If you have just started playing Division 2 or looking for tips and tricks on leveling up fast, this guide is for you.
As a fan of looter shooters, I loved Division 2 from the beginning. I’ve completed the campaign as well as all the episodes released so far on solo. And managed farm some great exotics as well.
Since I switched from PC to PS4 recently, I bought the game on PlayStation. And started a new game from scratch.
While breezing through the early missions I thought about covering a few tricks that helped me to play and enjoy the game more efficiently.
Here are my top tips for beginners and solo players.
1. Loot Everything
This is an obvious tip but often disregarded by new players. You’ve got to loot everything. And I mean everything!
Don’t just loot the best gear drops from enemies. Loot other crafting materials, provisions, and even the useless low-level gear items. Grab them all. You’ll need them later when completing projects and upgrading/recalibrating weapons.
2. Help Other Players
From time to time, you’ll get a message saying a player is requesting help. When you get those messages jump in and help them. This will help boost your XP and level up faster.
3. Don’t Sell Junk
Do not sell all your unnecessary weapons and gear. Save as much as you can and store the extra stuff in your stash.
These gear are required for completing certain community projects. Or you can deconstruct them for materials. And also use them for upgrading weapons.
4. Don’t Worry About The Gear
In the early game, you’ll feel compelled to buy better gear and weapons. But don’t. Save your credits to buy stuff later on.
You’ll be constantly leveling up fast and your gear will get outdated very soon. So don’t waste your money on them. Get by with the loot drops from enemies. At least until you hit level 30. Then you can buy weapons or farm better gear.
5. Weapon Mods Are Your Friend
Weapon mods and attachments are an essential part of Division 2. These attachments help improve your weapon and gear stats. Farm them early by completing missions and crafting blueprints.
6. Choose Your Weapons Wisely
I never liked the SMGs in Division. They spray bullets everywhere. My loadout almost always consists of a combination of an LMG, Rifle, and a sawed-off as the sidearm.
I use the rifle for long-range and LMG for close-quarters combat and for taking down tough enemies.
Create a weapon set according to your play style and stick to it. At least for the early parts of the game.
7. Unlock The Hive Skill
The Hive is the first skill that I unlocked. And it’s a lifesaver for solo players, literally!
The hive skill revives you when you’re downed. This means you get a second chance to take on the enemies without having to respawn back to the safe house.
The next skill I unlocked is the turret. Another great companion for solo players.
8. Unlock Safe Houses
Be sure to unlock safe houses as early as possible. They are not just a great way to fast travel around the map but they also unlock new side missions and reveal SHD cache locations as well.
9. Control Points Have Great Loot
Every time you take over a control point from enemies you get access to a weapon and gear stash. But what you’ll also notice is that this stash refreshes every day. For example, if you log out of the game and log in a day after you’ll find new loot in the control point stash.
10. Get The Best Perks
If you’re not sure about which Perks to unlock first, here they are. Unlock these Perks first. Especially the XP bonus for kills perk is a must for earning extra XP and leveling up fast.
BTW the Perks page can be accessed at the quartermaster.
11. Higher-Level Gear Isn’t Always The Best
Don’t be too quick to swap your gear. Even if you come across a new gear item with better stats just hold onto it.
Gear in Division 2 is categorized by brand sets. When you equip 3 gear items from the same brand it unlocks new perks like increased critical damage, increased weapon damage and protection from elite enemies. Sometimes these perks make it worth keeping old gear equipped than switching to high-level gear.
12. Don’t Buy Skins
It sucks seeing other players in the game rocking awesome skins and weapons. But don’t rush to buy skins. You’ll come across plenty of skins throughout the game for free. And you’ll also be able to farm skins during events. Just be patient.
13. Don’t Rush Through Missions
Division 2 features missions with progressing difficulty. This prevents you from rushing through story missions. So don’t try to finish the missions in a day.
You’ll need to complete side missions and gather XP to level up before taking on enemies with higher difficulties.
14. Explore The Tunnels
The tunnels are a great way to travel between places without having to run into random activities. These tunnels also have fraction cache keys. These can unlock great gear and exotics as you progress through the game. Be sure to farm them while exploring the tunnels.
15. Complete Projects
Projects are an important part of Division 2. Completing projects will reward you with blueprints and gear. And even skins and apparel keys later on in the game.
16. Don’t Be Afraid To Matchmake
I love going through missions solo. It allows me to take my time and enjoy the game. But sometimes when enemies are kicking my butt I’m not ashamed to call for help.
If you’re also having trouble completing a mission, matchmake and play with other players. It can be fun.
17. Save Dark Zones For Later
I’m not a fan of the PVP element of Division dark zones. But they contain some great gear. However, it’s definitely not worth wasting your time early in the game.
Save dark zones for the endgame.
18. Learn To Swap Covers
Covers are your best friend in Division 2. So Learn to swap from one cover to another more quickly early on the game.
Simply aim at the next cover spot and press and hold the cover button to quickly switch places. This will help you go from cover to cover without taking damage.
19. Learn The Weak Points
Every elite enemy has a weak point. This area is usually highlighted in Red. Learn these spots and shoot them to take down tough enemies faster.
20. Throw A Grenade
When you see a group of enemies either patrolling or guarding, don’t shoot them. First, throw a grenade. It will take down a few of them in one shot. Then you can bring out your guns.
21. Work On Your Build
Once you reach a certain stage in the game (or if you feel like the game is too tough) you should work on your build. This involves carefully configuring your gear to get specific skill points.
Give this guide a read to learn how to start a build.
22. Enjoy Free Roaming
Free-roaming is the best way to experience Division 2. Sometimes I just run around fighting random enemies and looting stuff. It’s quite relaxing. It’s also a great way to farm XP and materials.
23. Play At Your Own Pace
Overall, Just try to have fun playing the game. Don’t rush to complete the game quickly. Enjoy the missions and the story. And the upcoming updates.