The story of THE CLEANERS || Lore || The Division

Misunderstood good guys? Or just straight up evil villains running a muck on the streets of Manhattan?
Well actually.... they're a little bit of both.
The Cleaners originated as the blue-collar workers of New York City. Janitors, sanitation, garbage men, electricians, construction workers, truck drivers.......
These are the people that the government originally asked to assist in saving the city. Through transport, digging of mass graves, and eventually the construction of the wall that would surround the quarantine zone.
These are the groups that continued to support the civil services, when the city infrustructure was breaking down.
Unfortunately these are also some of the people that were left behind when the JTF and government pulled out of the Dark Zone.
And much like the First Wave Division Agents, these men were left feeling betrayed and abandoned.
It was at this point that an individual by the name of Joe Ferro steps up, and organises these abandoned workers into a force that would "do what was needed" to contain the virus, and restore order to the streets of New York City.
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NGN DISCORD LINK: / discord
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WHAT HAPPENED TO THE FIRST WAVE?
• WHAT HAPPENED TO THE F...
WHO ARE THE HUNTERS?
• WHO ARE THE HUNTERS? |...
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[@aaronexdee2024]

joe talking about people being stupid sounds real familiar right about now

[@Zeldakid121]

For real though! Lmao! I never thought I'd be partially agreeing with the man

[@ChangedCauseYT-HateFoxNames]

It's a shame people can't realize there ignorance. I mean the spreading the sickness.

[@HartlyLion]

I was nodding my head repeatedly while he was making his points. Man, I think I'll be joining the Cleaners when they finally turn up.

[@grugbug5615]

@@HartlyLion we must "cleanse"

[@xXJunnaXx]

LK HartlyLion maybe they’ll get you first before you find them lol

[@helpfulhandgrenade1472]

Are the cleaners good guys? Well yes, but actually no

[@sf76t.v.38]

They are trying to prevent the spread of the virus, but at what cost?

[@sf76t.v.38]

Thank you three cor liking my comment.

[@danyheatleyall-star3677]

M0nk3yboy 762 maybe possibly maybe

[@corpselight7989]

They have good intentions, but are morally grey leaning into the red. They're my favorite, but its messed up that they will burn people alive, as well as the flaw with burning the infected causing anyone without respirators or gas masks nearby to be infected since it CAN be infectious via inhalation or get in the blood stream if that ash or particles get in your eyes. Good intentions, bad plan.

[@atas2561]

Their ideas are good. But their methods of achieving the goal is pure evil.

[@ajb6359]

Out of all the other factions, these ones made me feel the most nervous playing against. So intimidating. You can hide from bullets, but not fire... and the way the trailers portrayed them was absolutely terrifying.

[@crobledo89]

when i fight the cleaners they enrage me they make me stronger they anger me and that anger turns to strength i hate the cleaners i want them all dead

[@Monstervolging]

*"The road to hell is paved with good intentions"* - Henry G. Bohn

[@mrkvatheepic2913]

Ohh well... They've got the idea "You kill one, you save hundreds"

[@brano13177]

Except you may end up killing people who may be immune to dollar flu and destroy the chance of synthesizing a vaccine. Great job breaking it villains...

[@lockdownhimself9328]

brano13177 there's is no need of a cure of there is no virus

[@autoscrollclips]

@@lockdownhimself9328 you do need a cure since the flu is passed through objects not just human contact.

[@yes_chocolate]

@@autoscrollclips thats why they sterilize everything with fier, extreme heat destroys genetic code and microorganism

[@mrdooce7053]

@@autoscrollclips if you burn everything the flu won’t be there

[@noahsnyder6123]

So this is the Joe everyone’s talking about

[@NGN]

By far my favorite faction in both of the games

[@yagamienjoyer4408]

To be honest. I like the cleaners more than any other factions

[@herculesgixxer]

Soviet Blyat exploding their tanks never gets old

[@steampunkerton]

Same

[@pokebreeder2517]

same, if i was a first wave agent i would have joined them, but i wish they had some docters or some disease control with them to test if people where infected or not.

[@steampunkerton]

@@pokebreeder2517 they did just not many of them

[@SpaceThieff]

Hamster Herder hahahahaah I Love doing that

[@matthiasneidenberger9471]

Honestly, the cleaners are definitely not the kind of faction I’d call the heroes, but I can at least say they’re the only enemy faction I can truly say had good intentions.

[@flamefoxtrot6982]

The road to innocents is payed with good intentions

[@thatsme4229]

Me: Oh no I got my hat dirty Joe ferra: BURN IT!!!

[@Tribal_Soldier]

😂

[@atas2561]

Burn all of it! Burn every trace of it!

[@morsecode980]

I’m surprised there haven’t been any cases of us encountering former First Wave Agents that joined the Cleaners instead of the LMB, considering how many of us sympathize with them.

[@thenightmaricsenpai524]

I'd say Vivian but your comment was before WoNY or even the Coney Island mission existed.

[@morsecode980]

@@thenightmaricsenpai524 I didn’t even play the 2nd game anyways, didn’t like it

[@impadop4558]

In my opinion, the Cleaners are the scariest faction to me Just the fact that there’s a group of people kill everything thats not in their group is pretty chilling to me

[@thenewmisterwehrmacht893]

SCBuilder They are not scary at all. They are trying to help you in their redemption drive against the GP. They cleanse the sinners of all...

[@colinfortin6034]

I mean all factions are to be honest

[@darthxader1112]

If the cleaners had doctors to cheak if people actually had the virus and if they acationaly took samples and worked with the division they would be the good guys I think

[@steampunkerton]

They did check people, the Main Character writes about "Cult" like groups purifying the streets by burning it They burned an Entire street and there was a group of people, doctors went around and checked for a fever with anybody of you did, Congrats your joining the newly purifyed if not your free xD

[@therealbusterofbeards7565]

I feel like if someone was infected and y know they had no hope, as dark as this is going to sound, if the cleaners would shoot them first and make sure they’re dead and then burn the body I feel like what they do wouldn’t be so bad. Burning is a slow death so why not just shoot them so they don’t suffer and then burn the body so you kill the virus. Seems like a win win to me

[@TheTeletrap]

That ending exerpt from Joe made me depressed for killing him. You know, if you think about it, the govt. never actually made an attempt to peacefully resolve the situation with any faction. The Cleaners and even the LMB are only doing what they're doing because they're made up of good people who think what they're doing is helping everyone. They could probably be talked down in a way or even used to help control the situation. For instance, if the Joe learned his burning was causing the development of a vaccine/cure to be hindered he may actually stop. But he never did. Instead we shot him. I know this may be a bit optimistic, but it really makes you think who the "good guys" are.

[@NGN]

This is exactly what I was hoping to achieve with some of these videos. I wanted to get people thinking, maybe looking at it from a different angle. Glad you enjoyed it :-)

[@TheTeletrap]

These videos are great, good luck gathering info on smaller factions/people.

[@desertdude8274]

@@NGN Id say the LMB should have integrated with the JTF but they werent having any of it.

[@desertdude8274]

@@NGN Cleaners should burn all the bodies in central park and the darkzone but I guess they wanted to burn the living populace instead.

[@desertdude8274]

@@NGN Rikers should have been killed off from the start in my opinion.... Desperate times can sometimes call for desperate measures.

[@construe]

Great video! The audio log shown in the last bit of the video makes me slightly sad. I think the Cleaners had good intentions, but the way they executed it was wrong.

[@GAMETIMEwithKyle]

Just like the LMB in many ways...

[@thenightmaricsenpai524]

I totally agree.

[@ItsStevieBoy]

I loved everything about the cleaners, I honestly would of joined them if it was possible.

[@pogboi4535]

honestly yes, like seriously, they basically offer free protection and a no guilt mindset

[@saladinyamamoto8336]

same here.. better safe than sorry.. besides, despite what the Corona Wuhan Virus is doing, it is hard to tell which one is safe and which ones are o.k.

[@itsfreddyboy]

Your sick sorry

[@pocketinfinity6733]

faction war event, im just saying it sounds pretty dang good on paper

[@nicktechnubyte1184]

They're the perfect heroes to combat the disease spreading anti-vaxxer anti-masker scum!

[@AidanMcQueeny]

Man, that audio log at the end hit hard. I got a soft spot for that kind of stuff.

[@NGN]

Me too dude, that's why I HAD to leave it in 😪

[@bunnysash3298]

At the end of the day... Joe is still human.

[@ricardo950535]

Deep down we're all Cleaners. Food for thought.

[@xXJunnaXx]

No?

[@martinhromocuk8631]

Everyone who dont wanna get infected is "cleaner" but not with fire more like with 100% ethanol or UV light.

[@nonono5579]

With what’s happening today with the corona virus the cleaners are a faction I can identify with.

[@thebasementbum4570]

Burning babies and killing viruses

[@muazyusof765]

So,after almost a year. We meet again at Division 2 The Cleaners.

[@darthball2723]

Joe Ferro be makin some *REALLY* good point

[@TheOrangex88]

The cleaners are by far (right next to the Hunters) the most fascinating faction in both division 1 and 2

[@jameshall6295]

(I know)

[@genuwine21]

I thoroughly enjoyed the lore of The Division, and part of that was the Cleaners, while they committed atrocities, they ultimately felt they were doing the right thing. Much like many factions in times of war. Ironically, if the Cleaners had actually won, then they would likely be remembered in history books as doing good. So in a way, you as the player ultimately doom them to the position of villains. Like you mentioned in the video, these were men and women who worked in sanitation and services, keeping the city running. One could argue that this makes them the faction of the people, even though their goals don't fully align with everyone else's. For instance, if we look at Hitler's rise to power, he only had the support of a little less than 40% of the people, yet he was able to sway and start his own regime. It would not be surprising if the player hadn't stopped the Cleaners that they could have risen up as the major faction and gained control of the city.

[@Ozzie_Mandias]

Its not about control...they believe their work is divine. The desire no recognition but are fanatically devoted to destroying the Green Poison. Like Ferro said, they could've left the city their families easily...but they stayed and armed themselves to send the Green Poison into oblivion.

[@nine552]

How awesome would it be if you could side with them?

[@sethtermulo5604]

I agree with you there. Honestly though, it saddens me a bit that the Cleaners are the first faction you weaken and that causes many players to view them as weak and insignificant. I love the fact that the Cleaners are willing to sacrifice everything just to make sure that the virus is destroyed. Yes, I know that they lower the chance of finding a vaccine but what would you prefer? An extremely deadly virus that has a vaccine? Or no virus at all? I prefer the latter

[@badger4140]

Not too sure about that one tho they would be the 2nd biggest faction, lmb is still a perfectly trained and armed pmc with turrets and part of the first wave on their side and they have a different goal of saving people of manhattan

[@Chino56751]

The Cleaners are mad

[@JamesBond-fg6bt]

Cleaners are like an army of Arthas: did what needed to be done

[@jakemustard7834]

These guys were seriously my favorite faction. If any of yall remember Joe sayin one of the realist things in the game before you fight him: "These guys have family's. They didn't have to stay, but they did do a job no else will!"

[@donnyip4013]

the cleaners are good men

[@outrider44]

Putting a round in their tanks and waiting for them to cook off never gets old

[@warboss346]

It gets really disheartening with both division games that with the factions like the cleaners or the first wave agents, who took the brunt of the fighting and hardship during the early stages of the virus to the peak of the chaos, end up having the JTF turn their backs on em THEN be hunted down and killed... Makes me question my loyalties and if the jtf is really that good

[@Leviathan_actual]

Awesome videos! I watched the Hunters video last night and now I'm hooked! Can't wait for the next video! Watching the Hunters video I have my own theories based on the audio log that Keener is actually going to be the one to find us instead of us hunting him. And I still think the Hunters are First Wave agents that had to evolve to survive.

[@slimhardaway8]

Michael Vaughan agreed

[@EsmaKadir]

Michael Vaughan I think third wave because of how much more powerful their gear is then the division’s

[@cousinnikola1130]

@@EsmaKadir U know maybe those hunters modificate it or they use a lot of body armors

[@EsmaKadir]

That makes a lot of sense as to why they can take so many damn bullets

[@joshuasouthern1486]

Great series keep this franchise alive. I love the divisions lore and realism. Something that could happen tomorrow makes it a very unique experience. RIP Clancy

[@HamzaPrime-xv6du]

Noob Gaming Network In a way I understand the cleaners point of view things would be much worst without them. Great video by the way. I'm looking forward to future videos.

[@theonlybestful]

The story of the cleaners and the debate surrounding them ultimately becomes a question of wheather or not the ends justify the means, on one hand, their ultimate goal was to save humankind, but to do so they had to hurt a lot of innocent people. In my opinion, I can sympathize with the motivation, but not their actions, so they had to be put down.

[@JoeNuts42]

I'll say the Division 1 cleaners look better then The Division 2 ones.

[@atas2561]

IMO D2 Cleaners look cooler.

[@horizon3572]

@@atas2561 yeah but they look more dirtier. Not something you’d expect from the cleaners

[@aymnot]

Thanks for these, looking forward to the next one

[@lolwtfbbq111]

The Convo with his niece at the end really illustrates how people can end up doing crazy things.

[@coppersoul3211]

0:00 God I remember watching that video for the first time. It gave me chills so bad.

[@-pressxtostart-]

I have been binge watching your videos all week. Im in love

[@cynikberserker7206]

lore series are legit. great edit.

[@cliff8680]

I just wanted to say how much I enjoy your video's. Lots of overlooked detail's that I missed.

[@gpkai]

These are great. I look forward to watching more of them.

[@kaelsandatu6102]

Now I see what our local street cleaner would do to me if I don't stay at home..

[@vegaspowerlifting]

Thanks, don’t know what we would do without the lore!!

[@grogu3034]

Marvelous video, keep up the good work

[@marston1o0000]

Love your vids! Keep up the great work

[@basicallylegit5236]

Very Nice Video, even tho i just now did see it. Loved it and ur voice for this kinda commentary is perfect man! Love it. And as some have already said , that ending voice clip from Joe to his niece was very powerful and kinda depressing. Because Him and the cleaners are seen as bad guys and some aspects of their doing is bad, but they are doing it cuz they are so into saving the city and loved ones, following Joe to the end after his death. Now loooong after playing the game to the end more than once, always just killing bad guys and following The division. I now after watching ur videos have a new view on these guys.

[@maxnovakovics2568]

This hits different after 2020

[@MinecraftGuy2543]

I’m still loving these videos

[@finthic1]

Great video man. I love lore videos.

[@enriquegarciamorales]

great video! and yes for me the cleaners are the missunderstood heroes. They were allways where the virus was before then us, just to clean it, and as u said they were working hard to make the dark zones and evrything, but when they realized it was imposible to stop it in that way, they had to take other metod. honor for joe ferro!

[@crisperbag176]

I think that the cleaners fit more into the anti hero role. Their intentions are good, but their actions are horrific and brutal. I feel that if they allied themselves with the JTF (despite their history) they could have strategically made a positive impact on the dangerous streets of New York.

[@Adisypher]

Loving these videos

[@adonaiharris5057]

Your videos are so well constructed and informative. Keep it up 👌🏾

[@NGN]

Thanks mates :-)

[@stephenp20]

1st. YAY I like where you're heading with this series. Nicely done good sir, keep it up!

[@NGN]

Thanks dude! :-)

[@diezl187]

I love your division vids bro, keep up the good work!

[@NGN]

Thanks dude!

[@unspacy2099ad]

the ending is well done IMHO love this keep it up man well done

[@NGN]

Haha thanks, Im happy with how that ended up. Just a final note to remind people of how "human" Joe Ferro is.

[@unspacy2099ad]

indeed this well cover even for me reading the books and the game lore this well plan out on your videos

[@freedomfighter2417]

This will be a group in 6 months in every us city

[@ryve4523]

So about that

[@gwendeerlin]

Joe's audio recording is spooky to listen to in 2021.

[@CHIEFLUKE101]

Joe spitting straight facts

[@IDKeffect82]

Another great video. The lure is best

[@youngmasterzhi]

I wouldn't be surprised if this group becomes a reality when the coronavirus reaches its fatal peak of infection and lethality

[@youngmasterzhi]

@Special Bronze Not unless if you're a sanitation engineer

[@giovannicervantes2053]

Can i sign up?

[@MattCollectorControl]

Sure and there will be a mass countrywide prison breakout which leads to thousands of inmates storming Scotland Yard in London lol

[@ColonizerChan]

In one of the last few cleaner missions where you go to destroy the production facility, it shows their recipe for napalm on the blackboard. *gas and Orange juice* was it if I recall. Now I’m a junior in chemical engineering, but you don’t need my expertise to laugh at this too.

[@JoeNuts42]

I love cleaner outfit, especially the fumigator outfit, it is so iconic and so rememberable.

[@vi10k46]

Man you need more subscribers!!

[@paulc2138]

Great video 👍

[@axwack]

I love it ! So different. Keep up the lore vids. This is what PVE is supposed to provide in context and you are definitely giving people the info on why we play. Can't wait to get to my PC and get on the game. I'm going to do Napalm and a few others just for the love of the lore.

[@NGN]

Hahaha yeah there is so much depth that otherwise is amazing well explained, unless you take the time to look into it!

[@LikeAGentlemanPlease]

Damn! I just found your channel and I’m blown away! Do George Trevor the guy who designed the original Resident Evil Mansion!

[@insertusernamehere2603]

I think they trying to be good guys, but don’t understand how bad they are making the situation.

[@warrenjordaan6086]

Great video!!!

[@NGN]

HAHAHA thank you Mr Warren

[@harish.g.l.k]

Love these vids. Keep up the great work.I gotta be honest I was never really interested in the story and lore of TD, I just loved the game play.Your vids help me keep up with the lore

[@NGN]

I was the same.....but then I started running through all the recordings and echos, and realised that its actually pretty interesting. I was hooked very quickly!

[@gnelfpmeh]

I just found this channel, big props for all The Division lore you've put together over the years, this is my favorite gaming franchise. I forgot just how good the trailers were for the first game along with the quality of the cutscenes and voice acting in the audio logs. Unfortunately, that quality has slipped in the 2nd game and the devs seem to be taking it less serious and leaning into the meme aspect of the cheesey action shooter, which while I admit, I do have a good time laughing at some of the stuff they put out, I also miss the grittiness that was there in the world building and storytelling in The Division 1.

[@apokalypsegamingofficial]

Great video. More lore please

[@ElsonFernando78]

How awesome and detailed history this game has. Thanks for sharing with us

[@KP-wu2li]

Spoken like a true newyorker, that last audio tape hit me in the feels.

[@sorcererberoll4641]

The first time I started playing division my friend warned me about the cleaners and when I first faced them I never went back to that location for another 15 levels

[@sorcererberoll4641]

@Maleng Crowe it was a endless wave and a boss fight

[@DiverWithTheBends]

Are the cleaners the good guys? Well yes, but actually maybe.

[@badasscrusader]

If the jtf tried to be more diplomatic with the cleaners than they could have been the heros but no sadly the divison killed joe and stoped the cleaners from cleaning out the dollar flu

[@dafault_mode2287]

I wish the Division had more of these factions, not just bland bad guys who just kill to kill.

[@arnowisp6244]

We need the common evil guys just so we have a target we don't feel bad for shooting.

[@dafault_mode2287]

@@arnowisp6244 a common bad guy is the backbone of every good story, but their's two ways of viewing the world, through the lens of good and evil but what some see as evil some see as good. That's what makes a lasting story\villian.

[@thepissedoffcombinesoldier7853]

I think that yes, they did commit a hefty crime of purging many innocent uninfected on accident but I believe they are kind of unsung heroes of new york

[@rayiaman9749]

Bro i know this video is old but we are fucked if we get someone like joe irl with covid.

[@largedan7167]

Great vid man! Looking forward to future uploads by you

[@hsharshaw7607]

I love your videos

[@jacobblackburn6406]

Absolutely love this lore series and your channel from one that has loved the idea of the division and the story I find every video interesting

[@intothelight1713]

His talk about people being stupid and ignorant hits different in our current state of chaos

[@walterwelches4188]

I enjoy the fact that every faction (including us the “good” guys) has a different point of view. This causes conflict and nudges the player to dig deeper into why each faction does what they do. I haven’t done MUCH research into this next question but would be delighted if it’s answered here to save me time. In what order should you do the missions in game to get a cohesive story for each faction. Once you reach level cap, the level requirements for each mission disappear. I’ve had to go into a lower level character to write down mission level requirements but I feel like they don’t go in that order. Can anyone help me out? I’m not a PvP person so really all 26 days played have been nothing but Missions, incursions and DZ with as much avoidance on the PvP side of things. Needless to say but PvE is what I enjoy in The Division. Good video

[@michelchaman6495]

I was playing and i was shooting an engineer. Right before he was about to die he shouts "BUT WE'RE THE GOOD GUYS!" so i immediately cease fire and look at him, he runs to cover and shoots me and so i kill him. It makes you wonder what if the npcs were deeper than just cannon fodder. Like i think this game could be insane if the npcs were just one level deeper.

[@cookieqe5055]

Cleaners are heroes

[@brianscwh535]

I think The Cleaners has good intentions but also think they might have making a cure harder.

[@gamingjunkie707]

I bet cleaners worship Pyro from TF2 as their deity secretly.

[@mageovetsomeone8494]

Hope you do more of this for division 2

[@NGN]

Try and stop me! 😊

[@ivanwill]

This is a great reminder about the story of the game...

[@fabians4957]

The cleaners had good intentions. Miguided..but good

[@tatestrzinek7465]

*cough cough* when u realize the cleaners outfits probably aren’t clean *cough cough*

[@corpselight7989]

That phonecall at the end- heartwrenching.

[@totallynotfrompornok2407]

This is a great example of the fact that the road to hell is paved with good intentions

[@stephennugent9958]

Someone should tell them about The Outcasts, they’ll have some day out then

[@legion9352]

Stephen Nugent thats a war that will never end both sides if they find out about each other would kill each other to the last man, woman, and even maybe child one side want to kill the virus the other to spread it I hope in the new dlc that comes out they met and just go at it

[@-pressxtostart-]

@@legion9352 did you hear that on the SOTG aswell or knew already, when i realised there ideology is the COMPLETE opposite it blew my mind, i never thought about it till then now im in love with the lore, ive been binge watching the playlists 😂

[@legion9352]

Press X to Start I know it already the cleaners and outcast are my favorite factions in the games I hope in the new DLC they met and just go at it that would be very interesting.

[@jack727dave5]

I would love that plot thread. A war where you can help one side by fighting the other

[@NinjaAssassin279]

Another dope video mmmmm

[@kingqasmoke2802]

The Cleaners are the embodiment of the saying "the path to Hell is paved with good intentions"

[@kurtisvandermiller5600]

Hum how about lore of the darkzone like why is it broken into tiers is it due to the levels of infection of the outbreak?also could the hunters possibly have a base there make it happen somehow!!! Also great video.

[@NGN]

hmm this is a good suggestion!

[@dearleader7623]

We know that the Northernmost DZs are closer to the Central Park mass-grave-site. In fact, the further north you go, the worse the DZ has it. Even before DZ 7, 8, and 9 were added, the worst effects were seen north. Even though Ground Zero was in Abel's, therefore in the greater quarantine zone, all of the sick were routed to the DZs and I would imagine that violence and death was concentrated closer north, and the further south you go, the more normal everything seems compared to the greater QZ.

[@mercy3765]

G A M E M E C H A N I C

[@LuRey28]

this is my favorite faction of enemies from TD1

[@antonio-mj4hh]

Me and the boys when Coronavirus reaches our city

[@cerryllee6739]

The cleaners are kind of like the scarlet crusade from World of Warcraft. From their fanatic devotion to their goals to the idea that the infected are already dead are similar to each other.

[@Smack47]

"Meet the Pyro"

[@ahbraveconscript997]

With new firewall specialization can we have a phlog to w+m1 with? *thinking*

[@purplenurp5590]

the cleaners were damn heroes, a hero is someone who is willing to do something others will not and desperate times come for desperate measures. Their government abandoned them so instead of just doing nothing they went to fight back.