The Division 2 is a game that gets almost everything right for its genre, improving on its predecessor and launching in a perfectly acceptable state (a rarity these days). But there’s one aspect of it that sticks out glaringly, a bizarre system that eats inventory space and sows confusion among players.
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Skills were always one of the best parts of The Division and that has carried over into the sequel as well. The Division 2 has even more skills to. The Division 2 introduced new equipment set bonuses called 'brand sets'; all armor pieces: masks, bags, body armor and etc., that you pick up throughout your adventure in D.C, will fall under a certain brand. Maximum Skill Power x2 Alps Summit Armament x1 Providence Defense Remaining slots for brands that offer 'Skill Power' on your primary.
I’m talking about mods. Specifically, skill mods.
There are three different mod systems in The Division 2, all of which work in different ways, which is probably one of the core problems right there. In order to reduce clutter to some extent, at least, Massive overhauled the entire weapon mod system to make use of “universal” mods. Once you find the blueprint craft to them, there’s simply one mod that you can use on any gun that can equip it going forward, and it doesn’t take up inventory space because it’s a separate system. This was controversial for a minute because some of the mods had too many negatives unbalancing their positives, but that’s since been altered.
Then there are gear mods, which do take up inventory space, but there are no special prerequisites to equip them. They add small amounts of stats like weapon damage, skill power, accuracy, handling and so on, and while it’s a messier system than the universal weapon mods, its passable.
But then, skill mods.
Skill mods are how Massive has decided to employ skill power in The Division 2, and the entire system is a total mess, even after some initial changes. Originally, there were a number of skill mods that required enormous amounts of skill power to be “activated” on skills, so much so that that it was nearly physically impossible for players to get.
Those numbers came down in a patch, but many skill mods had their stats nerfed as a result. The current system is still a disaster. You will quickly find your inventory flooded with skill mods for skills you may or may not use, all with requirements you may or may not meet. Unlike gear mods, which have no requirements, you might have lower level purple skill mods that require 600 skill power, or higher level gold ones that require 2,000. But the problem is, you can’t just scrap all the lower level ones, because you want to save ones you could potentially use if you have a lower skill power build, or if you change your build and your skill power drops, negating the higher skill mods you’d be using otherwise.
It’s a total mess. You never want to throw anything away because you never know when you’re going to need it for a specific build with a specific amount of skill power using specific skills. I may not use pulse right now, but what if it gets buffed in a later patch? Then I’ll sure regret scrapping that huge pile of pulse mods. The result is that your inventory and your storage all get filled up with these mods you don’t know what to do with. It reminds me a bit of Destiny’s horribly convoluted shader system that is nothing but clutter layered over inaccessibility.
One idea being passed around is that the game should go back to the old system of skill power simply flatly increasing your skill damage, while the mod system could remove skill power requirements and instead have universal, weapon-like mods that do other things like increase duration or charges or what have you. That would clear out probably 40% of most inventory and vault space on its own with a new, more streamlined mod system in place. It’s not the only answer, perhaps, but the current system is untenable and a rare miss from The Division 2 on every level.
Massive seems to know something is wrong with skill mods as they’ve already made changes to them previously and may continue to do so. But I think we’re at a point where the entire core system needs a rework, and that may not come for a long while, if it ever does.
Follow me on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram. Read my new sci-fi thriller novel Herokiller, available now in print and online. I also wrote The Earthborn Trilogy.
The Division 2 is a game that gets almost everything right for its genre, improving on its predecessor and launching in a perfectly acceptable state (a rarity these days). But there’s one aspect of it that sticks out glaringly, a bizarre system that eats inventory space and sows confusion among players.
I’m talking about mods. Specifically, skill mods.
There are three different mod systems in The Division 2, all of which work in different ways, which is probably one of the core problems right there. In order to reduce clutter to some extent, at least, Massive overhauled the entire weapon mod system to make use of “universal” mods. Once you find the blueprint craft to them, there’s simply one mod that you can use on any gun that can equip it going forward, and it doesn’t take up inventory space because it’s a separate system. This was controversial for a minute because some of the mods had too many negatives unbalancing their positives, but that’s since been altered.
Then there are gear mods, which do take up inventory space, but there are no special prerequisites to equip them. They add small amounts of stats like weapon damage, skill power, accuracy, handling and so on, and while it’s a messier system than the universal weapon mods, its passable.
But then, skill mods.
Skill mods are how Massive has decided to employ skill power in The Division 2, and the entire system is a total mess, even after some initial changes. Originally, there were a number of skill mods that required enormous amounts of skill power to be “activated” on skills, so much so that that it was nearly physically impossible for players to get.
Those numbers came down in a patch, but many skill mods had their stats nerfed as a result. The current system is still a disaster. You will quickly find your inventory flooded with skill mods for skills you may or may not use, all with requirements you may or may not meet. Unlike gear mods, which have no requirements, you might have lower level purple skill mods that require 600 skill power, or higher level gold ones that require 2,000. But the problem is, you can’t just scrap all the lower level ones, because you want to save ones you could potentially use if you have a lower skill power build, or if you change your build and your skill power drops, negating the higher skill mods you’d be using otherwise.
It’s a total mess. You never want to throw anything away because you never know when you’re going to need it for a specific build with a specific amount of skill power using specific skills. I may not use pulse right now, but what if it gets buffed in a later patch? Then I’ll sure regret scrapping that huge pile of pulse mods. The result is that your inventory and your storage all get filled up with these mods you don’t know what to do with. It reminds me a bit of Destiny’s horribly convoluted shader system that is nothing but clutter layered over inaccessibility.
One idea being passed around is that the game should go back to the old system of skill power simply flatly increasing your skill damage, while the mod system could remove skill power requirements and instead have universal, weapon-like mods that do other things like increase duration or charges or what have you. That would clear out probably 40% of most inventory and vault space on its own with a new, more streamlined mod system in place. It’s not the only answer, perhaps, but the current system is untenable and a rare miss from The Division 2 on every level.
Massive seems to know something is wrong with skill mods as they’ve already made changes to them previously and may continue to do so. But I think we’re at a point where the entire core system needs a rework, and that may not come for a long while, if it ever does.
Follow me on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram. Read my new sci-fi thriller novel Herokiller, available now in print and online. I also wrote The Earthborn Trilogy.
Check out this Tom Clancy's The Division 2 guide and list on Skill Modding! Learn about all available skills mods and their effects, how to unlock skill mods, where to get them, and more.
Check Out All Skill List & Effects!Table of Contents
All Skill Mod List & Effects
Pulse Skill Mods
Skill Mod | Slot | Effect |
---|---|---|
Unstable Oscillator | Coil | Increases Effect Duration |
Nickel-Chromium Wire | Coil | Increases Cooldown Reduction |
Silicon-Carbide Coil | Coil | Increases Charge Speed |
Housing Mantle | Housing | Increases Charge Speed |
Exploded Blueprint | Housing | Increases Cooldown Reduction |
Turret Skill Mods
Skill Mod | Slot | Effect |
---|---|---|
Spare Parts | Housing | Increases Cooldown Reduction |
Organic Circuits | Housing | Increases Skill Duration |
Weather Coating | Housing | Increases Skill Health |
Magnetic Rail | Firing Mechanism | Increases Damage |
Hive Skill Mods
Skill Mod | Slot | Effect |
---|---|---|
Backpack Battery | System | Increases Cooldown Reduction |
Cooling Vents | Launcher | Increases Cooldown Reduction |
Experimental Blend | Drones | Increases Buff Duration |
Extra Payload | Drones | Increases Damage |
Nitroglycerin Mixture | Launcher | Increases Damage |
Radar Signal Antennas | Drones | Increases Skill Duration |
Steel Harness | Launcher | Increases Skill Health |
Swarm Control | System | Increases Charges |
Chem Launcher Skill Mods
Skill Mod | Slot | Effect |
---|---|---|
Slip Fit Tube | Agitator | Increases Cooldown Reduction |
Imbued Metal String | Agitator | Increases Ensnare Health |
PVA Polymer Coating | Agitator | Increases Skill Duration |
Feed Strip | Agitator | Increases Ammo |
Chromatics Training | Agitator | Increases Skill Effect Radius |
Polypropylene Recipe | Pneumatics | Increases Ensnare Health |
Firefly Skill Mods
Skill Mod | Slot | Effect |
---|---|---|
Microfiller Resin | Targeting | Increases Cooldown Reduction |
Tungsten Compound | Payload | Increases Efficiency |
Vac Pack | Payload | Increases Max Targets |
RAM Surplus | Targeting | Increases Speed |
Micro Conduits | Propulsion | Increases Speed |
Seeker Mine Skill Mods
Skill Mod | Slot | Effect |
---|---|---|
Sturdy Piston | Payload | Increases Skill Health |
RDX Pellet Payload | Payload | Increases Skill Damage |
Phosphorous Ingredient | Targeting | Increases Healing |
Ball Bearings | Targeting | Increases Damage |
Brushless DC Motor | Drive | Increases Skill Health |
Drone Skill Mods
Skill Mod | Slot | Effect |
---|---|---|
Explosive Requisition | Hull | Extra Bombs |
Micropulse Frequency | Feed | Increases Armor Repair |
Trauma Analyzer | Hull | Increase Armor Repair |
Gaffer Tape | Feed | Increases Skill Duration |
Hollow-point Bullets | Feed | Increases Damage |
Reinforced Rotor Blades | Hull | Increases Skill Health |
Blitzkrieg Blasting Powder | Battery | Increases Blast Radius |
Ballistic Shield Skill Mods
Skill Mod | Slot | Effect |
---|---|---|
Supramolecular Networks | Gyro | Increases Active Regeneration |
Smart UHMWIPE Lexicon | Circuit Board | Increases Active Regeneration |
Dielectric Elastomers | Gyro | Increases Accuracy |
Magnetostrictive Material | Circuit Board | Increases Accuracy |
Liquid Metal Microdroplets | Gyro | Increases Holstrered Regeneration |
How To Modify Skills
Reach Required Skill Power
To equip Skill Mods, you need to reach a certain number of Skill Power. These can be checked in your equipment menu, beneath your Health. Increasing your Skill Power can be done by wearing better equipment.
Open Skill & Equip Mods To Customize
Once you've reached a high enough Skill Power, go to your Inventory and check your Skills. You will be able to access the Skill Mod options for there. If you have equippable Skills Mods, you can place them into the applicable slots on your Skills.
What Is Skill Modding?
Customize Your Skills' Performance
Skill Mods can change the way your Skills perform. Depending on what you equip, you can decrease your Skill's cooldown or increase its bonus damage, etc. Skill Mods are not static, unlike weapon attachments in Division 2.
Gather From Field As Loot
Skill Mods can be gathered from the field as loot. These also come in different rarities, according to what is available in Division 2.
Skill Mods Have Two Slot Options
Skill Mods have two slot options in Division 2 - Gameplay & Cosmetic FX. Gameplay slots affect how your Skill Mods enhance your Skills while Cosmetic FX slots can change the aesthetics of your Skills.
The Division 2 - Related Article
Mission Walkthrough & Guide
All Main Mission Guide & Walkthrough ListDivision 2 - Main Mission & Walkthrough List | |
---|---|
Prologue | The White House |
The Theater | Grand Washington Hotel |
Jefferson Trade Center | ViewPoint Museum |
American History Museum | Air & Space Museum |
Space Administration HQ | Jefferson Plaza |
Bank Headquarters | DCD Headquarters |
Lincoln Memorial | Potomac Event Center |
Federal Emergency Bunker | District Union Area |
Roosevelt Island | Capitol Building |
Tidal Basin | - |
The Division 2 - Game Database
Database List | |
---|---|
All Exotic Weapon List | All Weapon Mod List |
All Brand Gear Set List | All Perk List |
All Skill List | All Skill Mod List |
All Craftable List | - |
The Division 2 - Useful Information
Beginner Tips & GuidesPlay Tips & Guides | |
---|---|
How To Get More Loot - Farming Tips | Differences In Rarity |
How To Customize Your Character | Points of No Return |
How to Co-op / Play Multiplayer | All Chat Command List |
Recommended Skills To Unlock | Where to Get SHD Tech |
How To Fast Travel | All Commendations List |
How To Create & Join Clans | Dark Zone Guide & Tip |
How To Upgrade Base Of Operations | All Projects List |
Enemy Archetypes & Weakpoints | - |