I generally stay out of discussions like this because they tend to turn into flame wars with people tossing around gross generalizations, demonizing those with opposing views, and generally just being a toxic place.
I don't recall who said it originally, and I'm paraphrasing a bit, but it seems that all we do is listen so that we can reply, instead of listening to understand.
That being said, my thoughts on a PvE DZ are as follows:
Up until recently, I was opposed to the idea of a PvE dark zone because it gets rid of the "on edge" feeling if there's no chance of danger from other players. I stopped going into the DZ after patch 1.2 I believe it was (when they introduced the whole rope-cutting mechanic). It had become clear to me that I just don't enjoy the type of PvP on offer in The Division, at all.
I primarily went into the DZ to farm...I liked the higher difficulty of NPCs, the higher enemy density, the (somewhat) random encounters, I loved the environment itself...all the landmarks and burned-out areas...all were really beautifully put together by the design team and were fun to roam around in. But, as I said, I hated the forced PvP aspect of it, and the type of encounters that it promoted. So, I left the DZ, and haven't set foot in it since I think some time in June or July.
If I had the option of a DZ where I could focus on enemy NPC engagements, and I knew that if I saw another player, they could only potentially help me, I'd definitely be interested.
Add in Hunters to stalk us and try to disrupt our extractions, or even drop in on us randomly throughout the DZ from time to time. They could even have enemy NPCs extracting stuff and we could try to stop them, if we so choose. That's the sort of experience I'd enjoy, and the sort of thing that would get me playing a lot more than I currently do.
Leave the current DZ as it is for those who enjoy it in its current form. But offering more options to people, to cater to how they like to play, is never a bad idea in my book.
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