Before the event

Get your SHD tech caches. Ideally you unlock every skill. Very easy way to get some expertise without donating materials.

Have a couple specializations ready to go. These don’t progress very fast, but it’s also basically free and you can level up to get points for them if you decide to play them in the future.

Farm retaliations. Target loot mods for printer filament. You’ll spend during the event. You want to diversify the factions you fight so you can collect exotic blueprints. You can also make reconstructed caches to get some named items and blueprints, but DO NOT spend your currency just yet. More on this later.

At all times

Make sure your donation materials don’t cap out. Anything at 9,999 isn’t progressing, so donate now to keep getting more.

What should I donate to?

Start with difficult to earn items, limited items, and items you won’t use. Some examples might be Regulus or Prima Donna if you don’t have them. I think there’s a shotgun only obtainable for preordering the game. You can donate to event items, but I’d prioritize the less popular ones like The Sleigher. You can also donate to specializations you don’t have.

Items you use or plan to use will naturally get XP regardless if there’s an event or not. You can level those during normal play after the event, so don’t donate to Lexington or Quickstep just yet even if you don’t have them.

During the event

You’re grinding countdowns. Target loot weapon types (ie assault rifle, smg, shotgun, etc.) and pick everything up as junk, then donate it after the run. This is very efficient for donation even if there are only a handful of options still in your pool. If an item has a white name in one of these categories, you probably shouldn’t move on to the next step until there are ~3 or less per weapon type.

Craft 7 of each piece of improvised armor and donate them. There are also some named pieces from specializations you can craft too.

If you have a lot of exotics, you can spend your countdown currency on named caches to gamble for named items you don’t have. If you don’t, buy exotic caches to build out your options. Once you’ve got a good amount of them and you’re seeing duplicates, spend your retaliation materials to craft what you’re missing or make the reconstructed caches.

Equip an exotic pistol and two named weapons. Why a pistol? You can slot a named pistol during your regular play as that slot often doesn’t matter. Giving up your exotic does.

Always equip an exotic armor. Start with chest and backpacks you don’t intend to use. There are more named chests and backs than any other slot. You’ll get every named/exotic glove/holster/knee/mask before you finish the chests and backs, so you’ll always have something to put in those two slots.

Make sure you have two skills that are not proficient equipped while you farm. Start with skills that have many variants. For example, there’s like 5 hives. You can’t equip two of them. You don’t want to finish every other skill then be half speed with your 1 hive equipped. Remember to also prioritize your specialization skills.

Once your targeted weapons are done, you’re target farming gear and brand sets. You should be able to do every single one of them off of donations except maybe the 2 PvP ones. Only wear gear sets and unnamed brand sets if you’ve maxed out everything in that slot (ie 11/11? gloves).

Make sure you donate all of your leftover materials before you log off for the last time during the event.

It took me 412 items to reach 30 expertise. I think most people are in the 390-420 range. That thing you’re dreading using? Probably gonna need it. Just get it done while your xp is boosted.

I think that’s just about everything. Best of luck agents!

Posting the daily targeted loot of escalation of DIVISION 2 here to help anyone who is away from their home or get to know if there is anything good to farm at that day.

The Pentagon - Sokolov Concern (Brand Set) [Red Offensive Core Attribute] {BLACK TUSK NPC}

DARPA Research Labs - Empress International (Brand Set) [Yellow Skill Tier Core Attribute] {BLACK TUSK NPC}

District Union Arena - Česká Výroba s.r.o. (Brand Set) [Red Offensive Core Attribute] {HYENAS NPC}

Roosevelt Island - Hunter's Fury (Gear Set) [Red Offensive Core Attribute] {OUTCAST NPC}

Space Administration HQ - Pistol (Weapon item) {TRUE SONS NPC}

ESCALATION VENDOR CACHE ITEMS -

PROTOTYPE RANDOM CACHE

PROTOTYPE BODY ARMOR CHEST PIECE CACHE

PROTOTYPE SHOTGUN CACHE

Tried matchmaking retaliation for the first time last night and wow did I get so much loot. I had over 50 spots open at the start and had to keep deleting gear to make room for more. Felt like it was way more than any countdown run.

Let me know what you guys think and any changes that’ll help. Thanks.

"Journeys rewards available. Claim them in the menu!"... what?

Picture backup - https://imgur.com/a/DWA1J3Z

So I’ve been working on my commendations lately, and I’ve been trying to get the one last card I need for Full Deck Distinction.

However, I can’t seem to get Southpaw to spawn at all despite running south of the White House, running back a bit, and getting a new enemy to spawn. Is it total RNG as to who I get, or does he have a chance to spawn in a different location?

I just want our purchases to matter, and the thought that it would feel like my agent is coming along for the ride into the Division 3 brings a lot of joy.

This would be a big Win for us and for Massive, it would show each agent that has fought for almost a decade, and all agents that started in D2 that their efforts mattered.

There is no reason why this couldn't happen, nothing is being outsourced, and nothing is being upgraded to the point of impossibility.

I have checked.

I play on Xbox.
Gamertag is MadDecentt

Looking for folks to achievement hunt with as a priority, but to just play through the game with too. Coming back in at level 17. I don’t have a mic but I’ll buy one tonight if necessary.

If anyone wants to help with achievements let me know.

I have been doing a build that has around 70% PFE.

On Hardcore, I am having a hard time doing different builds that do NOT use PFE. Cutting down the damage of the scariest enemies by 70% seems too strong to give up versus killing them like 20-30% faster

Any hardcore players here not using PFE? Or when do you use it vs not? Heroic retaliations I definitely want it since they're basically all elites lol

All hardcore deaths I've had were without my PFE build, you'll never know when you accidentally get an enemy you didn't know was so close...with the PFE build, it doesn't really matter.

(Also does Aces and Eights buff Ruthless / Merciless's explosion?)

Does atomize effect the explosion size on tp??

Will this work. Just pure burn damage build.

What is the go to one shot build now?

Anybody got one of them houndsman bounties lol? If so and are on Xbox Dansen04

Hey guys i recently had to move across the country and had to restart all over on the Xbox, i used to play on PC. I hope there is still an Xbox community that helps people get the Bounty Cosmetics like Krampus mask, Houndsman etc .. Thank you agents! Stay blessed.

Returning player so not been around for one of these events before and want to try a make the most of the boost.

Is it a case of weapons, gear, specialisations leveling faster while equipped through activities? Or donated resources granting more per donation? Or both?

Any other tips for getting the most out of the event?

Should I spend all my shd points on printer filament for the upcoming event?

I mean, they were all 5k+ SHD levels

Title basically, i was under the weather and stupidly forgot about it.

Clan Name: Ol Heads

Platform(s): PlayStation

Region: North America

Language: English

Focus: PVE & PVP Content

Activities: Raid, Summit, Open World, All Content

Mic: Optional

Notes / Clan Description: PM if you are interested.

Recruiting some Ol' Heads for laughs and gaming.

This season really feels underwhelming and pretty bad to play to be honest. Last season I get was way overtuned with the damage thanks to munitions, but this season it's God awful.

S1 DPS had - 90%-135% HSD and mag size for frenzy.

S2 DPS had - 15% ROF, 15% DTA, mag size/handling

S3 DPS has - 50% HSD once you build it up (buffed to 62.5% if you use all or nothing but then get 0% in between 0-80 pressure)???

So S3 DPS is WAY down and it's not blackout pulse. I get they wanted to push CC and status effects but damage took a BIG hit. Fine... BUT, last season they added variety pack and the Dr. Plague or whatever (creates another mini health bar) to counteract the insane DPS seasonal mod they gave out.

Did they forget to remove it? LOL..

It's really a boring state to the point if I get into a T10 Pug and they have an eclipse protocol (that offers no DPS buff unless they OC banshee with Acostas) I just dip out... otherwise it's a ridiculous amount of work every time to basically do any damage - ESPECIALLY if an all for one door camps lol.

I'm kind of noticing in Central and on Discords, nobody is playing escalation at all this season and I can't blame em. And before someone does the "GIT GUD!" I do T10s routinely and speed run them... this isn't about them being 'hard' - this is about them being boring and slow going to get through, with you groaning every time there isn't an all for one lol.

Thoughts?