based on player feedback:

• New Discovery Difficulty setting for the “Operation Dark Hours” Raid
  • The new Discovery Difficulty, along with its corresponding matchmaking option, will allow more players to experience The Division 2 in its entirety. While Operation Dark Hours Exotic loot remains exclusive to the Normal difficulty, Agents playing the Discovery Difficulty can expect a variety of great rewards, while training for the Normal Difficulty.
• Crafting improvements
  • Players can now craft their gear up until Gear Score 500 and share blueprints across characters (available after reaching World Tier 1). Additionally, crafted weapons can now be recalibrated.
• Weapons balancing and skills buff. 
  • As part of the ongoing updates to answer community feedback, awaited balance and buffs will be added to the next title update. This update will include an overhaul of Skills, as each Skill power will be fine-tuned, adding more to agents’ build.

Once the game update is out, we’ll let people know. There’s also a State of the Game today, and we’ll summarize the latest info from it within the day.