The Division 2 is off to a flying start. It seems like in the current gaming industry, everyone is trying to master the "loot and shoot" genre that so many players are crazy about these days. But sadly, it seems like a lot of these games are falling flat on their faces. There's no denying it - this is a tricky game to perfect. It's a delicate balancing act between interesting loot, satisfying combat, and a robust multiplayer element. It's all too easy to rush these games to release, and then try to spend the next few months fixing glaring mistakes with DLC and patches.
But The Division 2 seems to have gotten everything right from the very beginning. Finally, gamers are reminded how great it feels to play a finished, highly polished game upon release. The loot is awesome, the combat is fun, and this game is actually pretty satisfying to play with friends. What amazes a lot of players is the fact that this game is seriously detailed. There are all kinds of different weapons, armor sets, and equipment items.
There are also tons of different ways you can customize your gaming experience, and the settings are filed with options for tweaking and personalizing the way the game plays for you. There are also tons of different strategies and pathways for people who want to play this game in all kinds of different ways. With so many options, there's a few things which only experts have figured out so far. But have no fear, because we're about to share 20 of these secrets with you...
Automatic Parkour Mode
One of the coolest parts about The Division 2 is the way in which you can traverse the amazing landscape of a ruined capital city. There will be no shortage of obstacles and structures in your way. But a clever player sees these obstacles as opportunities - not detriments. Traversing the landscape in clever and surprising ways can be the best way to get the drop on unsuspecting foes.
One of the best ways to really max out your mobility is to enable the "Automatic Parkour Mode" in the game's settings. This is exactly what it sounds like. The game automatically lets you jump, vault, and climb over pretty much everything in your way. All your actions happen fluidly, and you can weave together some seriously cool moves.
You Can Cut The Rope On The Evac Helicopter And Steal Other People's Loot
Those who played the original game will remember the hazards and the intrigue of the Dark Zone. This feature returns in The Division 2, and it's better than ever. In the Dark Zone, all bets are off and anything goes. Players can choose to "Go Rogue," and turn on friendlies. If you're so inclined, you can even choose to steal other people's loot.
But like virtually every other feature within this game, stealing loot is somewhat of an art. If you really want to be smart about it, you can actually ambush players as they're loading their precious loot onto the evac helicopter. Simply cut the rope, deal with any potential enemies, and take that loot for yourself. It's a bit of an advanced move, but it works wonders if you can pull it off.
Use The Fixer Drone To Heal Turrets And Other Friendly Machines
The skill trees in The Division 2 are pretty awesome, and you can spec out tons of different abilities and items. One of the best items in the game is the drone, and this can be customized to fulfill many different combat roles. One of its potential roles on the battlefield is a "fixer drone." This is a great way to repair things like turrets.
But you can also use this drone to fix pretty much anything mechanical on the battlefield - as long as its friendly. This is one detail that a lot of new players overlook, and they might assume that the fixer drone is only good for fixing turrets. But in reality, it works wonders for a wide variety of applications.
Quickly Regenerate Your Shields By Stashing Them
Ballistic Shields also make a return in The Division 2, and players who enjoyed using these items in the first game will no doubt be glad they're back for the sequel. Ballistic shields offer all kinds of benefits, and they allow players to act in a highly defensive way, soaking up damage, and drawing fire away from teammates.
But one of the big downsides of using shields is the fact that they eventually break. Shields can only take so much damage. That being said, shields do eventually self-repair in this game. Some experts have stated that these shields actually heal faster if you stash them, and take them out of combat entirely. Others say that shields repair themselves on their own, no matter what you do.
Shoot The Heavy's Ammo Belt
One of the best things about The Division 2 is the wide range of different enemies you'll face. There's always a surprise lurking around the corner, and you can never be sure what your enemies are going to do next. They all seem to behave in different ways, and the AI in this game is generally very good. But by far one of the toughest opponents you'll face in The Division 2 is the heavy.
This large, heavily armored foe also packs one heck of a punch, and is typically armed with some serious firepower. You can use a wide variety of different tactics to deal with the heavy, but there's one tactic that always seems to work. Simply shoot his ammo belt, and you'll temporarily disable him from firing. It's a great way to get the upper hand.
Use Junk Gear To Complete Projects
The loot system in The Division 2 is generally pretty good, and before too long you'll find yourself overladen with tons of junk that you have no idea what to do with. Some might advise you to sell your junk gear, or break it down to craft new weapons and mods, but the best strategy is probably to use your junk gear to complete projects.
Projects are some of the best ways to level up quickly, and gaining XP without really doing too much work. When you donate your junk gear to a project, you're using it in the most efficient way possible, and there's really no downside to this course of action in The Division 2.
Dismantle Skills To Rapidly Decrease Cooldown
This is actually considered a glitch or a bug, and it's been around since the first game. But the developers didn't actually deal with this, which leads us to believe that it was left in the game intentionally, in order to give players a bit of an edge in combat. Skills require a cooldown time, as most players are no doubt aware.
But an old trick used by experts is actually to dismantle the skill entirely, then re-assign it and keep fighting. This reduces the cooldown period drastically, and allows you to spam your skills much faster than ever before. It takes a little time to get used to, but before long it becomes second nature. This little trick gives you a serious edge in all types of combat.
If You Manually Reload, You'll Get One Extra Bullet In The Chamber
Another awesome little trick used by experts in The Division 2 is to manually reload. But wait... How does one "manually reload?" What we mean by this is to simply reload your weapon while there's still bullets in the weapon. Instead of emptying an entire magazine and prompting an auto-reload animation, you're choosing to reload before the weapon is empty.
But why would you choose to do this? Because in The Division 2, manually reloading gives you an extra round in the chamber. As any veteran knows, that extra round can be the difference that ultimately saves your life. This is especially true if you're using weapons with low ammo capacity and high damage, such as pistols, rifles, and shotguns.
You Can Roll Dodge For Way Faster Reloads
Speaking of reloading your weapons, there's another interesting little trick that experts are using in The Division 2. When pulled off correctly, you can use this trick to drastically cut down your reload times, and bring way more firepower to the table. It all revolves around the Dodge Roll. This is a pretty useful move in any situation, as it lets you move quickly, dodging incoming fire or moving into cover.
But when you combine the dodge roll with your reloads, there's a chance that you might end up reloading much quicker. This is because the dodge roll can actually interrupt the reload animation. In order for this to work, your timing has to be perfect. It's definitely a trick for advanced players.
Vault Over Obstacles Much Faster
Staying in cover is essential in The Division 2, perhaps more so than most other games out right now. After all, this game is pretty realistic, and in a real firefight it's important to stay in cover as much as possible. The Division 2 has one of the most advanced cover systems right now, and moving from cover to cover is always a good idea.
Sometimes, you'll need to vault over obstacles in a very quick way, and there's a way to speed up this process considerably. Instead of pressing the vault button, you should pull back on the joystick before pressing the button. This makes your vault move much quicker, and you'll get over that obstacle before you know it.
The Armor Kit Perks Are Seriously Worth It
Some perks are probably more useful than others. While it's up to you how you want to spec out your character, there are some perks that come highly recommended by the experts. Most of these experts agree that the armor kit perks are among the best options out there. Why? Well, armor is actually very important in The Division 2.
In fact, armor basically represents your health bar in the game. That's why armor kit perks are so important. These armor kits allow you to repair your armor while in a mission, and this can be seriously beneficial. The armor kit perks also allow you to carry more armor kits the more you level them up. When you fully level up this perk tree, you can carry tons of armor kits with you.
Save Side Missions For Later
Most of us have a very specific way in which we approach games like The Division 2. There are tons of side missions that pop up, as well as optional objectives, hidden areas, and all kinds of other things to do and explore. But when it comes to The Division 2, a good strategy is to save these side missions for later.
Why? Because in The Division 2, these side missions are actually scaled to your level. This means that if you save them for later, you'll earn way more experience when you complete them, because they'll be scaled up to your high level status. Some of these side missions are relatively easy, so they become a great way to level up when you reach high levels.
Check Out The Underground Areas For Easy Loot
There's no denying it - The Division 2 features some pretty awesome loot. Unlike many of the other games which have attempted to nail down the "shoot and loot" genre, The Division 2 manages to make searching for loot fun and rewarding. Of course, there are many different ways you can look for loot. Defeating enemies is the most obvious way.
But experts are now revealing that there's a ton of great quality loot hidden in the underground areas of The Division 2. These are sewers, subways, and other slightly hidden areas. These places might be off the beaten path, but it's worth taking a look down there. Many gamers are reporting that you can find some seriously awesome loot down there.
You Can Use The Hive Reviver To Self Resurrect
Another handy piece of equipment is the Hive. This technologically advanced piece of equipment is one of the best tools in The Division 2, and many players have chosen to spec it out and specialize in the use of the Hive. The Hive is awesome because it can be customized to work in different ways. There are many different offensive and defensive applications of this tool, but one of the most useful is the Hiver Reviver.
The Hive Reviver is exactly what it sounds like - it's a tool that can be used to revive other players, and it's a great item to pull out when you're up against all odds. But a lot of players assume that it can only be used to heal other players. In fact, you can use the hive reviver to "self-resurrect" after falling in battle.
You Can Upgrade Your Crafting Bench
In the Division 2, you're probably going to spend a lot of time working at your Crafting Bench. This is where you'll go to mod your weapons, beef up your armor, and generally make some really cool stuff. You can upgrade pretty much every single piece of your equipment... But what about the armor bench itself?
This is actually possible too, although a lot of players might be totally unaware of the option. In fact, you'll only find out about this option once you reach a high enough level. So keep this in mind as you level up, and always check to see if you can upgrade your armor bench. Once you do, you'll experience all kinds of stunning benefits.
Brand Sets Give Awesome Bonuses
Brand Sets are actually a pretty big deal in The Division 2. You might be more inclined to mismatch your equipment, wearing a mix of all kinds of different brands and styles. While this is definitely a legitimate choice, you should also consider the power of using brand sets. This is when you use equipment that all comes from a specific brand. For example, you might wear a helmet, armor plating, and mask all from the same brand.
When you get a complete brand set together, you'll experience all kinds of additional benefits. These benefits vary depending on which brand set you've equipped - but generally speaking, these benefits are much better than anything you'd get from wearing a mix of different equipment.
How To Auto Loot
Loot is very important in The Division 2, but sometimes it's pretty hard to focus on grabbing what you want (and need) while the bullets are flying and time is running out. Sometimes, it's tempting to forget loot altogether, and just focus on the objective. Other times, you'll frantically try to figure out which loot you want, and this can be a little stressful.
But experts know that in The Division 2, you can enable something called "auto-loot" in the settings. Some players have even mapped the loot button to certain keys on PC, ensuring that they'll always be activated. In general, it's not very hard to enable auto loot, and it'll save you a lot of time and stress down the road.
Switch To A Grid Based Inventory View
Many players have complained that the default inventory screens in The Division 2 are pretty frustrating. While this is obviously a legitimate concern, you can also customize pretty much everything about The Division 2, including these screens and much more. A great solution is to switch to a grid-based inventory view.
This allows you to see pretty much everything you need to view in seconds, and it's definitely a lot better than the default view. But unless you actually know that this is an option, you'll be stuck with a potentially inferior inventory system. We love having the option to customize little details like this, and it's definitely an area where The Division 2 shines.
Switch Guns To Your Other Shoulder In Combat By Pressing The Left Analog Stick
In The Division 2, you'll find yourself in all kinds of situations where you need every advantage imaginable to win. Sometimes, you'll find yourself stuck in tight corners, backed up against obstacles and walls, and the only solution is to shoot your way out. But depending on which way you're leaning, your gun might not "curl" around an obstacle in the best way.
That's why it's always a good idea to switch firing shoulders in these tight situations. It gives you a much wider range of fire, it's way less cumbersome and clunky. The Division 2 makes it easy to switch your gun to different firing shoulders by simply pressing down on the left analog stick.
Use The Accolades Perk Tree To Level Up Faster
Another great perk tree to focus on is the Accolades Perk tree. This focuses on the accolades system within The Division 2, which is essentially a bunch of challenges and mini objectives that you can complete for a bonus. Headshots and defeating enemies in creative ways are all examples of accolades, and you'll earn additional experience when you complete one of these challenges.
Focusing on the Accolades perk tree allows you to level up much quicker than usual - especially if you focus on this perk tree early on in the game. If you want to get good fast, then this is probably what you should be focusing on. Pretty soon, you'll be extremely high level, and you can use further skill points to put into other trees. But keep in mind - accolades require serious skill.
References: gamespot.com, whatculture.com, reddit.com, fanbyte.com