This article should serve as a Tech skills guide for The Division. As you read through the article you will find a breakdown of each skill and any corresponding mods that go along with each skill. The Tech skills featured in The Division are primarily focused on damage output for heavily offensive players. A typical Dark Zone party composition should consist of at least two players who have a focus on Tech skills. If you’re looking for information on other skill sets, we’ve covered all of the Medical skills and Security skills in the game.
Sticky Bomb
Grenades are somewhat limited in The Division. However, if you’re looking to liven up firefights with some explosions, Sticky Bombs are just what the doctor ordered. You can shoot Sticky Bombs are almost any surface, then remote detonate the device causing a fairly large explosion that drains upwards of half the health of most hostile units. The radius of the explosion isn’t huge (only about four meters), but you can easily tag multiple hostile forces if they’re huddled around the same cover area or grouping to be healed by their medic.
Mod: BFB – This is the default mod if you’re going to maximum damage. By increasing the radius and the damage of the explosion you can get a much greater effect. It’s not a huge increase on either front, but there’s also a chance the target will bleed, inflicting more damage.
Mod: Flashbang – This mod is good against hostiles that are not using consumables or that lack the benefits of a medic. You won’t get any damage out of this mod, but it blinds and disorients any targets with eight meters of the blast. It’s a great tool if you don’t need maximum damage, but want to make a final push against a hostile force without having to worry about taking heavy damage.
Mod: Proximity Fuse – If you’re not good at using grenades, this is the mod for you. Instead of having to manually detonate the Sticky Bomb, this mod automatically detonates the device as soon as hostiles are within range. The drawback to this is that you may only get a single hostile, while you can wait for multiple targets if you’re detonating the explosive yourself.
Master: Stealthy Bomb – Once you have the master mod it’s much harder for hostile forces to visually see the bomb and avoid it. If you’re good you will likely use it like a grenade and detonate it as soon as it’s thrown. However, if you’re setting up a hostile force you can place a Sticky Bomb or two and having this master mod will make it much more difficult for your enemies to detect its presence.
Turret
When you use a Turret it places a mobile attack unit on the ground that will engage any hostile forces within 30 meters. It has enough health to last against most hostile forces, but with the right weaponry it can be taken down with moderate ease. At the very least it can buy you enough time to flank an enemy or keep them stationary for an assault with a Sticky Bomb or grenades. It works better against AI enemies than human enemies, but it’s still useful in either situation, especially if you have multiple Turrets spread out between your forces.
Mod: Active Sensor – This mod gives the Turret a damage buff and applies the Pulse medical skill effect to any hostile units it targets. If you’re running without Pulse in your party, this can be beneficial during a firefight, but generally speaking you’re going to go with this mod if you want maximum damage out of your Turret skill.
Mod: Dragonbreath – This mod essentially changes your Turret into a mobile flamethrower. The range is somewhat limited, but it can set your enemies ablaze and works well in conjunction with some of the talent options in the game such as the Wildfire Tech talent. This also works well if your enemy is trying to rush you as it will keep them at bay long enough for you to escape.
Mod: Zapper – Much like the Dragonbreath mod, this also reduces the damage and range of the Turret but shocks enemies instead of using normal ammunition. It works well with the Fear Tactics Tech talent and in combination with grenades or other explosives that work better against a group of enemies instead of a single target.
Master: Scorched Earth – With the master mode the Turret explodes when you manually disable it. This works well if you lay down a Turret as you’re retreating or the enemy rushes your position. However, against skilled players they likely won’t be anywhere near the Turret when it explodes.
Seeker Mine
The Seeker Mine is essentially an automated version of the Sticky Bomb. Once initiated it seeks out the closest hostile target (within 30 meters) and explodes as soon as it’s within six meters. The Seeker Mine can be destroyed before it reaches its target, but your enemies will have to be on the ball to take it down, especially if you’re laying down cover fire in the process. This works well in enclosed areas where it’s harder to see the Seeker Mine coming, but overall the Sticky Bomb is more effective if you’ve got good aim.
Mod: Airburst – With this mod, a mine launches into the air releasing a cluster of incendiary explosives as soon as the Seeker Mine makes contact with a hostile unit. The increased damage can mean the difference between a hostile living or dying, and it can inflict damage on any nearby hostiles within range of the explosion.
Mod: Gas Charge – This mod adds a gas cloud to the impact and gives the Seeker Mine the ability to attack multiple enemies. The damage output is reduced but you gain the effects of the gas cloud, disrupting your enemies and giving you a chance to go on the offensive to end a fight.
Mod: Cluster – If you’re constantly up against multiple hostiles, or you’re the only member of your team using the Seeker Mine skill, this is the mod for you. It separates the Seeker Mine into multiple smaller mines that will seek out different targets. The blast radius and damage are reduced, but you can potentially damage an entire team with this mod, even if they’re spread out.
Master: Seeking-Betty – The master mod allows the Seeker Mine to ignore covers and head straight for a target. This gives hostiles less time to react to the mine and makes it far more efficient at seeking out the target and detonating.
Tactical Link
This Signature Skill gives a damage and critical hit chance boost to any allies within 25 meters. Party members will receive a 50 percent damage boost and a 20 percent increase to critical hit chances for 12 seconds. This should be used when you’re trying to finish off a hostile force. Use Tactical Link then immediately rush your enemies to take full advantage of the 12 second buff period. It’s not quite as impactful as the Security and Medical Signature Skills, but if you’re going for raw damage output it’s hard to beat this.
Be sure to check out our Division walkthrough and guide where you’ll find our Dark Zone survival guide as well as our character build guide to provide you with more information on the best skills offered in the Division.
