The best Division 2 perks: build the best character in The Division 2 with these important perks

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From more XP to better inventory, crafting materials and more. Here are the best Division 2 perks to max out your build

Right at the start of the game, the Division 2 perks may overwhelm you because it's tough to know what the best Division 2 perks are, but we're here to help. SHD Tech is the valuable resource you need to collect in order to unlock more of the best Division 2 perks, but you're going to want to spend smart until you reach the endgame and have more SHD Tech to spare in The Division 2. Here's the best Division 2 perks for your first playthrough in Washington D.C.

How to get The Division 2 SHD Tech 

Unlocking the best Division 2 perks required SHD Tech which functions as your currency when buying new abilities. You can see them scattered over the map, marked by little orange Division bird insignias, in areas unlocked by visiting safe houses. However, if you really want to fast track getting perks then look for missions and side missions that can reward you with multiple SHD Tech for completing them. One early mission gives you 12 SHD tech and basically lets you set up a character build in one go.

Accolade

The Accolade perk is easy to overlook in The Division 2 as it doesn’t offer any immediate boost beyond an XP bonus for headshots. However it stacks over five levels to give you XP bonuses for multikills, hitting weakpoints, environmental kills and staying a live for extended periods. Unlocking all the stages can see your levelling up skyrocket with the extra XP gains, so it really should be a priority if you want to fast track your levelling. 

Armor Kit 1, 2 and 3

In The Division 2 your Armor Kits are basically your health, absorbing bullets instead of you. That obviously wears them down and without Armor Kits to replace the damaged plates you’ll end up exposed to gun fire and your feeble health being stripped away fast. You can only carry three initially so spend the points on the Armor Kit perk to be able to carry 4, 5 and finally 6, at each level you buy. 

Restock 1: Armor Kits

As I mentioned for the Armor Kit entry above, your armor keeps you alive by keeping bullets on the outside. The more you have, the longer you stay alive. While the Armor Kit perk lets you carry more, Restock 1 will automatically refill all your armor kits when you restock in a safe space. It’s free armor, so really handy to have when things start to get tougher. 

Inventory 1, 2 and 3

As you might have guessed Inventory increases how much you can carry in the field. It’s up to you how far you level up this up (each stage boosts your carrying capacity by 10 slots) and likely depends on how much you sell or deconstruct things you don't want. However, the more you play, the more chance there is you’ll suddenly find yourself mid-mission tapping your pockets trying to work out what to get rid of. Save yourself the pain and buy bigger pockets.

Deconstruction 1

A lot of the time you’ll be deconstructing old armor and guns you don’t need, to turn them into crafting materials. These can be used to make new and better stuff, and also complete Settlement projects for rewards and extra XP. Spend a point on Deconstruction 1 and you’ll get extra materials for both.  

Grenades 1, 2, and 3

Grenades are funny in The Division 2. They’re just fiddly enough to be a bit of a pain to fling out easily but suddenly become invaluable when you’ve got a bad guy wedged in behind cover you can’t shift. For that reason spend some points on the Grenades perk so you can carry more and never run out of throwable booms when you need to ruin someone else’s day fast. 

Leon Hurley
Leon Hurley
Managing editor for guides

I'm GamesRadar's Managing Editor for guides. I also write reviews, previews and features, largely about horror, action adventure, FPS and open world games. I previously worked on Kotaku, and the Official PlayStation Magazine and website.