The Division 2 perks - best perks to grab first, all perks list
In The Division 2, skills are your more flashy means of attack. However, your build is only as good as the perks you've unlocked, since they're key to surviving the war-torn Washington D.C. But you may be asking yourself, "Which ones should I invest in take first?" Our handy little guide to the perks found in the game will tell you which ones to spend your SHC tech caches on, and also provide you with a complete list of the ones available.
Want to know everything about the various different systems in The Division 2? Head on over to our The Division 2 guide hub to find lots more information about the game. More will be discovered as Agents pile into Washington D.C., so stay frosty. If you're looking for information about the skills of The Division 2, head on over to our The Division 2 best skills guide for the best skills to unlock and equip.
The Division 2 perks guide
In this guide, you'll find all the perks in The Division 2 in a handy little list. We'll also be going over the best perks to pick up early in the game, and a couple of perks you should get as soon as you physically can when you hit level 30. Getting to that point can be tricky, so have a butchers at our The Division 2 How to level up fast guide for more on that.
Best perks to grab first in The Division 2
While there are many that may seem handy to nab off the bat, some are an absolute must-owns from the get go. The Accolade perks are essential for if you want to progress through the levels quickly, as they'll give increasing XP bonuses depending on certain actions - headshots, multi-kills, etc. Since they only cost one SHC tech cache to redeem on each tier, it seems like a no brainer.
The second one to unlock when you can are the Deconstruction perks. While the first one will only set you back one SHC tech cache point, the second is a whopping five. But I promise you it will be worth it, for they will both give you increased resources for scrapping items found on your journey. This will allow you to complete all sorts of Projects for the settlements and Crafting tasks in order to make/upgrade items.
You're free to take on the rest in your own pace, though I highly suggest picking up the restock, armour kit, and grenade perks when you can as they'll increase your overall usefulness on the battlefield. But make sure as you near level 30 that you save 10 SHC tech cache points. This is because two perks become utterly vital. One is the Field Proficiency Cache perk, which costs 5 SHC tech cache points, but can grant you additional items per Field Proficiency Cache opened. The second is the Signature Weapon Ammo perk, which increases the amount of ammunition that is dropped, so you can use your newly obtained toy to its fullest potential. But without further ado: The list.
The Division 2 perks list
When you first enter the White House, you'll be directed to speak to the Quartermaster. Unlocking the perks requires SHC tech cache points, which are obtained after levelling up, but also for finding the SHC tech caches scattered around Washington D.C. To easily find all of the tech caches on the map, all you need to do is visit every safehouse in the region you are in. They will all show up on the map and you can set a waypoint to go and grab them. The costs for every perk depend wildly on the perk you unlock. Some will only cost one per tier (the Accolade perks for example), while others such as the Deconstruction perk will cost one to unlock the first tier and five to unlock the second.
The vast majority of the perks are able to be unlocked from the very beginning, so I've compiled a list of all the perks in the game, including all of the variants and each of the skill descriptions. My suggestion for a search term would be to use the perk types, which are in the third column. Some perks have only one tier, while others can have as many as five.
| Perk | Perk Effect | Perk type |
|---|---|---|
| Weapon Slot | Enables a second primary weapon can be equipped. | Weapon Slot |
| Restock 1: Armor Kits | Restocking when entering a safe space refills all armour kits | Restock |
| Restock 2: Grenades | Restocking when entering a safe space refills all grenades. | Restock |
| Field Proficiency Cache | 50% chance for a bonus item to drop when opening a Field Proficiency Cache (Requires Lv30) | Field Proficiency Cache |
| Armor Kit 1 | You can now carry 1 more armour kit for a total of 4. | Armor Kit |
| Armor Kit 2 | You can now carry 1 more armour kit for a total of 5. | Armor Kit |
| Armor Kit 3 | You can now carry 1 more armour kit for a total of 6. | Armor Kit |
| Grenades 1 | You can now carry 1 more grenade. | Grenades |
| Grenades 2 | You can now carry 1 more grenade. | Grenades |
| Grenades 3 | You can now carry 1 more grenade. | Grenades |
| Inventory 1 | Inventory capacity increased by 10 slots | Inventory |
| Inventory 2 | Inventory capacity increased by 20 slots | Inventory |
| Inventory 3 | Inventory capacity increased by 30 slots. (Requires Lv30) | Inventory |
| Stash 1 | Adds 20 more slots to your stash storage capacity | Stash |
| Stash 2 | Adds 30 more slots to your stash storage capacity | Stash |
| Stash 3 | Adds 50 more slots to your stash storage capacity | Stash |
| Headshot Accolade | Headshot kills award an XP bonus. | Accolade |
| Multi-kill Accolade | Killing multiple enemies at the same time award an XP bonus. | Accolade |
| Weakpoints Accolade | Kills triggered by destroying weakpoints award an XP bonus. | Accolade |
| Tactical Kill Accolade | Kills triggered by destroying environment objects award an XP bonus. | Accolade |
| Survivor | Not dying for a long amount of time, solo or in a group, will award increasing XP bonuses. | Accolade |
| Detection 1 | Donating enough resources to the control points activates better detection of loot containers in a 20 m radius, for 10 mins. | Detection |
| Detection 2 | Donating enough resources to the control points activates better detection of loot containers in a 20 m radius, for 10 mins. | Detection |
| Crafting Materials 1 | Material storage capacity increased to 100. | Crafting Materials |
| Crafting Materials 2 | Material storage capacity increased to 250. | Crafting Materials |
| Crafting Materials 3 | Material storage capacity increased to 500. (Requires Lv30) | Crafting Materials |
| Magazine 1 | Awards: Tactical small pouch magazine; fits any belt-fed weapon. | Magazine |
| Magazine 2 | Awards: Balanced spring 5.56 mag; fits 5.56 assault style weapons. | Magazine |
| Magazine 3 | Awards: Precision 7.62 mag; fits 7.62 assault style weapons. | Magazine |
| Magazine 4 | Awards: Field pistol mag; fits sidearms. | Magazine |
| Muzzle 1 | Awards: Loud vent brake 5.56 muzzle; fits 5.56 calibre muzzles. | Muzzle |
| Muzzle 2 | Awards: Compensator 7.62; fits 7.62 calibre muzzles. | Muzzle |
| Muzzle 3 | Awards: Small suppressor 9mm muzzle; fits 9mm calibre muzzles. | Muzzle |
| Muzzle 4 | Awards: Osprey 45 suppressor; fits .45 calibre muzzles. | Muzzle |
| Optics 1 | Awards: T2 micro red dot sight; fits short and long top rails. | Optics |
| Optics 2 | Awards: Acog scope (4x); fits long top rails. | Optics |
| Grip 1 | Awards: Short grip under-barrel attachment; fits long rails. | Grip |
| Grip 2 | Awards: Compact coupled small laser pointer; fits non-rail couplings. | Grip |
| Deconstruction 1 | Deconstruction can yield extra crafting materials. | Deconstruction |
| Deconstruction 2 | Chance for a rare material to be awarded when deconstructing. | Deconstruction |
| Resources 1 | The resource inventory can now carry 50 more food, water and components. | Resources |
| Resources 2 | The resource inventory can now carry 50 more food, water and components. | Resources |
| Resources 3 | The resource inventory can now carry 50 more food, water and components. | Resources |
| Hard Bounties | Get access to 1 Hard difficulty bounty per day (Requires Otis Sykes - Staff unlock) | Bounties |
| Challenge Bounties | Get access to 1 Challenging difficulty bounty per day (Requires Lv30) | Bounties |
| Loadouts 1 | A new equipment loadout can now be created in the inventory, for a total of 4. | Loadouts |
| Loadouts 2 | A new equipment loadout can now be created in the inventory, for a total of 5. | Loadouts |
| Loadouts 3 | A new equipment loadout can now be created in the inventory, for a total of 6. | Loadouts |
| Signature Weapon Ammo | Increases the amount of signature weapon ammo dropped. (Requires Lv30). | Signature Weapon Ammo |
That's everything you need to know about the perks in The Division 2. We will have some more guides on the game in the coming weeks ahead, so stay frosty out there with your new stuff and come back soon where we'll have a lot more tips for you. In the meantime, if you preordered or obtained one of the many special editions to the game, head on over to our The Division 2 preorder bonus item guide for the steps that need to be taken to unlock these items for use in-game.