This article should serve as a Security skills guide for The Division. Here you’ll find a breakdown of each skill along with the mods that go along with the skills. The Security skills are often favorable for medical and DPS builds as it’s rare to find more than one party member with a Security skill focus, so we’ll also be covering which skills and mods work well for medical and DPS character builds. We’ve already covered some of the best character builds in The Division, as well as a Medical Skills guide that breaks down each of the skills in that tree, so if you want more information on other skill sets be sure to check out those articles.
Ballistic Shield
The Ballistic Shield skill is exactly what it sounds like. Your character immediately equips a shield that covers most of their body. The shield takes a set amount of damage before it’s destroyed, or you can remove the shield manually using the same notation with which you activated it. Be warned, while the shield is active you can only use your handgun.
Mod: Reactive Targeting – This mod causes any hostile who shoots at your shield to have the effect of the Pulse medical skill. It works well if you don’t have anyone in your party with the Pulse skill, or if you have prioritized Ballistic Shield over Pulse, but still want some of the benefits of Pulse. It’s not a replacement for Pulse, but it can help to keep Pulse active in the midst of a firefight.
Mod: Assault Shield – The Assault Shield mod basically enhances your handgun while the shield is active. It increases damage, accuracy and knockback, while also giving you faster reload times. This works well if you’re going for a more offensive team composition, but still want the defensive capabilities of the Ballistic Shield.
Mod: Kinetic Breaker – Using this mod turns a small amount of incoming damage into health. It won’t have a huge impact on a battle, but if you’re running without a medic, or if the medic’s healing abilities are on cooldown, this can keep you alive long enough to make it through the fight. This is the best mod option for players looking to create a tanking build with the Ballistic Shield.
Master: Self-Healing Armor – The master mod can theoretically give you an unlimited shield. After a short time without taking damage the shield will slowly heal. More often than not you’re going to take enough damage to destroy the shield, especially if you’re going with a tanking build. However, if you want more protection as a medic (perhaps in a party with three DPS builds and no tank), it’s not out of the question to see this mod making the shield last an infinite amount of time.
Smart Cover
Smart Cover allows you to enhance any cover location. You can use it on yourself to enhance your current cover (within eight meters), or you can shoot it at a cover location within 30 meters to enhance the eight meters surrounding the target location. The main benefits of Smart Cover are to increase damage output for any party members within range, and to increase damage resistance. It works well for medic or tank builds, but it can also work for a DPS build if you’re fighting in areas where most of your party can take cover in the same spot (within eight meters of one another).
Mod: Trapper – This mod allows you to inflict more damage on hostiles using a reinforced cover (Smart Cover), while taking less damage from them. It works well in the Dark Zone where most players will likely have some form of reinforced cover, but otherwise most of the other mods are superior.
Mod: Recharger – This mod allows any effected party member to slowly regain health with decreased cooldown periods on their skills. This works very well if you’re a tank or medic using the Smart Cover skill because it adds 20 seconds of healing.
Mod: Concealment – Using this mod allows you to gain the effect of Pulse when shooting hostiles from behind the enhanced cover area. It also hides you from hostile Pulses. While it’s nice to have if none of your teammates have Pulse equipped, it’s not as effective in the Dark Zone because by the time you need to hide behind cover the enemy forces will likely know where you are without a Pulse.
Master: Cover Trail – Once you have the master mod it makes Smart Cover considerably more effective by extending the effect for a short time after you leave cover. While you won’t have the effect indefinitely, the fact that it lasts after you leave cover is significant.
Mobile Cover
Mobile Cover creates cover anywhere. Think of it like a Ballistic Shield that has to remain in one place. You can take cover behind it and it reduces incoming damage while absorbing a considerable amount of damage before being destroyed. If you’re moving to a different location you can take down the cover to start the cooldown immediately.
This works very well in the Dark Zone when you need to defend yourself at an extraction point. With Mobile Cover you can take cover right at the extraction point instead in nearby cover. This makes it much easier to extract loot safely.
Mod: Extension – This mod essentially extends Mobile Cover so two people can use it. When you’re partying in the Dark Zone this is extremely beneficial when you don’t have cover nearby or you want to advance on a hostile force.
Mod: Blast Shield – For the offensive-minded player this mod turns the Mobile Cover into a bomb. You can shoot it out directly in front of a hostile, then disable it to cause an explosion. It works well if you’re trying to advance on an enemy but are forced to retreat or change to a different cover location.
Mod: Countermeasures – Another offensive mod, while you’re taking cover your damage is increased and enemies cannot use Pulse on you. The main benefit here is the increased damage. The fact that you can’t be Pulsed isn’t nearly as significant in the midst of a firefight but it does come in handy.
Master: Second Chance – The master mod grants all allies behind the shield temporary damage resistance once the Mobile Cover has been destroyed. It works well to help keep you alive while you move to a new cover location.
Survivor Link
The Signature Skill for the Security wing is huge. It cuts all incoming damage by 80 percent and increases ally movement speed by 30 percent for 15 seconds. This can either keep you alive in a firefight, or allow you to immediately rush a hostile force to finish them off. With 80 percent damage reduction it’s very difficult to kill an ally so long as they have roughly 50 percent health or more when the skill is used.
There’s a hefty cooldown period just like any other Signature Skill, but when you need to stay alive this will do the trick more often than not. It works extremely well if you’re going with a tanking build and can even be considered if you’re using a DPS build since the DPS Signature Skill (Tactical Link) only gives you a 50 percent damage boost for 12 seconds. Generally speaking you can do a lot more damage by rushing down an enemy while you have 80 percent damage reduction.
Be sure to check out our Division walkthrough and guide where you’ll find our consumables guide as well as our character build guide to provide you with more information on the best skills offered in the Division.
