Carrying some elements of the conventional RPGs, crafting is a vital part of progression in The Division 2.
Not only do you get access to high-level gear and weapons, but also certain items allow you to enhance your existing equipment and becoming a more menacing force.
Below, we discuss how Crafting System in The Division 2 works including the methods to acquire the required materials and some tips to make the process easier and more efficient.
The Division 2 Crafting
Getting high-level gear in the world of TD2 can be tough when it comes to fulfilling certain tasks or defeating some formidable foes for high-tier loot.
As a much more doable and convenient alternative, crafting gets you all the good stuff without the grind and effort required.
At first, you will not have access to the Crafting Station. It is only when you progress a little in the story that you are able to craft items on your own.
This point arrives in the game’s campaign when you complete the second mission titled “Grand Washington Hotel” that sees you making your way to the Theatre.
Here, on the rooftop, you will meet a woman named Inaya al-Khaliq who you can converse with to begin the process of crafting materials.
For crafting throughout the game, you will need to return to the Base of Operations located in the lower level of the White House. Here, head to the crafting station to start your work on enhancing your existing gear or creating a new one.
You can choose from 8 categories in total:
- Weapon
- Mods
- Mask
- Chest
- Backpack
- Gloves
- Holster
- Kneepads
Although some items will be purely for a cosmetic purpose, others will play into the game-play and help you progress at a more consistent pace.
Before you can confirm an item to be equipped in your inventory, you will need sufficient materials for its crafting.
Finding Crafting Materials
Various methods to obtain the required components and ingredients will go into the crafting process for an item.
These materials range from common elements like Food, Water, and components to rarer resources like Electronics, Titanium, and Carbon Fibre.
Food, Water, and Components are the most common and abundant resource in The Division 2 so you’re likely to come across these on your adventures.
Via the in-game menu, you can view and mark any moving or stationary Resource Convoys. This allows you to intercept them and obtain the above resources without much hassle.
Dismantling Equipment
The easiest and most effective way remains via dismantling items since you can break down any obsolete or useless weapon or equipment into the essential components that could be used elsewhere. You can dismantle weapons, armor and even mods.
The rarity of the item dismantled determines the quality of components you will obtain once the process is complete. Almost, every time you dismantle a piece of equipment, you’re more than likely to acquire Receiver Components, Protective Fabric and sometimes Printer Filament as a result.
The technique is also rather convenient since you can dismantle items on the fly simply just be opening up the inventory and choosing the desired item to be broken down.
Moreover, further down the line, you’ll unlock perks like the Deconstruction level 2 perk which increase the chances of receiving certain materials upon dismantling an item. Crafting resources obtained in this way commonly include Steel and Ceramics.
Taking a Detour
Another technique and an organic one is that you complete the main story missions and optional tasks to get crafting materials alongside the XP and other rewards you acquire for success.
While you are at it, it is always encouraged to explore the world around you to get the most high-tier loot or crafting ingredients.
This sense of exploration is advised because materials for crafting can be found kept in chests and containers riddled throughout the map.
So check in every yellow toolbox, green crates and brown bags for a chance at some useful component.
Moreover, roaming perilous areas of the world, you’re likely to encounter elite enemies of The Division 2. Once these are eliminated, they will drop rare resources which you may not get your hands easily on elsewhere. More on these enemies later.
Control Points and Other Zones
Although most of these valuable boxes will be discovered at random locations, some can be uncovered in Control Points which are basically zones that you need to capture from your opponents and claim it as your own.
Upon capturing a Control Point, you’re given access to its respective Supply Room which pretty much provides you with most of the desired ingredients or resources for crafting.
A Control Point zone over at the Downton East region is especially abundant in Polycarbonate resources. Meanwhile, once you capture the Control Points near the White House, you’ll get your hands on some noteworthy amount of Steel.
Dark Zones, the PVP aspect of The Division 2, is riddled with crates containing high-tier loot including valuable and rare resources. Most of the decent loot will be locked inside Dark Zone chests which can be opened via special keys dropped by elite enemies of the region.
Similarly, on your normal treks through Washington D.C., you will encounter enemy faction strongholds which will also hold locked crates. Once again, you’ll need to explore the underground tunnel areas for the corresponding keys to unlock the chests and collect decent crafting resources.
Speaking of zones, the game gives the name to most of the abandoned buildings, garages, and shops where you are most likely to find a shipping container full of precious items that you can take along on your journey.
More often than not, you will find some crafting ingredients among the other goodies in such containers.
It should also be noted that the more rare and high-tier resources including Polycarbonate, Carbon Fibre, Electronics, and Titanium can only be acquired by completing tasks on higher difficulties (presumably “Challenger”) and raiding the above mentioned hotly contested zones.
Eliminating High-Level Foes
High-level enemies, especially those that belong to a particular faction, drop valuable resources as loot once they’re taken care of. The particular resources are unique to each faction as well. For example, Electronics and Polycarbonate resources have a high chance of being dropped by Hyenas faction while Carbon Fibre and Steel are more abundant through True Sons faction enemies.
Similarly, Ceramics and Titanium can be obtained by eliminating Outcast foes. Resources aren’t exclusive to high-level enemies or faction-based foes. Instead, your standard enemies and elite ones will also drop one resource or another when they’re eliminated. The resources vary wildly too including drops like Murakami Kozane, Uisge Yarn, FZP Mesh, Textile Fur, GmbH Shielding, Alcemene Resin, and other gear-specific materials.
Uplay Rewards
If you’re fortunate enough to have nagged some Ubisoft Points, you can simply head to the Uplay rewards screen from the in-game menu to some decent packs of almost every type of crafting material. These include Polycarbonate, Steel, Electronics, Carbon Fibre, Ceramics Titanium without putting in the extra effort.
Common Materials
The more common materials such as Food, Water, and Components are best found at spots in the city by zooming your map in really close to their areas.
They are marked by a can, bottle, and screw respectively. Water is normally in large blue barrels, Food can be found in large green tubs, and Components are in a box that similar to other boxes you loot in the game.
Printer Filaments
This special crafting item is used to craft Skill Mods once you reach Level 10. The only way to get this item is to dismantle one specific item.
Open your inventory and in the lower-right, next to the Gear Pads, you will see a section marked by a “Gear” icon which contains any Skill Mods you find.
You can dismantle them from this menu that sometimes rewards you with Printer Filaments.
Polycarbonate
You can find this item in Control Points which are areas on the map that you have to clear of waves of enemies.
There are a few of these in the Downtown East area that has a chance to drop Polycarbonate. Clear the area and raid the Supply Room that you unlock to find them.
It can sometimes drop off enemies as well if you are lucky. You may also come across crates with Polycarbonate in them such as Yellow Toolboxes, Brown Crates, and Green Crates.
The uPlay Rewards section also award you two Crafting Packs that contain Polycarbonate.
Steel
You can find Steel in various loot boxes in the world and sometimes enemies drop it too. The Supply Room in Control Points often contains a lot of Steel so be sure to loot all the boxes there.
Taking the Control Point near the White House will also award you some bonus Steel. You can also purchase a Crafting Pack containing Steel inside the Ubisoft Club store Reward Points.
Ceramics
You can find these inside Supply Rooms and receive them when deconstructing if you have the Deconstruction 2 Perk.
A small cache containing Ceramics can also be purchased from the Ubisoft Club Store along with other crafting items like Electronics, Carbon Fiber, and Titanium.
