Watch Dogs 2 FAQ

The following FAQ answers the most common Watch Dogs 2 questions from players as submitted to the various team members via Reddit, Twitter, and the official Ubisoft Forums.

What's the exploration like?
Exploration focuses more on landmarks and general areas than on specific markers like in WD1. The devs wanted more natural exploration rather than "go here, do this" style exploration from WD1.

Are there more interiors than in the first game?
More interiors than WD1, but not every building has their own interior. Mission interiors are largely still accessible even when not in a mission.

Are City Hotspots still in the game?
No, hotspots are being replaced with an as-of-yet unnamed feature.

Can you lose followers?
No. The developers didn't want you to be punished long-term for your actions in this way, so while there are consequences, the game doesn't hold a "grudge".

Is the reputation system returning?
No. NPCs respond to what you do, but there's no overarching system of reputation.

Can you attack civilians?
Yes, and they can attack back, have others help them fight, call cops to the area, and have nearby cops respond.

Does WD2 have easter eggs?
Yes.

Will WD1's free roam lobbies return?
No, because the world is "free roam" by default. Co-op teams are limited to 2 players, though.

Will there be Microtransactions?
No "pay to win elements", only "customization". Nothing that will impact gameplay, i.e. no "buy 2000 followers" type things.

Can you hit civilians with the Thunderball?
Unclear at this point. The devs said "we are able to hit citizens with the fists" when asked about hitting with the fists and the Thunderball, so the answer is as of yet unknown.

Is Focus coming back?
No, as it led to some exploits that broke the game.

Can you give money back after theft like in AC2?
No.

Can you play any mission in Co-op?
No, co-op is only certain missions.

What types of clothing are available in WD2?
A huge array - the devs cited sutia nd tie, beach bum, urban, and more.

Is PvP seamless, or does it have loading screens like WD1?
No loading screens, bi-directional streamless.

Will we be able to invade people's games still?
Yes, and you can invade their co-op games too.

Will there be vehicle customization?
Skins only.

Is this game tonally dark like WD1?
Yes, it's got quite a serious tone at times, though it's obviously "wacky" and "meme"y in certain parts.

Is there going to be a DedSec comapanion app?
No plans as of yet.

Is the driving system new?
Yes, completely remade.

Can we make custom soundtracks?
No.

How does AI work?
AI now has systemic multi faction fights. So you can have two factions fighting, cops coming to intervene and you in the middle of all this. Cops can come for you, but also for any other person in the city. Cops can also come to investigate "fuzzy" situations, trying to decide who is causing trouble.

Will the game be always online?
You can play without an internet connection. You can also customize your multiplayer settings to make sure online fits your taste.

Will we be able to buy and own cars?
You can buy cars in dealerships. You can them order them through your car on the demand app.

Who is Josh?
He's the group's "genius coder". He's socially weird, but he has a unique dynamic in the group. He's the one who builds the drones.

Why did the game's tone change so much from WD1 to WD2?
The Bay Area is just a very different place than Chicago. A big part of this was obviously player reaction to WD1 as well.

Are there radio stations?
Yes. They can be played on the phone and in cars.

Can the SFPD follow you over water?
Yes, cops have boats in WD2.

How is the performance and optimization, for PC in particular?
The team is doing everything they can to test as many configurations as possible, and really pushing for great optimization.

How integral are side characters?
Every side character is important to the main story.

How varied are missions?
Ubisoft wanted to push more variety, by not only having more varied gameplay, but also thematic the narrative as well. Instead of having one big story where everything you do follows one main goal, this time you have that one main goal, to fight against the establishment and bring down Blume. Every operation you do focuses on a very specific aspect of our relationship technology, helps not only to dig deeper into certain stories and make satisfactory endings to those stories, with very different thematic, but sometimes those also bring elements of unique gameplay, helps to have a lot more variety. This carries on into the side-missions, everything you complete has a meaning for Dedsec.

Can we set the multiplayer gameplay to friends only?
There are many different ways you can activate the various multiplayer modes, one of them being inviting a friend, so you can defiantly challenge your friends, all though doing so, will not reward you with followers, to prevent exploiting it. So you can still have fun with your friends, play co-op, invasions and bounties as you please, but they do recommend also playing with strangers though the normal matchmaking.

Can you change what your online character looks like?
At the beginning of the game, one of the first things you do is erase your profile, by doing so you'll choose how you look and feel in the online part of the game. This is how you'll be able to customize your online avatar, for other players. Choosing face, profile information and such. After that, the clothing you wear will be used for your online avatar as well. They're looking forward to seeing how players will go about trying to conceal themselves in online modes.

What is the WD2 vehicle damage system like?
They've worked to make the damage system more precise and useful to players, wanted to make sure that not only would break at different parts, but also have a more elegant journey of destruction of your vehicle. It helps to better understand just how damaged your vehicle is, as well as feeling that when you're doing stuff like ramming other cars, you can see the damage you're causing to it.

Can players hack organically into other games, or is it via a prompt?
Matchmaking is geo-localized. You will seamlessly merge into another players game, but you're not necessarily invading him, you can cross paths with him, go into co-op if you want. The biggest difference from WD1, if the game proposes an invasion, that player is already in your game. So it's not that you see a player, and then you can target him and invade him, it will proposed to you.

How do missions work on characters?
Every operation is done by the group, there's no system to create evolution between Marcus and specific characters in the group. Some missions focus more on certain characters, but they're all in it together as a group, until the end.

Does the game feature real-life activities?
They tried as much as possible to dig into what was possible to do in the Bay area. For instance, they have a VIP club that does sailing boat races. Others are more spin-offs, like operations that opens up activities, like an E-Cart races, inspired by big companies doing cart races.

Is there a limited range that the rc jumper and drone can travel?
There is a limited range, if it wasn't, they would have to stream the game 3 times, so there's a limited range from Marcus, but it's something like 250 meters, should be far more than you need to deal with other players or other kinds of gameplay.

Are trams in San Francisco hackable and driveable?
They are very important for San Francisco, so they had to build them. You cannot hack them, but you can jump on them and use them to transport you from place to place.

How many songs will be in WD2?
There's a ton of songs in WD2, it's something they wanted to vastly improve from the first game. You're going to have plenty of songs to find, there are radios in the game and you can song-sneak other songs, to add them to your library.

Will the map have any nature environments to explore?
There are some aspects of San Francisco that are more focused of forest and things like that. That said, in WD2, it's a big world, it's mostly the city and the water, the marine county is more focused on nature, so you will feel that certain areas are more nature-driven. But the game focuses more on the urban aspect of the Bay area, than nature.

What will the "Director's Cut" app do?
The Director's Cut app will let you, for instance, toggle the hud, use filters, to make cool videos/screenshots for your friends.

What made Marcus the main character choice?
What were the main insp/motivations when deciding on who were gonna be WD2's main characters? The main inspiration was San Francisco, and the Bay area. (He goes on to describe further in his answer, but it's a bit vague without going into details.) https://twitter.com/watchdogsgame/st...13329867218944

Does WD2 have punishments for being hacked?
You don't "lose" anything when playing online, but you can gain bigger rewards if you're successful through the different online mode. The leader-board will dynamically create periodic events with specific rewards, which will be more interesting the better you perform. They didn't want to push for negative feedback, being punished for playing online, they want as many people as possible trying the modes, and make players feel that they're being rewarded for playing.

Will Decryption mode be coming back?
Decryption will not returning in WD2.

Why do we know about the sailboat race minigames?
All races are singleplayer only, you'll not be able to do those activities while playing in co-op. They focused on co-op missions, collectibles and such.

How will we play the story?
Your goal is to build up a following behind Dedsec and overthrow a corrupt establishment, there are different ways of accumulating followers. Once you reach a certain threshold, story missions unlock that lets you progress though the story, but in between those you have several different ways of getting followers and progressing.

How in depth is customization and clothing options?
There's around 500 kinds of clothing, in several styles, be it urban, suit and tie, and so on.

Will it REALLY be possible to finish without any shootings?
It will be possible to go though the entire game without shooting/killing anyone.

How many years after WD1 does WD2 take place?
WD2 takes place a few years after WD1, toughly the same time as between the release of the two games. If you played the first game, you'll meet familiar factions and possibly characters as well.

In Bounty, how many hunters can you have?
If there's a Bounty Target, you can have up to 3 hunters, if one dies a new one can enter the session.

How has community feedback helped development?
It's always been important to get feedback. The devs have been reading the forum, talking to various people that played the first game, etc. to improve the next one. Examples being the driving, hacking and exploration mechanics.

==How much of the game can we replay once it is finished? Some of the feedback they got from WD1 was replayability, having more things to do after the storyline. There are way more quests/story quests to do than you need to, in order to complete the storyline. You can then play/replay co-op missions, that change every time you play them, as well as the multiplayer modes. Online is a big part of replayability, coop missions, invasions, bounty hunts. There's also a season system, you rank up by participating in multiplayer, rewards stuff like customization items. Finally, plan to support the game post-launch, they're looking into new game plus mode.

Will there be an option to "turn off" invasions?
You can turn multiplayer on/off as you please, you can turn on/off specific modes, so if you're just wanting Co-op without invasions/bounty hunts, you can do that.

Will open world random activities such as potenial crimes be returning?
Crime hunt events will not returning, since Marcus isn't the vigilante that Aiden was. There will be Dedsec events that fit the game, like Blume setting up spying hardware that you can intervene in, if you feel like it.

Will there be any upgrades to the remote control helicopters and rc cars that make them better?
The drones in the game are upgradeable with new abilities, example being giving the Drone the ability to deploy gadgets, like throwing the "zapper" at enemies from above to stun them. Another example, Wheel Drone, upgrading it's jumping ability to reach higher places.

Can you play whole story on co-op and cutscenes?
You cannot play all narrative missions in co-op, but they've made specific co-op missions that change every time you play them. On top of that, events in the game world that can be done co-op. You can also play co-op missions alone, if you think you can handle it.

Will we be able to own a dog since it's called watch dogs?
You can pet dogs, but you cannot own a dog in WD2.

How easy is making money?
Money is important, allows you to craft more powerful equipment, buy clothes, cars and such. There's a few ways, hacking people is one of them, another way is events around the map, like a restricted, guarded area, containing money.

Can we expect to see online free roam once again?
There's no Online Free Roam like in the first game, because you're now always in an online/free roam mode, encountering co-op partners in your session, though you have the option to turn it off.

Does watch dogs 2 have any easter eggs of driver:san francisco, mabye a certain muscle car?
There's an app called Driver San Francisco, it's a ride-sharing app you can use to offer rides to various people in the Bay, allowed them to build crazy characters in the game.

Will we be seeing any mini-games returning from WD, or any new ones?
The mini-games from WD1 will not be returning, they're focusing on making mini-games that fit into the world, one example being Drone Races you can discover and participate in.