In The Division, we present the gear set DeadEYE. Can a strong build be created with it?
With the Underground expansion, four new gear sets were introduced, which PS4 users will have to wait until 2.8. to access. One of those sets is called DeadEYE and sounds promising by name alone. However, it is by no means as powerful as one might hope. We introduce this set and show you why it is considered the worst set overall.
This is what makes the DeadEYE set in The Division special
The DeadEYE set is designed for snipers. The best location to find it is in the Underground on Heroic mode, equipped with directives. However, the individual pieces of this set have also been spotted in the Dark Zone and the Dragon’s Lair. In total, you can collect six pieces to complete DeadEYE. If you equip multiple pieces, certain bonuses are unlocked. After equipping four pieces, a unique talent activates:
- 2 pieces: +20% critical hit damage with precision rifles. This bonus may not sound bad in principle. However, since the chance of critical hits with snipers is relatively low, critical hit damage is not the value you should rely on. For example, increased headshot damage would be more useful. But this bonus is ultimately supposed to harmonize with this set’s talent.
- 3 pieces: +40% initial stability. This bonus could also be improved. You can read all the information about initial stability in The Division here.
- 4 pieces: Talent DeadEYE: When the precision rifle is “not scoped,” the weapon has a critical hit chance of 100%. However, the bonus for headshot damage is removed.
“Scoped” simply means when you take aim at the enemies as follows. The talent does not apply here: When you shouldered the weapon, this talent is active. So you do not need to shoot “from the hip” for the talent effect to apply. Therefore, when you fire with the shouldered weapon, you always have a 100% chance of critical hits:
With the talent active, it doesn’t matter what you hit on the enemy. Head shots deal the same damage as body shots – which fundamentally robs precision rifles of their great advantage. After all, that’s what makes them strong.
The design idea behind the talent is clear: You can shoot at enemies faster because you do not have to tediously aim for the head and wait for the crosshair to converge, but also deal increased damage with body hits. The 2-piece bonus then positively contributes here.
You can choose whether you want to deal damage with headshot hits or critical hits. But according to the YouTuber Skill Up, there is only one logical choice here: headshot hits. With the active talent, the full SPS potential cannot be fully utilized.
How to get more out of DeadEYE?
If you want to leverage the set talent further, you need mods (e.g., magazine) and equipment that increase critical hit damage. The weapon talent Deadly is also essential for this. It is worthwhile to combine DeadEYE with two pieces of the “Hunter’s Faith” set, as this will grant you an additional bonus to critical damage with precision rifles.
Especially important is a powerful booster. For this, you either need to have high skill power yourself or a teammate with the necessary skill power who is always by your side. However, this is probably too much effort for the benefit that comes out in the end. As a precision shooter, you prefer to rely on high weapon stats.
A weapon recommended is a rapid-firing precision rifle like the M1A. The SVDs already have extreme precision, which means you can easily fire quick headshots in succession with these weapons. The M1A is less precise and therefore benefits more when you can shoot at the body as well. Furthermore, the base damage is higher than that of the SVD in The Division.
To put the DeadEYE set into numbers, Skill Up created this comparison:
- Without DeadEYE: 285,000 SPS
- With DeadEYE talent: 223,000 SPS
It should be noted that he created the latter number specifically for the build focusing fully on critical hit damage – thus getting the most out of it.
Another comparison that might make some drop their jaws:
- If a DeadEYE DPS build is fully buffed, it reaches 433,000 SPS at Skill UP.
- A “Call of the Watch” build reaches 1,580,000 SPS.
This means that with the “Call of the Watch” set in The Division, you have over 1.1 million SPS more. Moreover, the entire strike team benefits from the “Call of the Watch” talent. This places DeadEYE in not a very good light. Especially since you have more SPS if you wear no set at all.
Skill Up therefore sees no benefit in this set at all. In all areas, other equipment setups are better. Some users report that it is useful in PvP. After all, you can deal increased damage to enemy agents even if you do not hit heads. However, with other sets, you gain better advantages, so DeadEYE cannot be recommended.
What do you think of DeadEYE? How do you fare with it?
In this collection of guides, you will find all gear sets in The Division, for which we have already created a review.
