The Dark Zone in The Division requires a certain set of gear in order to survive Rogue Agents. This is no more self-evident than during farming runs.
Summary[]
The best loadout for farming in the Dark Zone is a loadout that utilizes certain stats and skills. To begin with, the following is a recommended minimum base stat loadout:
- 100k DPS (DPS being damage per second from your main weapon)
- 350k Toughness
- 30k Skill Power Gear
With this loadout, you should be able to dominate most engagements. Your toughness stat will determine the damage you take and how fast you can recover, so having a high rating here can decide how you fare in the large range of engagements you'll likely face while farming. This is heavily augmented by your weapon choices, of course, though a good deal of how you level and what build you take will determine the overall numbers.
Gear Loadout[]
The following are recommended gear choices and equip paths:
- Mask - High stamina mask with skill power rolled. Gear Score of 240.
- Chest - High stamina vest with 2 modding slots, and armor rolled. Gear Score of 240.
- Backpack - Firearms Sentry backpack, single mod slot will skillpower. Gear Score of 240.
- Gloves - Striker Gloves with all 3 stats and armor rolled. Gear Score of 240.
- Holster : Striker Holster with all 3 stats and armor. Gear Score of 240.
- Knee Pads - Final Measure Firearms kneepads with 1 mod slot and armor rolled. Gear Score of 240.
With this loadout, you're not going to have great DPS, but it's all focused on increasing survivability and toughness at this stage. All the DPS in the world is going to be pointless without decent toughness and survivability.
Weapon Loadout[]
The following are suggested weapons.
- Vector ACP with Predatory, Responsive, and Skilled.
- FW M1A with Brutal Deadly and locked.
Loadout Focus[]
The whole point of this loadout is the crux between the Vector with Predatory and the increased skill power from the gear loadout. Because the DPS is low, you have to compensate with Smart Cover and Pulse, as well as staying mobile throughout the battlefield. If you set up your Smart Cover at a distance, you can sit in it and boost your damage resistance by 40-45% while dealing decent ranged damage. This can lead to 1 million and above critical headshots, which can wipe out a good deal of enemies very quickly. This, unfortunately, means that your PvP DPS is pretty poor, which is what the increase in toughness is all about.
When you get ganked by enemy teams, you need to move quickly. Use Overdose and Smart Cover, and keep healing yourself. Run, don't worry about your gear - it's better to lose a potential gain than to lose a ton of experience in the Dark Zone. This can be somewhat negated by farming for 3 purples or blues, and then switching to yellows and gear sets. If you die, your loot is going to be a in a private drop, pushed out by the "junk" gear previously collected. This can seriously save some headaches, and can decrease your time spent in the Dark Zone, as you're not re-farming items you already farmed once before.