There are many skill platforms in The Division 2 that offer even more variations within them to choose from. Variants include offensive, defensive and support skills. The choice is always contextual to the type of enemy, style of play and group with which you intend to face the challenges of the game. In this guide we will first see an overview of all the skills present in the game and finally we will see some solutions that lend themselves well even if you intend to play alone.
In the latest updates skills have undergone a substantial change to become more palatable. Many players were focusing on weapon damage for this reason Massive introduced mods capable of further enhancing the offensive ability of gadgets and replaced the "skill cooldown reduction" with the term "skill speed" now proportional to the power of the skill .
As you progress through the campaign, you will earn points to unlock the skill platforms from the Quartermaster in the base of operations at the White House. The variants of skills, on the other hand, are unlocked, again from the Quartermaster, with the SHADE technology. This particular technology can be acquired by leveling up, collecting SHADE crates and completing specific missions during the campaign. The main platforms are 8 - Hive, Impulse, Firefly, Turret, Chemical Launcher, Search Mine, Drone and Ballistic Shield - which are accompanied by variants that may also depend on the Specializations you will acquire in the end game activities.
For convenience we have divided the skills according to four criteria: offensive, crowd control, defensive and support skills. Find below the description of the characteristics of each variant.
Offensive skills
Beehive Sting: The wasp nest hive sends micro drones that attack and distract nearby enemies.
Aggressor Drone: The attacker locks on targets to maintain line of sight and continuously fire on them.
Bomber Drone: The bomber releases a load of explosive microcharges between two points previously selected by the agent.
Chemical launcher Oxidizer: The oxidizer can release a cloud of corrosive gas that damages enemy armor and skill items, as well as inflicting damage on the enemy over time.
Explosive Firefly: The explosive firefly attacks the targets of the charges that detonate when two of them get close to each other.
Demolition Firefly: The Demolition Firefly damages or destroys enemies' weak spots, their skill items, and nearby explosive items.
Detonating Research Mine: The detonating homing mine can be used to locate enemies and detonate once in their immediate vicinity.
Research mine.Aerial explosion: The Air Blast Finding Mine proceeds towards the target and causes a detonation once it arrives in its immediate vicinity.
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Mine in search of Mass: The Cluster Search Mine splits into many smaller mines that chase down enemies and explode in their immediate vicinity.
Assault Turret: The Assault Turret automatically tracks and attacks hostile targets. However, it can be manually controlled to target a specific enemy.
Sniper Turret: fires large-caliber bullets at manually selected targets.
Artillery Turret- Unloads ammunition at a nearby selected location. Requires Demolition Expert Specialization.
Crowd Control Skills
Banshee Boost: Launches an arc pulse that confuses enemies hit by the wave. Penetrates through shelters. Requires Machine Gunner Specialization.
Incendiary Chemical Launcher: The incendiary canister creates a cloud of explosive gas that can be detonated using explosives, shooting, etc.
Riot Foam Chemical Launcher: The riot foam cylinder releases a stream of viscous material that immobilizes the targets.
Blinding Firefly: When passing over enemies, the blinding firefly deprives them of sight, rendering them temporarily harmless in combat.
Incinerator Turret: The incinerator turret is manually controlled and fires fire cones in front of it.
Defensive skills
Defender Drone: The defender uses a microwave generator mounted under the drone to deflect projectiles.
Bulwark ballistic shield: The Bulwark Shield provides nearly full protection, but due to its size, only sidearms can be used when equipped.
Crusader ballistic shield: The Crusader Shield is a lightweight shield model that allows the use of all major weapon types except sniper rifles and machine guns. It also leaves the agent's legs exposed.
Shield Deflector: The deflector shield deflects projectiles by bouncing them towards a highlighted target, as long as it is in the sight of the officer wearing it. It is not an integral shield but, lacking a mount, you can only use a sidearm when equipping it
Support and care skills
Beehive Restorer: Restorer Hive emits micro drones that repair allies' armor by self-destructing in the process.
Hive Resuscitator: Resuscitator Hive releases small drones that revive nearby allies.
Restorative Beehive: Provides stimulants to allies by increasing their movement speed, Swift ability, and weapon handling.
Drone Restorer: The restorer fully restores the armor of the closest allies or, alternatively, a specific ally selected manually.
Tactical Drone: The tactician circles and marks the hostile targets, reporting them on the HUD of the whole team. Requires Hawkeye Specialization.
Pulse Scanner: The scanner detects hostile presences in the vicinity and highlights them within the agent's HUD.
Pulse Remote Scanner: The remote scanner is placed in a fixed position and continues to scan the area highlighting the enemies inside the agent's HUD.
Impulso Too bad: The Jammer sends out a signal that overloads enemy electronic equipment making it unusable.
Tonic chemical launcher: The tonic canister emits a cloud of gas that repairs and fortifies the armor of allied agents.
Mine in search of Repair: The repair-seeking mine follows allies and repairs the armor of nearby units. Requires Survival Expert Specialization.
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What skills to choose?
As we have already said, the choice of skills also depends a lot on your style of play, however, it is possible to identify some skills that, due to their characteristics, are very usable in more than one situation. If you prefer to play alone it is advised not to overly underestimate the enemies and have at least one support / care tool. If you encounter particular difficulties, the best choice is the Hive Resuscitator. Its peculiarity is that it is activated automatically if you are killed and is therefore able - usually - to get you back on your feet.
Very good in terms of survival is the Drone Restorer, it can in fact guarantee you a lasting injection of armor that can save your life in a delicate situation or even allow you to expose yourself more and play with greater mobility. Another skill that grants more support in protracted fights is theBeehive restorer, which releases charges over time. Both are also very suitable for group play.
In terms of sheer power there is truly spoiled for choice. One of the most popular abilities is the incendiary chemical launcher. We have categorized it in Crowd Control abilities because it fires a rather large air, damaging enemies but also making them a little confused due to the flames. Momentarily blocks the enemy offensive making enemies easy to target. For a devastating effect you can use it in combination with the Riot Foam Chemical Launcher if you are playing with a friend.
If you like fire, another alternative is there incinerator turret that if placed in strategic points can roast any unfortunate. Always between the turrets, the assailant it's one of those gadgets that can carve out a space in almost any situation whether you leave it in autofire mode or direct its bullets at a target.
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Upgrading Skills with Mods
Each skill has slots in which Mods can be housed, objects that are in the form of loot and therefore have different rarities. In addition to the type of rarity that determines the quality of the bonuses you will need evaluate their cost to be able to equip them. Not all skill platforms have the same number of slots but it is generally possible to identify slots dedicated to improving skills and an FX slot dedicated to the aesthetic aspect.
Whether you have, or haven't, built a skill-oriented build, it is possible to increase the skill power by occupying a slot with the "Auxiliary Battery". Auxiliary batteries provide more skill power and this should allow for more valuable mods to be used in the remaining slots. Sacrificing a slot to access better upgrades is the price to pay. These mods allow you to further specialize your character, acting on aspects such as damage, the radius of the effect, the number of charges, the recovery.
Are you looking for a satisfying level of depth in customizing your character's abilities? Try The Division 2.
