The final boss of the ‘Warlords of New York’ expansion is an exercise in pure frustration — especially if you’re a solo player. The encounter pulls out all the stops, and if you’re looking to survive, you might want to use some of the hard-fought tips I’ve put together.
Aaron Keener is the rogue agent adversary you (sort of) chased in the first Division. Now he’s wrangled up four warlords to take over New York, and he’s got a plan to launch a missile full of chemical weapons at the city. Why? He’s just a really bad guy. He’s also a super-genius, and his hacking skills make this one of the most annoying fights in the series. Gird your loins, because we’re going to take down Aaron Keener.
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The final battle against Aaron Keener has two phases — the first phase where you need to disable the missile launch, and the second phase against Aaron Keener himself. You’ll get a checkpoint between these two phases.
Phase #1: The easier phase of this fight pits you against an endless stream of drones and skills. The skills are launched from boxes around the map, and you can see what is about to be launched (and where) by looking for the red circles and outlines.
Start from the left, and make your way in a semi-circle around the base of the statue. There are three generators you need to charge to reveal three weakpoints — the first is on the left, the second in the far center, and the last on the right. A panel will lift up to reveal each weak point.
I recommend equipped an Assault Drone and dropping at the first generator. It will automatically destroy enemy skills while you clear the weakpoints — destroy the hacked skills as soon as possible, then destroy the weakpoint right as it appears. Then rush to the next generator.
If you’re quick, you’ll charge all three generators and reveal the final weak point — the last weak point is hard to see, so you’ll need to return to (about) the first generator and aim for the box. The lighting makes it tricky to spot, so aim just under the open metal flap.
The most challenging part of this section is the end. Use a Shield or a Healing Drone to stay alive while you maneuver through the gauntlet of turrets and skills. Once you know where to shoot, the final objective is simple.
Phase 2: Aaron Keener himself is a lot tougher. You have a moment before the fight begins — use it to restock on ammo and swap your skills. I recommend using the Healing Chem Launcher and the Jammer. Aaron Keener will automatically hack your drones — so any auto-skills like Drones or Turrets will turn against you. Healing Drones will heal Keener instead.
After swapping skills / grabbing ammo, rush to the statue platform and use this raised area to fight Keener. I recommend equipping a Shotgun or Auto Shotgun and a long-range weapon like an Assault Rifle or LMG. Use the Shotgun to blast Keener when he attempts to charge up to the raised platform. Do enough damage and he’ll run back down.
During this fight, Keener will deploy an overwhelming amount of skills. Stay up high — don’t even take cover on the ledges, just inch closer so you can shoot down at Keener. His most annoying weapons are the Artillery Turrets and Foam Chem Launcher. Destroy the Artillery if you can, and stay away from the edges — he’s a perfect shot with the Chem Launcher.
- NOTE: If you’re hit with the Chem Launcher, hold down the escape button instead of mashing it to escape faster. Actually activating the escape timer is buggy, so you might need to re-press.
Keener will constantly heal himself when he takes too much damage — this fight might look like a race, but it’s actually an endurance test. You just need to stay alive and do damage long enough to Keener until you exhaust all his armor repair kits. Stay up high and keep blasting him, dodging his skills, and wearing him down — any shotgun will shred him when he attempts to climb up onto your high platform.
If you need ammo, or if you get overwhelmed, you can retreat into the small room in the base of the statue. There’s an armor / restock box you can use if you didn’t open them at the start of the fight. It’s also a great hiding spot to use an Armor Repair Kit of your own.
Once you do enough damage, Keener will permanently disable your skills. This is where the fight gets really annoying. Stay up high on the platform, and save up grenades / special weapon ammo. Eventually, you’ll force Keener to use four armor kits — that’s when he’s vulnerable.
When Keener (seems) to finally be taking damage and can’t heal, and doesn’t become immune when he retreats, then it’s time to use grenades and special ammo. Throw grenades to hurt him or get him out of cover, blast him, then swap to your special weapon to finish him off. Destroying the drones and other skills he sends at you will drop armor / grenades / special ammo when you’re low, so hide in the interior room and pick them off to refill.
Alternatively, you can always call for back-up. This fight is really hard solo, so if you’re struggling desperately, it’s time to get some help from a friendly face. I managed to beat it solo, but I totally understand getting fed up and just wanting to end it. One extra player can revive you when you’re downed, making this fight way easier.
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