World persistence will be on a per-player basis, and priority will be for the group leader. This means that if your friend is the group leader but has not completed Quest A, which you have completed, when you're grouped with your friend you can play through that quest again.
Game is once again emphasized to be "one-shard/one-realm": when you log in to the game, you can play with everyone. The reporter's lead in question was whether or not the server population would be capped at a certain number, developers in this interview denied this.
Matchmaking is expanded upon, tries to match you with people who have similar aims (the Diablo 3 matchmaking system comes to mind where you can designate your game for Monster Slaying, Keywarden Farming, or Brawling).
Groups are four players plus a possible drone (tablet).
Auction House confirmed for social hubs
The word of the day seems to be "seamlessly"
When you're exploring the world outside of social hubs, you will not see other players unless you invite them via matchmaking or friends list. This seems to be avoiding competition for quest locations, not having a crapton of people wandering the streets, etc. The only areas that are completely persistent are the dark zones, where PvP is allowed.
PvP and PvE content available in Dark Zones, many players there (reiterated)
Endgame: important to the developers to have player retention. You can play alone, but developers want to have reasons to play together. Similarly, they want the game to be without a firm "end" so as to enable endgame play.
Character customization confirmed--"any shape or form you want to with face, clothing, those things"
Skillsets will be fluid. A little editorializing from me here: their reasoning for not having solid classes is sound. In the traditional MMO, as they describe, "you make one of the most important decisions in the game at the very start", which is choosing your class. Then you can "go twenty hours into the game and realize that wasn't what you wanted to do". In The Division, leveling up will reward skill points that can be invested and changed on the fly. This means you can be a tanky character while solo, then switch to healer when your friend logs on.
Confirmed that weapons will have differing qualities, reload time being the one named.
The map: different areas with different statuses, missions not given but rather seen through dispatch on the map
The tunnel seen in the video is more group content. Existence of dynamic content (content that is not always available and depends on situation) is confirmed again.
Insinuated that there is a "threat/aggro" (my words, not theirs) factor, as Bronson is described as "keeping the attention of all the baddies", and indeed he is the one sent in to grab the initial aggro and is wielding a close-quarters weapon.
As with past Clancy IPs, a big factor in The Division will be pushing technology to the limit. "The agents have access to prototype technology"
Apparently the car door closing is among the most tweeted things about the game, hahah
Drone: "again described as "companion gaming". As long as you have an internet connection on your tablet or smartphone, you can play as the drone. The drone can buff, heal, mark targets, and shoot. (You can actually see a picture of this in action on their website here[1] )
Voice Chat: confirmed to be VOIP, that's all so far
Do you see this game having a long lifespan? Is this the first of sequels? "We have a dynamic event system, which means when you go out and play an area it's never the same experience". Example given: you can walk around and happen upon police being attacked by vigilantes.
"We are building the game to be added to." Words used: Division 1, Division 2.
Development has already been going on for 1.5 years!
Emphasize that you will never be forced to reroll, nothing in the game that will make you feel like you "made a mistake"