How Does Watch Dogs: Legion Online Differ From The Main Game?

Watch Dogs: Legion Online promised to change the way players engage with games, while also keeping the elements that make fans love the franchise. Upon its initial release, critics gave mixed reviews to the Ubisoft title, but it's possible that Watch Dogs: Legion Online could turn things around by and draw new players. Unfortunately, one of those things enticing players won't be a continuation of the base game's narrative.

Fans who have waited patiently for the online portion of Watch Dogs: Legion will receive the add-on for free, but Ubisoft strongly encourages players to purchase a season pass for about $40. However, there's a lot players can expect for their money, and it's worth exploring the ways in which Watch Dogs: Legion Online diverges from the base game. 

Some things have changed, but others have remained the same. One way Watch Dogs: Legion Online has changed is by making recruitment simpler.. Players will still need to recruit others to help with their hacking, but in the new online portion of Watch Dogs: Legion players will be able to use influence points in order to recruit people more quickly. Players can earn influence by completing weekly challenges or solo missions on the world map.

For a more casual online play experience, players can dive into co-op mode, where they can roam London together in search of missions or a simple game of darts — whichever suits their fancy. Players can access the online mode separately from the base game, as a standalone option from the main menu.

Lathieeshe Thillainathan, the live producer for Watch Dogs: Legion Online, commented on the social aspects of roaming the city with a friend. "We wanted you and your co-op partners to be able to recruit the same person, so that when you leave the session, you have kind of a memory with each other," he stated in an official Ubisoft blog post.

Thillainathan also stated that players could team up in co-op mode to perform missions, many of which only require two participants. These missions may feel pretty similar to some of the side missions in the base game, but they also function as a lower stakes way to hone skills and build a team. Participating in co-op missions is a must before setting out on your Tactical Ops journey.

Tactical Ops missions will take coordination and skill to pull off, though. Each mission can only be completed if the entire team lives. If any one team member is eliminated from the game, the team must start the entire mission over again.

Additionally, Tactical Ops missions require teams to complete objectives on opposite sides of the map, requiring the groups to split the party and perform hacks in different areas. Since the team in the demo video needed to perform hacks simultaneously, communication was mandatory.

Watch Dogs: Legion has in-game voice chat built right in, which players will need to utilize in order to complete coordinated missions. Without speaking to one another, teams would be unable to coordinate their hacks, move stealthily, and craft their plans. 

Polygon reported that players begin with five missions in Tactical Ops mode, and that they begin at a high difficulty level. In fact, Polygon's reviewer couldn't get past the first chapter. This is potentially good news for fans who enjoy a challenge.

No online game would be complete without a PvP mode, and the Spiderbot Arena serves as a chance for players to go head to head in Watch Dogs: Legion Online. The Spiderbot Arena puts players in control of an armed spiderbot with one mission: take out every other spiderbot on the floor. This mode isn't just a test of skill, though. The Spiderbot Arena will also try players' luck with randomized loot boxes containing weapons and power ups.

Spiderbot combatants can also win rewards by successfully completing kill streaks, (i.e., taking out a certain number of opponents in a row). Kill streaks can result in a power up that reveals enemy locations, shields, or other unrevealed advantages. Each round in the Spiderbot Arena lasts 6 minutes, and acts as another way for players to earn season progression rewards.

Players will get a full look at Watch Dogs: Legion Online when it drops on March 9. Until then, they may want to brush up on their hacking skills and assemble a team to work with.