Can you play The Division 2 single player? Ubisoft’s apocalyptic looter shooter is heavily oriented around multiplayer, with heaps of The Division 2 clan features, multiplayer modes, and squad-based gameplay potentially discouraging solo gamers from diving in. So, instead of lamenting and not playing the game because you’re worried, just follow this The Division 2 single player guide to playing on your own.
It can be tough striking out on your own, but with the right set of tools it doesn’t have to be. If you really don’t want to work with others then follow these tips and you’ll be the kind of lone wolf that even the largest pack will fear.
Whether you’re worried that you’ll need a consistent squad of pals to tackle raider-ravaged downtown Washington, D.C. or simply want to experience the detailed open world at your own pace, we’re here to help you out.
For starters, yes you can absolutely play The Division 2 single player, and according to Ubisoft that extends all the way up until endgame. Enemy difficulty is scaled according to your party size, and while you may struggle to cover your flanks or revive yourself, it’s still a feasible way to play. Better still, The Division 2 has a very versatile and easy to use drop-in and drop-out matchmaking system, so if you’re struggling it’s easy to grab some random teammates for a short spell.
The Division 2 single player guide
If you want to survive for long as a solo player in The Division 2 then you will need to use cover all the time. While in multiplayer you can rely on other players to revive you if you fall, but there’s no such safety net when playing alone. So, you really want to stick to cover.
Make sure that every engagement is fought from a distance, otherwise you’ll quickly get flanked and overwhelmed by the aggressive enemy AI. For this reason, it is absolutely essential that you approach each room as though it might be filled with enemies. There are plenty of times when the lighting in each room hides a pack of baddies who are very ready for you. So, take your time.
It’s also worth keeping an eye out for safe corners, which are areas of arenas where enemies can’t flank you and won’t spawn in on top of you. This will let you patiently pick away at baddies at a safe distance. In some areas it’s impossible to avoid flankers, so it’s up to you to proactively take down fast-moving enemies before they get to close and make sure you’re reloading as often as possible in case you need to put a full clip into a rusher.
Sometimes the best way to play The Division 2 single player is to cycle between a couple of well-protected areas, providing you with relatively consistent cover while also allowing you to escape grenades.
What gear to use
Tactics will get you far in this game, but you’ll want to compliment it with a good skill and weapon setup. The first – and probably most important – part are the skills you want to use. Flanking is huge in this game, so you need to be able to establish your own or cover one area with fire support while you handle a tougher opponent. The two best skills for this are the turret and the drone. Specifically, the Striker Drone and Assault Turret. These both fire at enemies automatically, which allows you to focus on priority targets such as elites or grenadiers.
Divide and conquer with these additional guides:
The Division 2 build guide
The Division 2 skills and skill variants
The Division 2 raids
The Striker Drone does an excellent job of laying down suppressing fire as well, it makes it much easier to circle around or even get an enemy to run from cover. The Assault Turret can be thrown in to different positions. This means you can chuck it into a decent vantage point in order to have it cover you from above. You can also lay it in a position where it will cover you if anyone sneaks up. These two allow you to operate as a squad all by yourself.
In terms of which weapons to use, you’ll generally want to use a long-range rifle and a rapid-fire weapon like an SMG. The rifle is going to be your main way of attacking as you’re going to want to be at range, plus the scope is a huge boon for hitting enemy weak points. The SMG, on the other hand, is excellent when blind firing from cover if someone gets too close.
One other gadget to consider as you approach the endgame – where elites, bosses, and armoured foes take over as the majority – is the Oxidizer Chem Launcher. This fast-recharging beauty strips away enemy armour in a flash, making the usually laborious task of breaking down armoured enemies very easy. This is great for getting on the front foot in battles with bosses, making it possible to wipe out the focal point before the remaining ads make things more difficult.
Alternatively, you can pick up the Hive Reviver skill, which will revive you upon being downed, provided the skill isn’t on cooldown. This will save you a lot of frustration as a single player in The Division 2.
Division 2 solo build
The Division 2 has been out for a year now and while there haven’t been too many substantial updates to the game that will affect solo players, we’ve decided to update this with a single player Division 2 build in case any returning or new players are feeling out of the loop.
Start off with two Badger Tuff and two Fenris Group AB pieces of armor for your brand set choices. Together these provide great damage against and protection from elite enemies, buff your armor regeneration, and even buffs your AR damage. Gila Guard is a very strong sixth choice as it gives you a tiny buff to armor. 5.11 Tactical is another strong choice to stop you getting one-shotted by elites.
In terms of talents, Unbreakable is essential as it will give you a huge chunk of armor back when your armor is depleted and make your next armor kit free to use within a limited time frame. There is a ‘perfect’ variant of this talent that fully refills armor upon depletion, making it almost impossible for you to be taken down.
Additional armor talents and mods should all focus on armor stats to keep that survivability going. Patience, Self Adjusting, Safeguard, and Vital are all talents to keep an eye on.
As for weapons, it’s pretty much up to you, but you’ll want to select an AR for one slot to ensure you’re reaping the rewards of your brand set. Talents are once again the key thing to aim for: Preservation, Strained, and Naked all suit armor-based builds.
As this solo player build looks after itself, you can basically ignore healing skills. We suggest a turret so you can distract enemies, and a damage-dealing gadget like seeker mines.
Additional reporting by Jordan Forward.