In The Division, we present a PvP build that is primarily focused on toughness.
Since update 1.2, agents need to reorient themselves: Which gear sets should I focus on now? What build should I create? How do I best survive in the Dark Zone?
Regarding the latter question, the YouTuber MarcoStyle has found an answer: He admits that his build is not “perfect,” but it works outstandingly in the Dark Zone. Unlike many other agents, he does not rely on firearms and high DPS values. These are the “foundations” of his build:
- The highest priority is on toughness. You want to become a bulletproof tank in the Dark Zone that can take a lot of damage. With the build, you achieve over 500k toughness!
- Skill power plays an important role.
- This build only works in a team: Since the Dark Zone is currently not recommended for solo agents, you should always organize in fireteams.
This is the Toughness Build for the Dark Zone
Two aspects are crucial for high toughness values: Armor value and health. Both can be improved with the right armor pieces that boost armor and stamina. MarcoStyle utilizes four set pieces of the Tactician’s Authority and two pieces from the Final Measure set:
- Chest Piece – Tactician: +721 stamina with 1781 armor. Additionally, there are bonuses for armor and “Exotic Damage” resistance. The vest has one mod slot: stamina and armor are enhanced here.
- Backpack – Tactician: +819 stamina and 596 armor. Important bonuses are additional skill power and resistance to the burning status. Furthermore, the YouTuber has installed a mod with stamina and skill power.
- Gloves – Tactician: +673 stamina and 475 armor.
- Holster – Tactician: Here, all attributes are improved: +666 firearms, +649 stamina, +593 electronics. The armor is at 907. Additionally, there is a bonus to armor.
- Mask – Final Measure: +567 firearms, +144 stamina, 604 armor. A mod also further increases stamina and armor.
- Knee Pads – Final Measure: +677 stamina and 1026 armor. An important bonus here is additional armor.
The gear scores of all set pieces are 240.
The four pieces of the Tactician’s Authority provide you with the following bonuses:
- 2 pieces: +4000 skill power
- 3 pieces: +20% haste (reducing skill cooldowns)
- 4 pieces: Talent “Tactician’s Authority”: When dealing a total of 60k damage as a group, you gain 1% skill power up to a maximum bonus of 100%. However, the bonus decreases by 1% every second as long as the group does not deal any more damage.
Especially in the Dark Zone class 201+, you will deal enough damage as a group that this talent will be of great service. With the increase in skill power, you can distribute your attributes differently – namely to stamina.
The set bonus from the two Final Measure pieces increases resistance to Exotic Damage by 50%. This is especially beneficial in fights against the pesky flamethrowers in the Dark Zone. They currently pose significant issues for many agents as they deal extreme amounts of exotic damage.
The weapons used take a secondary role in the build. After all, you are not a damage dealer. It is not your job to deal massive damage. Therefore, you have complete freedom in choosing your weapons. How about the best weapons currently in The Division?
For skills, MarcoStyle uses different ones depending on the situation. Primarily, he relies on First Aid (Overdose) and Pulse (Tactical Scanner). However, he also utilizes the Sticky Bomb (Monstrosity Grenade) and Support Station (Charge). The personal skill is the Survival Link.
His talents are Medical Assistance, Field Medic, Chain Reaction (especially when he has Sticky Bombs equipped), and Triage. The selection of his talents strongly depends on his skills.
How the Build Performs in the Dark Zone
The advantages of this build are obvious: You can absorb an incredible amount of damage, allowing you to survive longer than other players.
The high toughness and the improved “Exotic Damage” resistance will keep you standing against the “Monsters” in DZ06, the flamethrowers. Other agents will also have a hard time taking away your health points.
Once your health points start to get low, the “Tactician’s Authority” set shines: With your increased skill power, you can effectively use the skills and, for example, recover all the valuable health points. In case of emergency, you still have medkits, which are enhanced by the selected talents.
However, there are two drawbacks:
- You deal little damage with your weapons: It takes longer to defeat enemies. For this reason, the build only works well in a team so that other agents can deal the damage for you.
- It is not easy to put this setup together: You will need to invest a lot of time and effort until you have all the items with the required stats – especially if you have not been in the endgame for long. You should visit the upgrade station at the Operations Base frequently for this purpose.
MarcoStyle boasts that now even some four-man groups would come out worse against him in the Dark Zone, whether he is hunting rogue agents or is rogue himself. Even during supply drops, he can steal the loot with the use of his personal skill because he just cannot be brought to his knees. He expects to wreak havoc in the Dark Zone with this build for a long time to come.
What do you think of this build? What toughness do you have?
How is toughness calculated in The Division? Find out here.
