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| source// Ubisoft |
When it was first revealed almost three years ago at E3 2013, Tom Clancy’s The Division certainly looked exciting. However, following multiple delays and allegations of graphical downgrades and potential problems, it became even more interesting, but suddenly for all the wrong reasons. Eventually – weeks after the worldwide launch – The Division has managed to achieve widespread critical acclaim from the majority of reviewers.
If you were as relieved as I was when the finished article actually turned out to be great, then chances are you’ve also been playing The Division as regularly as I have. After all, why wouldn’t you? It’s a massive project that’s so densely populated with things to do and discover that the chances you’ve already grown bored with it are very slim.
With that in mind, it’s time to consider various features and secrets that you may not have discovered just yet, despite them being tremendously useful to the way you approach the game. The Division has so many facets to its gameplay that not everything is highlighted as obviously as it could be. Fear not though, as I’m here to help you along with some of the more nuanced gameplay tips that could have a big impact on your Agent’s effectiveness.
Here are ten crucial tips that The Division doesn’t explicitly tell you…
10. You Can Take A Leap Of Faith
Okay, compared to another Ubisoft series – Assassin’s Creed – the leaps on offer in The Division may not be quite as death-defying or visually impressive. What they can be, however, is immensely useful if you find yourself in need of a quick escape route when under pressure from wave after wave of enemy fire.
While you are able to climb and dash over obstacles in The Division, there’s strangely no free jumping option. As a result, you’ll find yourself relying on ladders to move down from a lot of platforms over a few metres in height. This is fine in regular play, but if you’re under pressure from enemies you can make yourself an easy target by getting stuck on one of these.
But where drop prompts do appear when you approach scaleable ledges, the game doesn’t tell you that you can drop from a ladder with a press of the same button. This is especially useful in the Dark Zone where you may already have found yourself as a sitting duck when trying to escape one of the many high points in the area. You’ll take some fall damage, but it’ll hurt a heck of a lot less than a few head shots!
9. Animals Can Make Useful Lures
You might feel a little bit guilty about this one, but before you judge these actions, answer one question; is a dog, pigeon or plague of rats going to reclaim New York from the clutches of rioters and ex-cons? Of course not, so stop worrying about them.
What they can do, however, is stand to be a very useful lure if you need to break a group of enemies up without exposing your position. The Division’s New York streets are brimming with stray dogs and crawling vermin, and if you kill one close enough to an enemy – assuming you’re smart enough to have suppressed weapons, of course – you’ll lure them off to investigate.
Since enemy types are such a big deal in The Division, you can use this tactic to encourage the more dangerous foes into positions where you can easily finish them off before setting about defeating the rest. It’s especially useful against the enemies who’ll rush and make their assault from close by, because you can pick them off before they have a chance to charge you.
Just make sure you light a candle for the animal afterwards when your safety has been returned…
8. You Don’t Have To See Items To Find Them
The technology available to Agents in The Division is immensely advanced, and its uses run far beyond just the skills and perks that they give you in combat. The computerised vocal companion ISAC is great for pointing out mission checkpoints and intel items, but it can do even more than that as well.
In fact, ISAC can essentially be your eyes when you’re scouting for loot anywhere on the map. There are boxes and crates full of gear and parts scattered all across New York, but some of them are so small and well-hidden that they can be easily missed by the human eye. It’s lucky that you don’t just have to rely on those eyes, then.
If you move close enough to any stash, then ISAC will mark the box location on your mini-map to alert you to its presence. This can be especially useful when you find yourself indoors, where rooms and corridors can be very dark even on the game’s recommended brightness settings. You’ll never miss out on materials and loot with ISAC at your side!
7. You Can Quick-Fire Skills If You’re In Trouble
In most of the game’s trickier combat situations, you’ll find that the only real upper hand your agent can gain over hordes of enemies will be the unique skills they are able to call on. Since both you and your foes are essentially bullet sponges, simple gunfighting isn’t always enough to guide you to success.
But while these skills are essential, some of them can leave you a little bit exposed to enemy fire while you’re lining them up. Firing a sticky bomb right at a moving target, for example, can be a great way of dealing massive damage but it does leave you open to taking damage in return, particularly while aiming at snipers.
What you may not realise, however, is that these skills don’t have to be so precise to be effective, and quick-firing them can be just as useful. Simply clicking the designated skill button will immediately fire a sticky bomb straight at the reticule, and the game’s minimal target-pull can actually do most of the work for you. Seeker mines can also be dropped without having to leave cover, and you can subsequently guide them into enemy range by moving through cover items as they’ll stay by your side until a target is acquired.
6. There Are Free Items At The Base Of Operations
Upgrading the major base of operations in The Division may be a bit of an afterthought for many players; even in its first stages it still contains the essential restock box and gear vendors so it will serve you well even if you don’t bother improving it past the story-designated stages. It is essential, however, and some of the so-called smaller upgrades have some really useful additions.
Aside from the additional perks and skill mods these upgrades can give you, there are also free items to be had with some of them. Some are fairly frivolous, such as the Procurement Team upgrade that offers a new item of clothing every two hours – though I must admit I spent far more time than I should have in making sure my Agent always looked cool as well as being a badass.
Upgrades like Field Engineering, however, will allow you to collect free crafting tools in the Tech Wing every few hours, meaning that you don’t have to go looking for them out in the world. Given that the best variants of gear and weaponry are crafted rather than bought, these tools are an excellent bonus; if I’d taken the time to read the fine print of the upgrades I’d certainly have chosen the updates in a different order earlier in the game.
5. Your Skill Moves Can Double Up For Devastation
We’ve already talked about how vital the skill moves are to retaining your supremacy over New York’s aggressive villains, but mixing them up in the right ways can help to make them even more devastating. Since enemies will outnumber you often, powering your abilities up even further is a great move to even out the odds.
In my time with the game I’ve found myself most often cycling between the sticky bomb and seeker mine, and discovered after a little while that these can be combined to enormous effect. The doubled power of the explosions will deal out massive damage, making them all the more essential against elite enemies.
Shooting a sticky bomb out within range of a group of enemies is the first step, as they’ll often not see or hear it unless it hits one of them. From there it’s just a case of rolling out the seeker mine and letting it’s explosion catch the planted bomb to double the blast. This can even be boosted even further if you equip the perk that increases explosion damage immediately after one blast, as the slight delay between the two will see it activated.
4. There’s A Target Marking System
As with most Tom Clancy games, there is a target marking system in The Division that many players are not actually aware of. I have to admit I stumbled upon in by accident trying to activate consumables, but I’ve found it to be essential in keeping an eye on dangerous enemies in large combat scenarios.
ISAC will always help you out a little by highlighting enemies if you focus on them for a few seconds, but tapping up on the D-Pad (or PC equivalent) will actually mark a single target and place the objective marker – the orange diamond – over their heads so you can keep track. In addition, if you hold the direction, you’ll activate a five second countdown, perfect for coordinating attacks with teammates or flagging a fast enemy and redirecting your squad’s attention.
For me I’ve found that this is most useful against snipers or charging enemies. Snipers have a tendency to dash from one vantage point to another and this is easy to miss since they’re not always in your field of view. Keeping a close watch over charging enemies has obvious benefits, since they can quickly rush you if you’re preoccupied with other targets.
3. DPS Is Not The Most Important Weapon Stat
As a staunch user of the game’s assault rifles, I let myself constantly get bogged down in ensuring I was always increasing my DPS for all weapons. I was simply under the impression that this was the only damage statistic that mattered and that by doing this I was always maximising my combat effectiveness.
What I failed to realise, however, is that this very prominent stat was not the most important. By switching to the slower yet more economical marksman rifle class, I discovered I was becoming far more dangerous in long range combat. While I could admittedly take an enemy down within a couple of seconds by loading assault rifle bullets into them, the precise shots of a marksman rifle were much more effective, despite its DPS apparently being worse.
This is simply a case of one stat not being effective enough at capturing the strengths of all weapon types, and so it’s definitely worth trying out some alternatives before you settle too stubbornly into one class.
2. EMP Grenades Can Stop Other Player’s Deployed Skills
Since the Dark Zone is eventually going to be where players spend most of their time, it’s important to make sure you’re not just going in there as cannon fodder for better-equipped players. Your skills may get you out of trouble against Rikers and Cleaners, but in the DZ, you’re not the only one who can use them.
It’s worth knowing, then, that there is an item available that will limit an enemy’s use of their skills for a brief time. Throwing EMP grenades disrupts their technology, meaning that they won’t be able to employ healing tactics or deploy bombs for a few seconds.
This element is actually explained by the game, but there’s another benefit that isn’t. While EMP grenades will prevent an enemy’s skill use for a few seconds, they will also destroy any items deployed by skills within their radius. That means you can easily disarm a pesky turret with ease, or even stop a seeker mine from tracking you down before it gets too close.
1. Stat Effects Are More Important Than You Think
The Division gives you plenty of ways to dish out damage with its variety of skills and weapons, and there are even longer lasting effects that come as a result of certain attacks. Frag grenades and gunfire have a chance to make enemies bleed and continue to lose health, while catching fire will also have the same effect.
Certain grenades can also disorient foes, making them easier targets as they are temporarily disabled. These primary effects are useful in the game’s arenas, but there are also secondary effects to these that make them even more effective in the Dark Zone where even tiny advantages can be the difference between life and death.
Bleed and fire effects will prevent enemies from sprinting, thus minimising the chances of a quick escape, while disoriented foes won’t be able to enter cover until their effect wears off. These extra bonuses can be crucial in the Dark Zone, even against skilled players, so never underestimate the benefits of the less aggressive grenades or their lasting effects.
And there you have it; 10 tips for maximising your Agent’s effectiveness that Tom Clancy’s The Division never tells you about. May they help you return order to the devastated streets of New York, though I certainly hope they won’t help you in sabotaging me if we ever cross paths in the Dark Zone…
Are there any others we missed? Let us know your own tips and tricks down in the comments!
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