The Division is finally here and just like many of you, I have already spent an unhealthy amount of time within the post-epidemic New York City. As beautiful and welcoming as the Big Apple is, it can still be dangerous and the restoration of the historic city rests upon your survival.
Thankfully The Nerd Stash has seven tips for you. Some may seem obvious and other not so, yet when you combine them all together, you’ll soon be the biggest terror in New York City.
Do Not Be Afraid To Play With Others
The Division is essentially an MMO and as such, you need to be connected to the Ubisoft servers at all times. I prefer to play the game alone, not for the lack of friends… I have many, I promise… But being a lone warrior makes the narrative feel more personal to me. Some of the missions can be difficult, though, even when you are at the recommended level. Thankfully, the clever people at Ubisoft have this covered.
When approaching the main story mission, you can instantly find a party to attempt it with. Simple select quick matchmaking and you can join a game with other players and work together as a team. Once the mission is completed, simply bring up the menu and leave the party.
Once story missions are completed, you can replay these missions in the future under harder difficulty settings and the matchmaking can be accessed from the map! You do not even have to go to the mission marker!
Low-Level Side Missions
As you roam the streets you will see your map infested with activities. Side missions and encounters will be small operations where you can gain experience but more importantly, resources for your home base.
The map is segregated into zones of difficulties and as you progress in levels, your instinct is to immediately approach the new areas. Do not skip these side missions in lower level areas, though. They may not offer as much experience as the higher level endeavors but the resources acquired here are immensely useful.
When you are at higher level, returning to these regions and finishing these missions will take no time at all with your superior firepower. Gaining hard to come by medical, security or tech supplies will allow you to expand your base. This, in turn, grants you new abilities that simple XP points cannot reward you with.
Base of Operations
The base of operations is the core HUB within The Division and returning here frequently is essential for prevailing within the harsh conditions of NYC. You have access to safe houses in all of the districts to replenish ammo and deal with vendors but the Base of Operations will offer you far more.
As you collect resources from the previous tip, you can redeem these to expand your base. By constructing new departments, you are rewarded with new abilities and perks; but that is not all.
Spending these well-earned points will open new stations to interact with. New stores will offer you rare weapons and there is an area in the tech department that allows you to change the abilities of a piece of equipment.
Do you have a firearm that you love but the bonuses do not compliment your play style? Take the weapon to this area and you can replace the useless ability for one that could give you the edge in a firefight.
Selling Junk Loot
You will be rewarded credits for completing missions but the real entrepreneur in you should be selling unwanted gifts.
When tackling the troublemakers of New York, they may drop useful items for you. More often than not, these items will not benefit your load out but still pick them up. Once you have collected them, open your inventory and mark them as junk.
When returning to your base or a safe house, speak to the vendor and go the sell tab. By simply pressing the analog button, you will sell all of your junk and see the money come pouring in.
Understand The Equipment
The Division is an MMORPG and as such expect to collect a lot of merchandise. So here is a breakdown of how you should evaluate your equipment.
Check the color. White, Green, Blue, Purple and Yellow is the ascending order of rarity.
Check the level of the items. If you are level 15 and you have level 7 armor equipped you are not going to live long. Also, take into account that a level 7 blue item could be a lot worse than a level 15 common piece of equipment.
Next check the numbers. You have three categories, DPS (Damage per second), health and skill power. Certain types of equipment will affect these independently so think about whether you want to deal the damage or absorb it. Balancing this out will make you the most effective.
Lastly, check the added abilities. The blue and rarer equipment have special features and bonuses. These can give you awesome abilities and don’t forget, these can be altered if you follow tip 3!
Flank Enemies On The Battlefield
The Division is a cover based shooter, however, you can vary your attack by using ranged weapons or getting up close with a trusty shotgun. Depending on your preferred method, flanking will make them all far more efficient.
The cover system works great and cars, barricades or other objects will protect you from the foes. Do not simply use these for defensive measures though as quickly moving between them can cause the enemies to lose sight of you. This is turn can give you an open shot at their exposed bodies.
If you are playing with friends, divide and conquer. If like me, you want to do this alone, use the remote turret as a perfect diversion. By holding the ability button, you can toss the turret distracting the enemies and sneak behind them for a quick kill.
Enter The Dark Zone
One of the more interesting components of The Division is the much hyped Dark Zone. This area will see you combating AI and other players online.
The first thing to note about the Dark Zone is that you have nothing to lose. All the items held before entering cannot be lost. When collecting items in the DZ you need to extract them via a helicopter for decontamination. This process takes a nail-biting ninety seconds and will attract the interest of anyone in the vicinity, so be vigilant.
Why go to the Dark Zone? Well, you will be able to find the best loot here! Even though the DZ has its own currency and leveling system, you can still use these weapons and equipment outside once they have been extracted.
The DZ is not easy so head in with friends or use the matchmaking here but beware because everyone has the potential to be your enemy.
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These are 7 vital tips to make your experience in The Division easier! If you have any tips of your own, let us know in the comments below!
