Y8S3 just launched, so I thought I’d whip up a quick intro guide for D2 players curious to try the Division, to ease the frustration that can happen when starting a game with that much content. I’ve been having a blast in the Division 2. I definitely felt overwhelmed at the beginning but after a few weeks and many YT videos (Thanks RogueGold), I found my bearing, and if I had a word of wisdom to impart it would be: Give it a few weeks. You don’t have to grind for months before you can start enjoying the endgame. [b][u]Where to start?[/u][/b] First, get to level 40. Like D1, every piece of gear you earn while doing so will be level capped and not worth holding on to when you reach the end game. So just equip the best stuff, dismantle the rest and enjoy the campaign. Then, the endgame opens up and it’s time to start build crafting to level up your endgame levelling system: SHD. The goal is to get it to 1000 to get all the stats benefits. After 1000 it’s for bonus ressources only. [b][u]How to farm gear to build crafting?[/u][/b] Best place to start farming gear as a new agent: Countdown on Challenging difficulty. 1. It’s quick and relatively easy since it’s 8 players most of the time your team will be just fine, just keep up and follow and grab the loot. 2. You can target loot, which is very convenient and most of the loot pool in the game can be targeted here, including exotic. 3. You gain currency with which you can buy exotic caches (random exotic weapons or armor piece). Once you got a few good builds, you’re good to go, start tackling more challenging activities as you level up your watch. [b][u]How does build crafting work?[/u][/b] In my experience it goes deeper than D2, it’s not necessarily more complex, it just takes more than just RNG to perfect your build. I highly recommend watching YT vids from RogueGold on how the build crafting works. But to give you the gist of it, like D2 you’ll be grinding for weapon rolls and armor set. Unlike D2, rolls aren’t static, and you can recalibrate and optimize your gear over time, to fine tune your build, make it more powerful. This adds a layer of depth and grind to the experience, as it takes a lot of time and ressources to make it optimal. But as I said in the intro: it is not necessary to enjoy most of the endgame content, a good build will do the job. [b][u]So, what’s the meta?[/u][/b] You’ll get varying opinions on the topic, and a lot depends on how you’d like to play too. But if you want a few pointer to start, here some of my favorite: - Striker set with St Elmos AR, either Coyote’s mask or Overdogs for pure DPS or Memento backpack or Exodus for more balanced survivability. It’s a very popular build, high damage and easy to use. - Tipping Scale set and Caduceus AR. That one is just a favorite of mine. The Caduceus heals you and your team as you deal damage, and it pack a punch as well. - BlueScreen LMG with Ongoing Directives set, great for crowd control support build, applying status effects to enemies and buffing teammates. That’s it, see you in DC agents.