The Division - Ultimate Gearing and Build Guide by Lithiyum

Hello Agents,

I have been seeing the same questions popping up on the subreddit so I decided to make a gearing guide to help people out. I made a video but youTube is being moody and not processing the video so deal with this wall of text for now. The guide is short and sweet so it shouldn't be too bad of a read.

If anything is confusing, please leave a comment and I will be more than happy to answer any questions or criticisms. I'd like this guide to be stickied to the side bar if possible.

I got to 30, what now?
Run the following with a group: Use matchmaking. I would recommend groups of 4 but they can be done with 3 or even 2 but it is more difficult.

• General Assembly on Hard
  1. Two Named Enemies has chances to drop High Ends
  2. You can get 8+ Purples per run. (2 per boss, 4 from the last boss)
• Dailies(on Hard) for Phoenix Credits
  1. Complete the two daily missions available per day on Hard for more purples and PC
• Lex Event Center OR Lincoln Tunnel(Challenging - AFTER YOU HAVE FULL PURPLES)
  1. This is an easy mission on Challenging difficulty and it awards a High End piece of GEAR for completing it
  2. Run it multiple times to get High Ends and PC

Build
I suggest using this build to clear the above mentioned missions. It is very user friendly and definitely softens up the learning curve when transitioning from Normal to Hard to Challenging.

• Skills
  1. Support Station with Ammo Cache Mod. Gives Faster Skill Recovery and Ammo.
  2. Smart Cover with Recharger Mod. This gives damage reduction and increased damage on the area of cover you use it on. THESE STACK, meaning, if multiple people in the group use it on the same area of cover, the damage reduction and increased damage for each mod on the cover.
  3. Survivor Link. This is recommended because it just makes it easier to survive those tough moments in Challenging runs.
• Talents
  
  1. Tech Support. Makes your abilities last longer when you kill enemies.
  2. One is None. 50% chance on a headshot to not consume the bullet.
  3. The last two are player preference but I use Precision and Critical Save.
• Stats
  
  1. Priority: Firearms, Electronics, Stamina - To complete challenging, I recommend 1900+ Firearms, 1700+ Electronics, and 1600+ Stamina. Use those mod slots to finesse your stats the way you need.
  2. For this setup to work you will need a rather high electronics score to maintain 100% uptime on your two skills. With all the damage reduction you will get from your skills and signature ability, you won't need as much stamina. My stats in game are 2031 Firearms, 1946 Electronics, and 1684 Stamina.
  3. That being said, DO NOT IGNORE STAMINA, you will still get one shot if you have 20k health.
• Weapons
  
  1. I recommend using Cadecus if you are lucky enough to get one to drop. It has an OP talent the synergizes with this build.
  2. You can use Liberator, which is off the special gear vendor as a blueprint if you can't get a Cadecus.
  3. Use the Vector as your Secondary.
  4. High End Extended Magazine for everything.

Clarification about Stats
For those mentioning Electronics is useless. Please read everything thoroughly. Electronics reduces your cooldowns on your skills and increases their strength. This indirectly increases your dps. Don't believe me? Open your skills list, click on smart cover and look at the base, then the current. Notice the cooldown has gone down, damage increase up, and damage reduction up. Now change a piece of gear to one that has more electronics on it. Now observe the difference again.

Having 100% uptime on this ability gives you increased dps AS WELL AS decreased damage taken by a LARGE margin. It is indirect, but you can test it for yourself and see.

That being said, stamina is still important, but you won't need an overwhelming amount to survive because of your damage reduction.
DPS

• Misleading
  1. DPS is not a concrete stat as it weighs things like accuracy.
• Damage per bullet
  1. This is what you want to look at the most, followed by the rate of fire.
• Mods
  1. Make sure when comparing weapons you consider mods. Either detach them from both weapons or equip the same mods and compare that way. Play to the strengths of each weapon.
  2. Highly Recommend High End Extended Magazine off the Blueprint Special Vendor.

Phoenix Credit Priority
Everything you see here can be bought off the Special Gear Vendor in your Tech wing at BoO. Up the stairs and to the left next to the recalibration station.

1. Vector 45 ACP (See if you can get one that rolls with the "Destructive" Talent and any other 2 dps talents)
2. Liberator (If you don't have a Cadecus)
3. High End Extended Magazine Mod
4. Whatever High End slot you are missing a piece of gear from
5. High End Mods

Possible Gear Talents and Variations - Listed in no particular order
Here is an album of my current gear - It isn't perfect but people have been asking to see it. Displaying the mods is a pain, most of my gear pieces have stamina mods in to meet the criteria for the weapon talents.

• Chest
  
  1. Rapid (Healing skills cooldown decreased)
  2. Robust (Armor while in cover)
  3. Vigorous(Depending if the Med Station ticks can overheal, which I doubt they can. Destroying the med station early causes an overheal for everyone in range already)
• Mask
  
  1. Refreshed (Healing skills increased by 30% while in last segment of hp)
  2. Tenacious (Using a Medkit increases your damage done)
  3. Rehabilitated (When under a status affect, health regenerated 2% per second)
• Knee Pads
  
  1. Perceptive (Item and Credit find bonus)
  2. Prosperous (Critical Headshots give credits)
• Pack
  
  1. Specialized (Adds 13% of Firearms and Stamina to skillpower)
  2. Inventive (Skillpower is increased by 13% while at full hp)
• Gloves
  
  1. Astute (First 3 bullets have a % chance higher to crit)
• Holster
  
  1. Nimble (Heal 2% per meter you run in a cover to cover move)
  2. Steadfast (While in cover, health regeneration kicks in twice as fast)
  3. Sturdy (Your armor is increased by % when you stay more than x amount of seconds in the same cover)

As a side note: This guide does not consider Dark Zone Blueprints as they require level 50 Dark zone level to purchase.

Example 4 Man Group Skill Setup:

1. 4 Smart Covers
2. 2 Med Stations
3. 1 Pulse
4. 1 Sticky(Flash)/Seeker(Gas/Fire)/Heal(Booster Shot)

This is just an exmaple if you run with a premade or have people in your group willing to change if you are having struggles with you mission completions.

SOURCE