The Division Survival Guide (PVE)

[Mina]

Hey all, reposting my very rough guide to the PVE version of the Survival DLC that I wrote up for a friend a few months back. I figure it might help someone here feel less overwhelmed. Please add your own suggestions so that other people can experience this awesome DLC ?

 

Introduction

Your goal is to obviously survive. You start on the outskirts of the map, it’s freezing and you only have an hour to live. You are required to keep yourself alive by any means necessary in order to reach the Dark Zone and successfully extract. To be able to do any of this you will need to understand some basics first:

 

LOOTING: Loot everything you come across!

MEDICATION: A huge priority. You can extend your life by a lot. Every second counts.

FOOD: A way to heal yourself without using a med kit.

WARMTH: If you are freezing, run to a shelter or barrel and warm yourself up.

CLOTHING: Keeps you warm on the go. Clothes have a rating, some are warmer than others.

WATER: Drink as much water as possible. Water highlights loot.

WEAPONS/GEAR: Basic items are green, next tier up is blue, after that is purple. There are gold items as well but they are harder to come by or can be crafted when you enter the DZ. 

SKILLS: Very useful in combating enemies or even distracting them. There is a cool down timer on each skill.

CRAFTING: Crafting is important but you cannot do this unless you have enough materials. So again, loot everything!

MED KITS: You can use med kits to heal yourself and anyone else.

 

 

Game Mechanics in Detail

COUNTDOWN TIMER: The clock is always ticking away unless you have used medication to pause the time, but even this is temporary. There is no cure for the disease.

 

SPEED: Move like the wind, don’t stay in any area for a prolonged time as you don’t want to lose too much time. Also, the faster you reach new areas means you are likely among the first to be there. This is good because it means you can loot it first.

 

CONSUMABLE COOLDOWN: There is a cooldown for eating food, drinking water and taking meds. With medication in particular there appears to be a glitch which seems to lock up the ability to use another medication even after the cooldown is over. Some people have said it’s purposefully done as the game wants to challenge you, so it curses you with temporary immunity to the drugs. There isn’t a sure fire way to have this not happen but I recommend waiting another 30 seconds after the cooldown has finished, before lining up another med.

 

LOOT: Once an area is looted it will no longer replenish. It is extremely important you get to areas first to grab as much as possible. Loot varies from location to location, I suggest sticking to the outskirts especially while learning. There’s a massive amount of loot everywhere in these parts.

 

STATIC LOCATIONS: Once you’ve played the game enough times you’ll come to realise that the loot locations are always the same. That’s because they’re static. This also applies to the enemies so you will get to know quite quickly where to go and where it’s not worth exploring.

 

ITEM SHARING: If you’re in a group, this is particularly helpful. You can drop all items looted except your clothes and equipped items, so only pick up clothing that you do actually need. Someone in your group might need it too. If you want to drop an equipped weapon/gear, simply equip another in its place and then you can drop it.

 

BULLETS: You will likely run out of bullets at one point while learning. The only way to find more is by killing AI enemies and running over their dead bodies. Bullets cannot be crafted. You can do yourself a favour and craft an extended magazine at the start of each game to hold more ammo.

 

CRAFTING: Crafting can only be completed at safe houses with a workbench. The outskirts will provide you with a ton of material so stick to these parts at the beginning of the game to stock up. The further in you travel, the scarcer the materials are.

Crafting is limited in different locations, the outskirts allows you to craft basic items whereas the closer to you get to the Dark Zone the higher value items you can craft. Materials can be found marked on the map as tools, electronics, weapon parts and fabric as well as found randomly while looting.

 

You can also convert materials.

For example: Three green materials can make one blue material.

You can also recycle your gear which will give you fabric, recycling weapons will give you weapon parts.

 

MEDICATIONS: Make sure to always pay attention to the time left or you may end up dying of the disease. If you die of the disease you cannot be revived and are automatically booted from the game. The more meds you can find and use, the more you will prolong your time.

 

DEATH & REVIVES: For the most part you can revive yourself if you’re still crawling on the ground, by using a med kit or a Support Station skill. If you’re completely downed you will notice a 5 minute timer start. If you are not revived by someone in this time, you will be forced to leave the game. Don’t lose hope if you’re not in a group, some strangers will actually run over and help you. Some strangers will not or cannot (they’re missing a med kit). It’s a frustrating thing to witness but this is a game of survival after all. Nobody actually has to help you if they don’t want to.

 

ENEMIES: You can tell how difficult an enemy will be if you check their health bar. The enemy tiers are similar to the weapons, you’ll see them as red, blue, purple and gold.

Always use your common sense around enemies and do not engage straight away. You can also use the Pulse skill to check the number of enemies in your vicinity. If there are too many you might like to slink away before they notice you or even run away from a confrontation completely. This decision has saved my butt countless times. If you want to engage but are in doubt, judge the situation based on your weapon. For example, if you have a basic gun do not engage a blue enemy.

If you see another player getting hammered by a bunch of enemies you can help them but be careful! Enemies are frenzied when attacked and some can laser you before you have a chance to assist. If you’re in doubt, watch from a distance and don’t help them until they are downed and the enemies disperse (you don’t have to help them at all if you don’t want to, that’s up to you).
 

WEAPONS/GEAR/SKILLS: There are many guides online that let you know which materials you need in order to craft a certain item, as well as the location of the safe houses which give you the option to craft said item. I do recommend you look over it: https://www.docdroid.net/hF0JEJc/survivalcraftingguide-pdf

 

MAP: There is an interactive map that will assist in locating whatever it is you need, especially in the DZ. It is very useful for locating Division Tech: https://the-division-map.com/#

All points of interest are static but because the map isn’t revealed until you reach a location, it’s hard to immediately tell where everything is unless you use the interactive map as a guide.

 

 

The Route

This part will give you a rough run down of the route I would typically take for success. My way isn’t the easiest nor is it the best, but it worked out for me most of the time. With enough play and experience, you will make your own route work for you.

 

Each time you start a new game you’re dropped into a safe house. Always loot the pill and fabric that can be found in some but not all safe houses. You’ll notice a workbench here as well but you don’t have the materials for anything right now except one piece of clothing. With some experience in looting you’ll come to realise you won’t need to craft any clothing at all, but when learning you can at least craft a scarf or a cap for now.

 

When in a safe spot like this, it is the best time to take a look at the map and quickly plan your next destination. Always place a new waypoint down before moving so you don’t stray from your objective. The best starting objectives will either be a barrel, a shelter or another safe house.

The process should be as such:

• Open Map
• Place waypoint
• Loot on the way if possible
• Reach waypoint location
• Loot everything there
• Repeat

While heading from location to location it is imperative that you watch your back, stay warm and keep an eye on your countdown timer and med intake.

 

Each time you reach your waypoint, loot the area with speed as you are contending with other players on the server. Remember, the loot does not replenish. When you find water, always drink it so the loot is highlighted. The best time to drink water is when you’ve entered a building so you won’t miss anything.

 

At the early stages stick to the outskirts of the map. The best thing about the outskirts is that they are plentiful in everything you need and enemies are easier to kill.

 

When you think you have a decent weapon (better than the starting pistol), a way to heal yourself and clothes to keep you warm you can visit a helicopter crash or another point of interest other than a shelter. There’s no guarantee that someone hasn’t already looted this place but you’ll learn pretty quickly if you’re wasting your time. Areas like helicopter crashes usually give better loot hence the reason why players will rush to it. These areas are usually guarded by enemies so be prepared for a confrontation.
 

 

Now that you have gathered enough loot, head to the closest safe house and craft yourself the following green tier items:

• Basic virus filter.
• If you can upgrade to an advanced filter that would be ideal (great for going underground in the DZ)
• Additional med kit pouch and some med kits. Not a huge deal if you can’t craft these yet but it’s always good to have on hand because the support station has a cool down timer.
• Extended magazine for two reasons:

1. The magazine can only be crafted in the safe houses on the outskirts. 
2. Bullets cannot be crafted or purchased. They are found on the dead bodies of enemies and the more you can store, the less likely you will run out of ammunition.

 

If you look at this map it’ll show you which safe house you can go to, to craft which item: https://www.docdroid.net/hF0JEJc/survivalcraftingguide-pdf

 

Now keep repeating the process of:

• Open Map
• Place waypoint
• Loot on the way if possible
• Reach waypoint location
• Loot everything there
• Repeat

If you enter a safe house that allows you to craft blue tier items, I highly recommend these skills:

• Pulse
• Turret
• Support Station

If you’re in a safe house which also allows you to craft purple items I would choose the following:

• Purple holster
• Purple weapon of choice (if you don’t have a good purple weapon already).

I know a lot of people like the PP-19 and I’ve heard some swear by the LVOA-C. I usually craft the P416 but it’s totally up to you. I don’t add mods to my gun but again, you are welcome to do so. I don’t like to enter the DZ without a purple weapon so that is why I recommend crafting one.

 

At this stage you’re close to the entrance of the Dark Zone. If you haven’t felt the enemies hit harder by this point, you will once you enter the DZ. You can die very quickly if you’re not careful. Other players are also less likely to come to your aid (unless you’re extracting), meds and materials are scarcer to come by and the Hunters are the biggest BS you’ll come across for your first couple almost successful runs. Knowing all this, if you stick to what you know (your route) you should be successful more times than not.

 

Once you enter the DZ you cannot leave so make sure you’re totally ready and geared up. An ideal time would be having at least 35-40 mins left on your clock. Now enter the DZ from the lower parts of the map.

 

From here on in I suggest having the interactive map running in the background if you haven’t already, or until you mentally remember the locations of a special material known as Division Tech. What makes this material special is that it’s only available in the DZ and it allows you to craft gold items in the safe houses.

 

Be very careful when approaching any area with div tech as it will be surrounded by enemies. Steer clear of gold tier enemies and bosses unless you know what you’re doing. Some div tech is found underground, these are contaminated areas and unless you have an advanced virus filter you shouldn’t approach these areas.

 

During your foray into the DZ you will be directed to collect your antivirals. This is not a cure or medication but it does give you one piece of div tech so I like to collect it. Again, it is usually surrounded by enemies so be careful.

 

Your main mission above all is to loot caches. These are the only items that you can extract onto the helicopter, everything else gets left behind. You can collect up to 6 at a time. If your timer is running low (less than 10 mins) and you have the following at minimum, it’s time to meet your Hunter and extract:

• A gold tier weapon or least a purple tier with gold mods
• Caches looted
• Flare gun
• Some good skills like support station and turret

 

Extraction

FLARE GUN: If you’ve looted dead bodies in the DZ check your inventory first as you may have a flare gun already. If you’re in a group and one person has already crafted a flare gun, you will not need to craft your own if your intention is to board the helicopter with that person. They can also share the flare gun with you at any time. If a random is extracting, you won’t need to shoot off your flare gun. You can board the helicopter with them. Just note - there are only four spots available on the helo!

 

CACHES: These can be collected and shared if need be.

 

HUNTERS: My favourite extraction location is Bryant Park but the Rooftop is another good one as you can snipe your Hunter from another building on the opposite side of the street. Hunters can still reduce your health quickly but as long as you have distance in between yourself and the Hunter you can survive. Do not allow the Hunter to get close as they can one shot melee you. Hunters have a limited self heal ability, if you shoot their healing bag enough times they cannot heal any more. Hunters can hack your turrets if they’re close to the ground so keep them up as high as possible.

If you’re solo, you will only have to deal with your own Hunter. If you’re running with a group or a random person pops into your extraction zone, you’ll have to kill one Hunter per person. Once all the Hunters are successfully killed, you can fire off your flare gun as many times as you want without the Hunter respawning (again, unless someone new to enters the zone). Whatever you do, do not extract in another zone other than where your Hunter was killed as they will respawn. Very painful!

 

WEAPONS/SKILLS: I recommend using your support station and turret on the Hunter. The gold weapon I like to craft is the G36 but it’s your own choice really. If you want to try sniping, use the M44.

 

When the Hunter is dead, the helo will touch down. It will only touch down when all Hunters are dead, not before then. Board the helo and congrats!

[zulqarmessi]

4 minutes ago, Mina said:

Hey all, reposting my very rough guide to the PVE version of the Survival DLC that I wrote up for a friend a few months back. I figure it might help someone here feel less overwhelmed. Please add your own suggestions so that other people can experience this awesome DLC 

 

Introduction

Your goal is to obviously survive. You start on the outskirts of the map, it’s freezing and you only have an hour to live. You are required to keep yourself alive by any means necessary in order to reach the Dark Zone and successfully extract. To be able to do any of this you will need to understand some basics first:

 

LOOTING: Loot everything you come across!

MEDICATION: A huge priority. You can extend your life by a lot. Every second counts.

FOOD: A way to heal yourself without using a med kit.

WARMTH: If you are freezing, run to a shelter or barrel and warm yourself up.

CLOTHING: Keeps you warm on the go. Clothes have a rating, some are warmer than others.

WATER: Drink as much water as possible. Water highlights loot.

WEAPONS/GEAR: Basic items are green, next tier up is blue, after that is purple. There are gold items as well but they are harder to come by or can be crafted when you enter the DZ. 

SKILLS: Very useful in combating enemies or even distracting them. There is a cool down timer on each skill.

CRAFTING: Crafting is important but you cannot do this unless you have enough materials. So again, loot everything!

MED KITS: You can use med kits to heal yourself and anyone else.

 

 

Game Mechanics in Detail

COUNTDOWN TIMER: The clock is always ticking away unless you have used medication to pause the time, but even this is temporary. There is no cure for the disease.

 

SPEED: Move like the wind, don’t stay in any area for a prolonged time as you don’t want to lose too much time. Also, the faster you reach new areas means you are likely among the first to be there. This is good because it means you can loot it first.

 

CONSUMABLE COOLDOWN: There is a cooldown for eating food, drinking water and taking meds. With medication in particular there appears to be a glitch which seems to lock up the ability to use another medication even after the cooldown is over. Some people have said it’s purposefully done as the game wants to challenge you, so it curses you with temporary immunity to the drugs. There isn’t a sure fire way to have this not happen but I recommend waiting another 30 seconds after the cooldown has finished, before lining up another med.

 

LOOT: Once an area is looted it will no longer replenish. It is extremely important you get to areas first to grab as much as possible. Loot varies from location to location, I suggest sticking to the outskirts especially while learning. There’s a massive amount of loot everywhere in these parts.

 

STATIC LOCATIONS: Once you’ve played the game enough times you’ll come to realise that the loot locations are always the same. That’s because they’re static. This also applies to the enemies so you will get to know quite quickly where to go and where it’s not worth exploring.

 

ITEM SHARING: If you’re in a group, this is particularly helpful. You can drop all items looted except your clothes and equipped items, so only pick up clothing that you do actually need. Someone in your group might need it too. If you want to drop an equipped weapon/gear, simply equip another in its place and then you can drop it.

 

BULLETS: You will likely run out of bullets at one point while learning. The only way to find more is by killing AI enemies and running over their dead bodies. Bullets cannot be crafted. You can do yourself a favour and craft an extended magazine at the start of each game to hold more ammo.

 

CRAFTING: Crafting can only be completed at safe houses with a workbench. The outskirts will provide you with a ton of material so stick to these parts at the beginning of the game to stock up. The further in you travel, the scarcer the materials are.

Crafting is limited in different locations, the outskirts allows you to craft basic items whereas the closer to you get to the Dark Zone the higher value items you can craft. Materials can be found marked on the map as tools, electronics, weapon parts and fabric as well as found randomly while looting.

 

You can also convert materials.

For example: Three green materials can make one blue material.

You can also recycle your gear which will give you fabric, recycling weapons will give you weapon parts.

 

MEDICATIONS: Make sure to always pay attention to the time left or you may end up dying of the disease. If you die of the disease you cannot be revived and are automatically booted from the game. The more meds you can find and use, the more you will prolong your time.

 

DEATH & REVIVES: For the most part you can revive yourself if you’re still crawling on the ground, by using a med kit or a Support Station skill. If you’re completely downed you will notice a 5 minute timer start. If you are not revived by someone in this time, you will be forced to leave the game. Don’t lose hope if you’re not in a group, some strangers will actually run over and help you. Some strangers will not or cannot (they’re missing a med kit). It’s a frustrating thing to witness but this is a game of survival after all. Nobody actually has to help you if they don’t want to.

 

ENEMIES: You can tell how difficult an enemy will be if you check their health bar. The enemy tiers are similar to the weapons, you’ll see them as red, blue, purple and gold.

Always use your common sense around enemies and do not engage straight away. You can also use the Pulse skill to check the number of enemies in your vicinity. If there are too many you might like to slink away before they notice you or even run away from a confrontation completely. This decision has saved my butt countless times. If you want to engage but are in doubt, judge the situation based on your weapon. For example, if you have a basic gun do not engage a blue enemy.

If you see another player getting hammered by a bunch of enemies you can help them but be careful! Enemies are frenzied when attacked and some can laser you before you have a chance to assist. If you’re in doubt, watch from a distance and don’t help them until they are downed and the enemies disperse (you don’t have to help them at all if you don’t want to, that’s up to you).
 

WEAPONS/GEAR/SKILLS: There are many guides online that let you know which materials you need in order to craft a certain item, as well as the location of the safe houses which give you the option to craft said item. I do recommend you look over it: https://www.docdroid.net/hF0JEJc/survivalcraftingguide-pdf

 

MAP: There is an interactive map that will assist in locating whatever it is you need, especially in the DZ. It is very useful for locating Division Tech: https://the-division-map.com/#

All points of interest are static but because the map isn’t revealed until you reach a location, it’s hard to immediately tell where everything is unless you use the interactive map as a guide.

 

 

The Route

This part will give you a rough run down of the route I would typically take for success. My way isn’t the easiest nor is it the best, but it worked out for me most of the time. With enough play and experience, you will make your own route work for you.

 

Each time you start a new game you’re dropped into a safe house. Always loot the pill and fabric that can be found in some but not all safe houses. You’ll notice a workbench here as well but you don’t have the materials for anything right now except one piece of clothing. With some experience in looting you’ll come to realise you won’t need to craft any clothing at all, but when learning you can at least craft a scarf or a cap for now.

 

When in a safe spot like this, it is the best time to take a look at the map and quickly plan your next destination. Always place a new waypoint down before moving so you don’t stray from your objective. The best starting objectives will either be a barrel, a shelter or another safe house.

The process should be as such:

• Open Map
• Place waypoint
• Loot on the way if possible
• Reach waypoint location
• Loot everything there
• Repeat

While heading from location to location it is imperative that you watch your back, stay warm and keep an eye on your countdown timer and med intake.

 

Each time you reach your waypoint, loot the area with speed as you are contending with other players on the server. Remember, the loot does not replenish. When you find water, always drink it so the loot is highlighted. The best time to drink water is when you’ve entered a building so you won’t miss anything.

 

At the early stages stick to the outskirts of the map. The best thing about the outskirts is that they are plentiful in everything you need and enemies are easier to kill.

 

When you think you have a decent weapon (better than the starting pistol), a way to heal yourself and clothes to keep you warm you can visit a helicopter crash or another point of interest other than a shelter. There’s no guarantee that someone hasn’t already looted this place but you’ll learn pretty quickly if you’re wasting your time. Areas like helicopter crashes usually give better loot hence the reason why players will rush to it. These areas are usually guarded by enemies so be prepared for a confrontation.
 

 

Now that you have gathered enough loot, head to the closest safe house and craft yourself the following green tier items:

• Basic virus filter.
• If you can upgrade to an advanced filter that would be ideal (great for going underground in the DZ)
• Additional med kit pouch and some med kits. Not a huge deal if you can’t craft these yet but it’s always good to have on hand because the support station has a cool down timer.
• Extended magazine for two reasons:

1. The magazine can only be crafted in the safe houses on the outskirts. 
2. Bullets cannot be crafted or purchased. They are found on the dead bodies of enemies and the more you can store, the less likely you will run out of ammunition.

 

If you look at this map it’ll show you which safe house you can go to, to craft which item: https://www.docdroid.net/hF0JEJc/survivalcraftingguide-pdf

 

Now keep repeating the process of:

• Open Map
• Place waypoint
• Loot on the way if possible
• Reach waypoint location
• Loot everything there
• Repeat

If you enter a safe house that allows you to craft blue tier items, I highly recommend these skills:

• Pulse
• Turret
• Support Station

If you’re in a safe house which also allows you to craft purple items I would choose the following:

• Purple holster
• Purple weapon of choice (if you don’t have a good purple weapon already).

I know a lot of people like the PP-19 and I’ve heard some swear by the LVOA-C. I usually craft the P416 but it’s totally up to you. I don’t add mods to my gun but again, you are welcome to do so. I don’t like to enter the DZ without a purple weapon so that is why I recommend crafting one.

 

At this stage you’re close to the entrance of the Dark Zone. If you haven’t felt the enemies hit harder by this point, you will once you enter the DZ. You can die very quickly if you’re not careful. Other players are also less likely to come to your aid (unless you’re extracting), meds and materials are scarcer to come by and the Hunters are the biggest BS you’ll come across for your first couple almost successful runs. Knowing all this, if you stick to what you know (your route) you should be successful more times than not.

 

Once you enter the DZ you cannot leave so make sure you’re totally ready and geared up. An ideal time would be having at least 35-40 mins left on your clock. Now enter the DZ from the lower parts of the map.

 

From here on in I suggest having the interactive map running in the background if you haven’t already, or until you mentally remember the locations of a special material known as Division Tech. What makes this material special is that it’s only available in the DZ and it allows you to craft gold items in the safe houses.

 

Be very careful when approaching any area with div tech as it will be surrounded by enemies. Steer clear of gold tier enemies and bosses unless you know what you’re doing. Some div tech is found underground, these are contaminated areas and unless you have an advanced virus filter you shouldn’t approach these areas.

 

During your foray into the DZ you will be directed to collect your antivirals. This is not a cure or medication but it does give you one piece of div tech so I like to collect it. Again, it is usually surrounded by enemies so be careful.

 

Your main mission above all is to loot caches. These are the only items that you can extract onto the helicopter, everything else gets left behind. You can collect up to 6 at a time. If your timer is running low (less than 10 mins) and you have the following at minimum, it’s time to meet your Hunter and extract:

• A gold tier weapon or least a purple tier with gold mods
• Caches looted
• Flare gun
• Some good skills like support station and turret

 

Extraction

FLARE GUN: If you’ve looted dead bodies in the DZ check your inventory first as you may have a flare gun already. If you’re in a group and one person has already crafted a flare gun, you will not need to craft your own if your intention is to board the helicopter with that person. They can also share the flare gun with you at any time. If a random is extracting, you won’t need to shoot off your flare gun. You can board the helicopter with them. Just note - there are only four spots available on the helo!

 

CACHES: These can be collected and shared if need be.

 

HUNTERS: My favourite extraction location is Bryant Park but the Rooftop is another good one as you can snipe your Hunter from another building on the opposite side of the street. Hunters can still reduce your health quickly but as long as you have distance in between yourself and the Hunter you can survive. Do not allow the Hunter to get close as they can one shot melee you. Hunters have a limited self heal ability, if you shoot their healing bag enough times they cannot heal any more. Hunters can hack your turrets if they’re close to the ground so keep them up as high as possible.

If you’re solo, you will only have to deal with your own Hunter. If you’re running with a group or a random person pops into your extraction zone, you’ll have to kill one Hunter per person. Once all the Hunters are successfully killed, you can fire off your flare gun as many times as you want without the Hunter respawning (again, unless someone new to enters the zone). Whatever you do, do not extract in another zone other than where your Hunter was killed as they will respawn. Very painful!

 

WEAPONS/SKILLS: I recommend using your support station and turret on the Hunter. The gold weapon I like to craft is the G36 but it’s your own choice really. If you want to try sniping, use the M44.

 

When the Hunter is dead, the helo will touch down. It will only touch down when all Hunters are dead, not before then. Board the helo and congrats!

Thank you so much Mina ?, i was looking for some guide before I start this survival mode, now i will follow your guide, appreciate your hard work ?

[Mina]

2 hours ago, zulqarmessi said:

Thank you so much Mina , i was looking for some guide before I start this survival mode, now i will follow your guide, appreciate your hard work

No worries. If you find a better way on your journey or if you can offer any tips for anyone else, please do. We can build on this guide for sure.

[steel6burgh]

i played this mode years ago and it is honestly one of my all time favorite dlc's in a game.  Anyway there is place somewhere that had tons of dressers all strung out on the road with several buildings full of dressers and suit cases with tons of clothes in the area.  Once I found this location i almost always headed their 1st even if it was a bit out of the way.  Thing is once yo have a better warmth rating you can then take your time and run around stronger enemies until you find better weapons and gear.  This was just my play style i take a bit of a stealth approach until I was really strong.  But for me warmth was the 1st priority along with a few meds to slow the virus.  Almost always had a successful run when i was able to get a good warmth stat early.

Edited April 7, 2022 by steel6burgh

[Mina]

24 minutes ago, steel6burgh said:

i played this mode years ago and it is honestly one of my all time favorite dlc's in a game.  Anyway there is place somewhere that had tons of dressers all strung out on the road with several buildings full of dressers and suit cases with tons of clothes in the area.  Once I found this location i almost always headed their 1st even if it was a boi out of the way.  Thing is once yo have a better warmth rating you can then take your time and run around stronger enemies until you find better weapons and stuff.  This was just my play style i take a bit of a stealth approach until I was really strong.  But for me warmth was the 1st priority along with a few meds to slow the virus.  Almost always had a successful run when i was able to get stone warmth stat early.

Yeah you’re talking about Chelsea. It’s in the lower left corner of the map, on the outskirts. There’s a few streets there littered with clothes to collect.

[Jadeccc_]

Wow, thanks @Mina! Crisp, clear and classy!

 

I've fully completed the other game modes in The Division, but haven't really gotten into Survival yet. (Other than a few fumbling attempts quite a while ago that didn't end so well -- I never actually managed to get out.) So Survival has been on my to-do list for some time. For me, this looks like a great refresher course before jumping back in.

 

Any tips on whether one should play solo or try to find companion(s)? Both in terms of getting the trophies and just enjoying the game mode?

 

Also, am I correct in assuming that for trophy purposes, it's not necessary to play the PvP mode at all, and one can stick to PvE?

[steel6burgh]

11 minutes ago, Mina said:

Yeah you’re talking about Chelsea. It’s in the lower left corner of the map, on the outskirts. There’s a few streets there littered with clothes to collect.

that was it.  

[Mina]

47 minutes ago, Jadeccc_ said:

Wow, thanks @Mina! Crisp, clear and classy!

 

I've fully completed the other game modes in The Division, but haven't really gotten into Survival yet. (Other than a few fumbling attempts quite a while ago that didn't end so well -- I never actually managed to get out.) So Survival has been on my to-do list for some time. For me, this looks like a great refresher course before jumping back in.

 

Any tips on whether one should play solo or try to find companion(s)? Both in terms of getting the trophies and just enjoying the game mode?

 

Also, am I correct in assuming that for trophy purposes, it's not necessary to play the PvP mode at all, and one can stick to PvE?

It’s totally not necessary to play PvP, unless you want more of a challenge.

 

The guide is based on solo runs however, to start off with, you might like to find a partner/group. It will take the stress out of the situation quite a bit as you’ll have back up while learning the ropes. This way you may not learn “the hard way” every time.

 

Toward the end I really picked up my confidence and found playing solo a lot easier, however this can be a double edged sword. You are alone so when you go down you may not have any back up. But when you’re alone you’re also not having to use your med kits or risk your life for downed teammates.

[Jadeccc_]

Inspired and encouraged by @Mina's guide here, and the one by @dev2610 in the Guides section -- big thanks to both! -- I finally got around to playing Survival.

 

I am horribly bad at it, at least for now. Usually I manage to get killed even before reaching the Dark Zone, either by the enemies or the cold -- and quite often by a combination of both at the same time: I seem to have a bad habit of getting into firefights when already taking cold damage.

 

I did manage to escape/extract once, but even that was after getting downed in the Dark Zone. I got revived and invited to a group with two friendly players who clearly knew what they were doing. So I just followed them around like a frightened puppy.

 

Anyway, I'm sure I'll get at least a little bit better. It's been a long time since I played The Division, and I haven't played any other shooters lately, either. I'm rusty. I'll learn the map and locations better with every match (I hope), and also learn to recognize situations and to act accordingly (when to run and when to fight, etc.).

 

I do have one question -- sorry, it's a bit vague: how does the mechanism for enemies getting tougher work? For example, it's said that the first player to reach DZ is likely to encounter weaker enemies than another player arriving significantly later. What does this depend on -- amount of time passed, number of players reaching a particular location, something else?

 

What I'm getting at is this: in one match I got a notification "1 Agent Remaining" (even before anyone had reached DZ) -- I suppose this means I was the only player left. In this kind of situation, can I now take my time with looting and my preparations, and stop hurrying (of course taking into account my infection status)? Or will the enemies waiting for me at DZ be tougher the longer I wait?

[TheRetroManiac]

Regarding the clothes in Chelsea you're talking about, this area for anybody that is new and needs tips for a good start, here was the video I have seen on YouTube.

 

 

[TheRetroManiac]

38 minutes ago, Jadeccc_ said:

What I'm getting at is this: in one match I got a notification "1 Agent Remaining" (even before anyone had reached DZ) -- I suppose this means I was the only player left. In this kind of situation, can I now take my time with looting and my preparations, and stop hurrying (of course taking into account my infection status)? Or will the enemies waiting for me at DZ be tougher the longer I wait?

If you do get (1 Agent Remaining) that indeed does mean you're on your own and what I always did was take my time more so when this happened as you essentially have the entire map to yourself and when you start getting used too certain spots you will find you will know which buildings and areas are worth searching and where the enemies are at in fixed locations.

 

That being said if there are a lot of Agents all depends on region and time of day then yeah you will feel like you have to hurry as if 1 decent player makes it to the DarkZone they tend to hog and take most of the Division Tech which makes your job harder however sometimes because they rush so much they will get killed, and it's all for the next person to pick up their loot.

 

If you get the golden server where you are alone I always took my time soon as you get the parts and in the Darkzone make the Custom M44 Sniper and a few attachments that's all you need it melts everything pretty much and even the Hunter can be cheesed if you know how.

Edited April 25, 2022 by TheRetroManiac

[Mina]

3 hours ago, Jadeccc_ said:

I do have one question -- sorry, it's a bit vague: how does the mechanism for enemies getting tougher work? For example, it's said that the first player to reach DZ is likely to encounter weaker enemies than another player arriving significantly later. What does this depend on -- amount of time passed, number of players reaching a particular location, something else?

 

What I'm getting at is this: in one match I got a notification "1 Agent Remaining" (even before anyone had reached DZ) -- I suppose this means I was the only player left. In this kind of situation, can I now take my time with looting and my preparations, and stop hurrying (of course taking into account my infection status)? Or will the enemies waiting for me at DZ be tougher the longer I wait?

 

The enemies are naturally a step above in difficulty in the DZ. I don’t believe it has anything to do with who enters the DZ first or last other otherwise, the challenge is there because higher level enemies group up in larger groups which equals more damage taken quickly. Overall though from my experience, enemies seem to take a similar amount of damage whether you’re in the LZ or DZ.

There is definitely a huge advantage for the first person or group that enter the DZ. They will quite often loot most of the good stuff and in some cases they’ll pick up every piece of Division Tech for whatever reason. If this is a situation you’re in, you always have your antiviral location which will offer one piece of Div Tech.

 

Or, you can abuse the situation as I’ve done previously. These guys will usually leave loot all over the street. Pick these up, craft a flare (if you haven’t managed to collect one from a dead body already) and run to one of your favourite extraction points. Shoot the flare and try your best to fend the Hunter off of course, but you just wait, these survivalists will come running just to help you kill another Hunter  provided they haven’t left the server.

 

If you’re the first person/group in, then by all means take your time provided you have enough medication to keep you going.

[dev2610]

12 hours ago, Jadeccc_ said:

Inspired and encouraged by @Mina's guide here, and the one by @dev2610 in the Guides section -- big thanks to both! -- I finally got around to playing Survival.

 

I am horribly bad at it, at least for now. Usually I manage to get killed even before reaching the Dark Zone, either by the enemies or the cold -- and quite often by a combination of both at the same time: I seem to have a bad habit of getting into firefights when already taking cold damage.

 

I did manage to escape/extract once, but even that was after getting downed in the Dark Zone. I got revived and invited to a group with two friendly players who clearly knew what they were doing. So I just followed them around like a frightened puppy.

 

Anyway, I'm sure I'll get at least a little bit better. It's been a long time since I played The Division, and I haven't played any other shooters lately, either. I'm rusty. I'll learn the map and locations better with every match (I hope), and also learn to recognize situations and to act accordingly (when to run and when to fight, etc.).

 

I do have one question -- sorry, it's a bit vague: how does the mechanism for enemies getting tougher work? For example, it's said that the first player to reach DZ is likely to encounter weaker enemies than another player arriving significantly later. What does this depend on -- amount of time passed, number of players reaching a particular location, something else?

 

What I'm getting at is this: in one match I got a notification "1 Agent Remaining" (even before anyone had reached DZ) -- I suppose this means I was the only player left. In this kind of situation, can I now take my time with looting and my preparations, and stop hurrying (of course taking into account my infection status)? Or will the enemies waiting for me at DZ be tougher the longer I wait?

Glad to hear that I could help. You just need to keep at it, the first few runs are not always guaranteed to be successful and there is no harm in piggybacking on another agent's extraction if you're new to this DLC, only helps you learn and get better.

 

I used to run with other agents/players in the past to assist them, haven't been on the PlayStation in a while now, but if you need any help or tips, feel free to reach out anytime.

 

Just to answer one of the questions about the difficulty scaling on enemies depending on when you enter the Dark Zone, I believe the AI is tuned in a way that it assumes the player, after spending sufficient time in the LZ, is fully prepared for whatever DZ throws at you. To test the theory, I had entered DZ at different times in sessions I have run in the past, depending on when I have entered, the same set of enemies have scaled up from the basic red health to veteran to elite difficulty. So you have to be mindful of that all the time.

 

The other one has been covered by @TheRetroManiac

 

Hope this little piece of information helps.

Edited April 26, 2022 by dev2610
Addressing the second question

[PeachyJacobs]

On 07/04/2022 at 5:59 PM, steel6burgh said:

i played this mode years ago and it is honestly one of my all time favorite dlc's in a game.

 

I completely agree with this comment. Very, very underrated DLC. I had a great time time with it. I played sometimes solo and sometimes with a group and it was always a blast although a lot more stressful when running solo. Depending on your group size though it can make it harder spreading the supplies across 3 or 4 players. Was hoping they would do something similar with Division 2.

[steel6burgh]

4 minutes ago, PeachyJacobs said:

 

I completely agree with this comment. Very, very underrated DLC. I had a great time time with it. I played sometimes solo and sometimes with a group and it was always a blast although a lot more stressful when running solo. Depending on your group size though it can make it harder spreading the supplies across 3 or 4 players. Was hoping they would do something similar with Division 2.

yeah it was a missed opportunity not including survival in Division 2.  When you think about it Survival was sort of in the category of Rogue like or lite I get it confused.  Only Survival was better than most of those types of games i played.  It really felt more like it was a game within a game rather than something just expanding on a story.  Very well executed.  Of course the snow setting and the cold kind of made it what it was.  Could have been done in DC in the winter time as well.

[Jadeccc_]

Thanks, everyone, for your replies to my questions. I see some of the comments about enemies getting tougher as the match progresses are a bit contradictory, I guess it just shows the process is not fully transparent and clear. That's fine.

 

Yesterday, I managed to extract in a painless way, sort of by accident. I'll share it here in case the method is repeatable (I don't know yet) and useful for anyone else:

 

I was at the DZ, not that well equipped to deal with a hunter. Someone else called for an extraction, so I started running towards that location (which wasn't very near). When I arrived at the extraction zone, running at full pelt, the helicopter was on the ground and just about to leave. I got on the chopper -- never saw any hunters -- and flew away.

 

So... maybe you don't have to fight your hunter if you manage to time your arrival to a leaving chopper just right? No promises.

 

I think I'll still focus on being able to take down hunters as they come for me, but I might try this again if a suitable opportunity presents itself.

[Mina]

16 hours ago, Jadeccc_ said:

So... maybe you don't have to fight your hunter if you manage to time your arrival to a leaving chopper just right? No promises.

If the helo has touched down already then no, you won’t have to fight at all. If this is something you want to try again, just steer clear of the extraction point until that person kills their own Hunter and you can jump on their ride for free. Provided they have a space for you (only four spots).

 

Staying away is a good thing and bad thing, if the person looks like they really need help then you might want to jump into the fight, but this will then spawn your own Hunter so you’ll have to put in some effort.