The Division 2: The Best Perks and How to Unlock Them

By Dave Horobin,
The world of Tom Clancy's The Division 2 is dangerous, with heavily armed enemies around every corner. If you want to take back control of Washington D.C. you're going to want to be as well equipped as possible, and thankfully, as an Agent, you have a number of tools at your disposal.

You can tailor your character to suit your playstyle, but in the early stage of the game when resources are low, you're going to want to make sure you unlock the best skills and perks first. Unlike skills which are limited in the number you can equip at any one time and need to be triggered, The Division 2's perks provide permanent buffs that range from earning additional XP to carrying more ammo and unlocking weapon mods. Below you will find all the info you need to know about the best perks in The Division 2.

The Division 2 Perks

How Do You Unlock Perks in The Division 2?

Similar to skills, you will gain access to perks early in the game, once you make it to the White House. You can purchase new perks from the Quartermaster, Coop Dennison, who can be found on the ground floor near the main entrance.

How Much Do Perks Cost?

Perks can be acquired in exchange for SHD Tech. You earn SHD Tech by levelling up your character, completing main story missions, discovering SHD Tech Caches in the world, and completing specific SHD Tech missions. The cost for each perk varies from 1 SHD Tech to 5 SHD Tech.

In total, there are dozens of different perks which are separated into 19 different categories, with additional sub-levels available to acquire once you have purchased the previous level.

Which Perks Should You Unlock First in The Division 2?

With SHD Tech becoming sparse as you progress further into the game, there are some perks that you will definitely want to get your hands as soon as possible for maximum benefit. During the perks tutorial, you will be required to acquire the Weapon Slot perk which allows you to carry two primary weapons. From then on, it's up you which ones you acquire and when.

The Best Perks in The Division 2

Headshot Accolade: The Headshot Accolade perk costs 1 SHD Tech and will grant you additional XP whenever you kill an enemy with a headshot. Even if you're not specifically going for headshots, you'll undoubtedly get quite a few, so grab this early to help you make it to rank 30.

The same can be said for the extra levels in this category, which can all be acquired for just 1 SHD Tech.
  • Level 2: Multi-Kill Accolade
  • Level 3: Weakpoints Accolade
  • Level 4: Tactical Kill Accolade
  • Level 5: Survivor Accolade
Armor Kit: The first level of the Armor Kit perk will allow you to carry an additional armour kit for a total of 4. In huge battles, this will make a huge difference in making it out alive.

Restock Armor Kits: Once you've purchased the additional Armor Kit, Restock Armour Kit should be your next addition. It will automatically restock and used armor kits when you enter a safe space.

Deconstruction: The first level of Destruction costs 1 SHD Tech, whilst the second one will set you back 5. Definitely, purchase at least the first level as you'll get extra resources whenever you scrap items. With loot so abundant within the game, you'll be scrapping quite often. The additional resources will also help when you're attempting to complete Projects for settlements, as well as giving you the chance to craft more items and upgrades.

Full List of The Division 2 Perks

Perk Perk Effect
Weapon Slot A second primary weapon can be equipped.
Restock Level 1 Restocking when entering a safe space refills all armour kits
Restock Level 2 Restocking when entering a safe space refills all grenades.
Field Proficiency Cache 50% chance for a bonus item to drop when opening a Field Proficiency Cache (Requires Lv30)
Armor Kit Level 1 You can now carry 1 more armour kit for a total of 4.
Armor Kit Level 2 You can now carry 1 more armour kit for a total of 5.
Armor Kit Level 3 You can now carry 1 more armour kit for a total of 6.
Grenades Level 1 You can now carry 1 more grenade.
Grenades Level 2 You can now carry 1 more grenade.
Grenades Level 3 You can now carry 1 more grenade.
Inventory Level 1 Inventory capacity increased by 10 slots
Inventory Level 2 Inventory capacity increased by 20 slots
Inventory Level 3 Inventory capacity increased by 30 slots. (Requires Lv30)
Stash Level 1 Adds 20 more slots to your stash storage capacity
Stash Level 2 Adds 30 more slots to your stash storage capacity
Stash Level 3 Adds 50 more slots to your stash storage capacity
Headshot Accolade Headshot kills award an XP bonus.
Multi-kill Accolade Killing multiple enemies at the same time award an XP bonus.
Weakpoints Accolade Kills triggered by destroying weakpoints award an XP bonus.
Tactical Kill Accolade Kills triggered by destroying environment objects award an XP bonus.
Survivor Not dying for a long amount of time, solo or in a group, will award increasing XP bonuses.
Detection Level 1 Donating enough resources to the control points activates better detection of loot containers in a 20 m radius, for 10 mins.
Detection Level 2 Donating enough resources to the control points activates better detection of loot containers in a 20 m radius, for 10 mins.
Crafting Materials Level 1 Material storage capacity increased to 100.
Crafting Materials Level 2 Material storage capacity increased to 250.
Crafting Materials Level 3 Material storage capacity increased to 500. (Requires Lv30)
Magazine Level 1 Awards: Tactical small pouch magazine; fits any belt-fed weapon.
Magazine Level 2 Awards: Balanced spring 5.56 mag; fits 5.56 assault style weapons.
Magazine Level 3 Awards: Precision 7.62 mag; fits 7.62 assault style weapons.
Magazine Level 4 Awards: Field pistol mag; fits sidearms
Muzzle Level 1 Awards: Loud vent brake 5.56 muzzle; fits 5.56 calibre muzzles.
Muzzle Level 2 Awards: Compensator 7.62; fits 7.62 calibre muzzles.
Muzzle Level 3 Awards: Small suppressor 9mm muzzle; fits 9mm calibre muzzles.
Muzzle Level 4 Awards: Osprey 45 suppressor; fits .45 calibre muzzles.
Optics Level 1 Awards: T2 micro red dot sight; fits short and long top rails.
Optics Level 2 Awards: Acog scope (4x); fits long top rails.
Grip Level 1 Awards: Short grip under-barrel attachment; fits long rails.
Grip Level 2 Awards: Compact coupled small laser pointer; fits non-rail couplings.
Deconstruction Level 1 Deconstruction can yield extra crafting materials.
Deconstruction Level 2 Chance for a rare material to be awarded when deconstructing.
Resources Level 1 The resource inventory can now carry 50 more food, water and components.
Resources Level 2 The resource inventory can now carry 50 more food, water and components.
Resources Level 3 The resource inventory can now carry 50 more food, water and components.
Hard Bounties Get access to 1 Hard difficulty bounty per day (Requires Otis Sykes - Staff unlock)
Challenge Bounties Get access to 1 Challenging difficulty bounty per day (Requires Lv30)
Loadouts Level 1 A new equipment loadout can now be created in the inventory, for a total of 4.
Loadouts Level 2 A new equipment loadout can now be created in the inventory, for a total of 5.
Loadouts Level 3 A new equipment loadout can now be created in the inventory, for a total of 6.
Signature Weapon Ammo Increases the amount of signature weapon ammo dropped. (Requires Lv30).
That's it for our guide to the skills available in The Division 2. If you have your own tips for hunting down the game's trophies, be sure to write up a solution on the Division 2 trophies list.
More Tom Clancy's The Division 2 stories:
Dave Horobin
Written by Dave Horobin
Dave is the TrueTrophies Social Manager and has been a Newshound since 2010. When he's not chasing developers and publishers for early review copies, he can usually be found on the TrueTrophies social pages discussing all things TT related.
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