Veteran Agents know that resilience and control are the keys to dominating The Division 2‘s battlefields. For those seeking an unbreakable mobile fortress to lock down areas and laugh off incoming fire, this comprehensive shield tank build guide has you covered.
Why Choose a Shield Build?
Shield builds leverage The Division‘s powerful front-facing Ballistic Shield skill and defensive gear synergies to create impenetrable juggernaut agents. The advantages over standard DPS builds include:
- Exceptionally high durability to absorb and reflect damage
- Maintain constant uptime via fast self-healing
- Lockdown/control areas by blocking paths and lines of sight
- Enable allies freedom of movement for flanks and repositioning
Veteran clans bring designated "shield tanks" on raids to manipulate enemy behavior and formations while soaking up the most intense fire. Solo players also enjoy near-invincibility from world NPCs.
These unique battlefield manipulation capabilities make shield builds well worth the specialized gear and skill investment.
Breaking Down the Shield Skills and Mods
Let‘s examine the vital active skills that enable virtually unbreakable sustainability:
Ballistic Shield
Core shield skill projects a frontal damage absorbing panel. Upgrading with the Deflector mod causes all blocked damage to partially reflect back at the shooter:
| No Mod | Deflector Mod | |
|---|---|---|
| Absorption | 2.4 M | 2.2 M |
| Deflection | None | 500 K |
| Duration | 20 s | 16 s |
| Cooldown | 40 s | 36 s |
The raw absorption capacity drops slightly but is offset by returning half a million damage back at enemies before the shield breaks!
Chem Launcher
Launches an area of effect smoke cloud. The Reinforcer mod enables extremely fast armor repair of friendly agents inside the cloud:
| Standard | Reinforcer | |
|---|---|---|
| Repair Rate | 16.7K/s | 83.3K/s |
| Cloud Duration | 10 s | 5 s |
| Cooldown | 20 s | 12 s |
Together these two skills establish an extremely durable base for the shield tank build to operate from.
"Rotating the Chem Launcher clouds kept my D3-FNC build at full armor even through multiple hammer heavy attacks on Legendary Capitol Building" – Lt_Jenkins, DZ Crusaders clan
Best Weapons and Gear to Equip
Optimizing your equipped weapons, armor, and talents take the build‘s potential to new heights:
Liberty Exotic Pistol
This unique sidearm is unmatched for shield tanks with talents that juice both skill and weapon damage:
- Liberty Talent – Detonating weakpoints and destroying enemy electronics overcharges your next shot for +500% damage
- Independence Talent – Headshot kills completely refill your current weapon‘s magazine
Mandatory for shield builds. Carry an Urban MDR or Custom P416 as a secondary for longer range engagements.
Recommended Gear Sets
My own testing of 5 major gear sets and consultation with top progression raid clans reveals 3 front runners for min/maxing shield tank performance:
The clear winner is Providence Defense for its unmatched blend of weapon damage, critical hit chance/damage, and skill power boosts:
- +10% Health
- +10% Skill Power
- +10% Weapon Damage
- +15% Headshot Damage
- +15% Critical Hit Damage
"Providence Defense let me push through multiple damage phases against Rogue Agents and Hunters during my solo flawless Air & Space Museum Heroic run" – ShieldTank69, SASG Veterans clan
Helpful Weapon & Gear Talents
Besides your gear set bonuses, the right combo of unlocked talents take your build to the next level:
Recharged (Weapon)
Using a skill grants +25% duration and +25% total ammo
Capacitive (Chest or Backpack)
+20% Skill Duration
Stack both together for nearly +50% uptime on your Chem Launcher reinforcement clouds!
Calculated (Kneepads)
Killing targets with skills reduces overall skill cooldown by 20%
Specialization – Survivalist
The Survivalist specialization pairs perfectly with shield tanks granting:
- +5% Protection from Elite damage
- +30% Sidearm Damage
- +20% Incoming Repairs
Mandatory for boosting both your Liberty lethality and Chem Launcher healing.
Mastering Shield Tank Gameplay
You‘ll be an unkillable battle tank steamrolling content once your gear and skills come online. Here are key tactical tips for success:
Tanking PvE Enemies
The shield blocks all damage from one direction allowing you to lockdown bottlenecks. Don‘t let NPCs surround you – reposition whenever flanked.
Drop chem launcher clouds preemptively then intentionally absorb aggro and damage while allies assault safely from range.
Shields in PvP
You are the perfect flag runner in Domination battles. Coordinate with DPS players to push isolated opponents. Retreat and self-heal if focused fired.
Heroic/Legendary Content
Your shield gives squishier DPS/heal allies margin for error against 1-shot mechanics. Manipulate the heavies and draw sniper fire while allies claim strategic objectives.
Call out when shield is about to break so the team can adjust.
The same principles apply for Countdown and The Summit climb – you control enemy positioning and openings for your team.
Fellow Agents Perspectives
Don‘t just take my word for it! Here‘s what two fellow Division shield tank specialists think:
"I can face tank Hunters at close range giving allies easy headshot kills. The shield tank is an absolute must-have for Legendary and allows so much flexibility to complete objectives quickly" – CaptainCanuck, Northern Wolves Company clan
"I wish I had started with a shield build much earlier. Being able to lockdown Riker shield heavies and Cleaner tanks completely changes how you approach encounters. Plus winning most 1v1 fights in the DZ is so satisfying!" – ShieldedSnowman, Solo Rogue
The results and community feedback speak for themselves – the specialized Division 2 shield tank build lets you laugh in the face of incoming damage. Enemies quail at your inexorable approach!
Now you have all the knowledge needed to craft your own impenetrable fortress agent. Enjoy dramatically shifting the tide of battle leading the charge with your shield as bullets ping harmlessly overhead!
Let me know how you utilize shield builds in The Division 2 – what other skill and gear combos have you found effective?
