Division 2 Shield Build: Best Tank and PVP Build

The beautiful thing about The Division 2 is that players can try out various builds – like the assault rifle build, to see which suits their playstyle best. Some people prefer damaging builds, while others want one where they can tank damage for their team. Today we will be looking at Division 2 Best Shield Build. Whether you want to try this with a team or solo, this build will allow you to tank the enemy bullets like they are nothing.

Keep in mind that this build like Merciless will also allow you to function well in PVP and the Dark Zones. You will gain absurdly high durability, allowing you to take much more damage than anyone normally can.

Without wasting any time, let’s dive straight into the Best Shield Build.

Best Shield Build Active Abilities

Thanks to the latest updates, shields have evolved in Division 2. Since skills and skills health have been buffed, you can add the skill health because that will spec towards your shield, making you more durable. With this build, you will be able to solo a legendary mission ridiculously easily.

Let’s discuss all the things that you will need to complete this build.

Ballistic Shield with Deflector Mod

While you can certainly use other modifications, they are not as effective as the Deflector mod. It has no competition when it comes to durability and overall effectiveness. The best part is that you not only block tons of incoming damage, but you deflect it as well. This decreases the time needed to defeat your enemy as they are quite literally damaging themselves.

On top of that; once you upgrade the mod, you’ll be able to redirect around 500,000 damage back to the enemy before breaking your shield.

Chem Launcher with Reinforcer Mod

Naturally, you’ll want to have an ability that repairs all of your armor once it takes damage. This is where the Reinforcer mod comes into play. You will be able to use the Chem Launcher to create an area of smoke that will repair the armor of everyone inside its radius. It not only repairs the character’s armor but repairs the Ballistic Shield as well.

It further enhances your durability, and you’ll be able to take more hits before your shield breaks. Both of these abilities are a must-have if you want to try out the Shield Build.

Now let’s take a look at what equipment you should use to improve the quality of this build.

Equipment Required

The equipment you use heavily impacts the effectiveness of this build. I’ve tried tons of different equipment, but the one I’m about to discuss below was the best. This equipment has been tested in various situations, in PVE and PVP. While you might not prefer some of these items, I can tell you for a fact that these go best with the Shield Build.

Liberty Exotic Sidearm

In the Shield Build, the Liberty exotic pistol is the top choice. Its exceptional talents make it stand out:

1. 100% damage to turrets, drones, etc.
2. Empowered attack after hitting weak points or destroying electronics (500% increased damage).
3. Magazine reset on enemy kill, with 100% increased damage on subsequent hits.

With the shield absorbing damage and the Liberty pistol dealing high damage, you become a formidable force against enemies and electronics.

Providence Defense Set

Equipping the full Providence Defense Set is essential, enhancing your Shield Build:

• Increases Skill Power, Health, and damage dealt.
• 15% bonus headshot damage.
• 10% increased critical chance.
• 15% bonus damage on critical strikes.

This set complements your Shield Build, providing durability and significant damage boosts. You can consider Richter & Kaiser Set for more shield focus, but the added damage from Providence is valuable for quick enemy takedowns while maintaining accuracy and stability.

Recharged Talent on Primary Weapon

The Recharged Talent, best equipped on your primary weapon, offers valuable benefits:

• 25% increased duration for all charges, including the Chem Launcher for extended armor repair.
• 25% more skill ammo, enhancing your skills.

This combination can make your character highly durable, as it enables rapid armor regeneration without needing to switch to your primary weapon, even when your shield is equipped.

Second Long-Range Weapon

The only major downside of this build is that you are not good against long-range enemies. If you are facing opponents that use a sniper rifle or assault rifle while hiding behind cover, you’ll have a difficult time damaging them. To counter this, I recommend having a second long-range weapon equipped – like the Merciless, which is a semi-automatic rifle. It will allow you to deal with enemies at a distance while you can use your pistol to take care of enemies close to you.

Other Elements

You should also use the Capacitive Talent on at least 3 of your armor items.

• Increases skill duration by 20%.
• Combined with the Recharged Talent, it can provide almost 85% additional Chem Launcher duration, ensuring complete armor repair.

This is a huge game-changer as you will fully repair your armor and be ready to tank all that damage again.

Another thing I suggest is having two items of the Alps Summit Set.

Having them equipped will increase your cooldown reduction by 10% and boost your overall Skill Power.

Specialization

Specializations are an integral part of The Division 2. After the player reaches level 30, you can choose a specialization that you can focus your build around. Each one has its own unique perks, skills, and weapons. There are 6 main specializations you can choose from in Division 2.

For this build, we will, without a doubt, choose the Survivor specialization. Having that will allow you to decrease the damage received from elite enemies. Plus, it increases your sidearm damage and increases the healing you receive. As you can probably tell, this goes perfectly with our shield build.

Tips to Use This Build

Now that you have everything equipped, let’s look at how you should play to utilize this build fully.

The Ballistic Shield

Your Ballistic Shield will absorb all the damage, but keep in mind that it only blocks attacks from the front.

• The shield only blocks attacks from the front, so position yourself to avoid damage from the sides or back.
• The shield doesn’t block explosion damage, so evade grenades.
• Monitor the shield’s durability bar; disable it just before it depletes to minimize cooldown time.

The best tip I can give is to always disable your shield once the durability bar is about to reach zero. 

Chem Launcher is your Best Friend

Here’s a tip for maximizing your tanking capabilities with the Chem Launcher:

• Regularly use the Chem Launcher, especially when low on armor.
• Drop it on your location for continuous repair, staying within the smoke.
• Sidestep to minimize damage and make yourself more effective in supporting your team by healing them with the Chem Launcher when needed.

Use the Pistol’s Talents

Many players don’t effectively use their weapon talents. The Liberty is one of the best sidearms to use with a shield in the game. Always make sure that you target your enemies’ weak spots to gain that mind-blowing 500% damage. If you properly use these talents, you will be unstoppable and take out enemies within seconds. Even enemies with massive health bars will fall victim to your Liberty Exotic.

Takeaway

The Shield Build allows you to have durability, utility, and damage. It is ideal for solo players as well as people who prefer playing a team game. Make sure that the enemy is always focusing on you so that your team can run around freely without any fear of dying. With the proper usage of talents, weapons, and skills; you will quite literally be unkillable. You have high amounts of defense, and on top of that, you can repair all of that just as quickly. I tried out multiple builds before concluding that this shield build is possibly the best one. The equipment mentioned, combined with all the mods, all compliment each other greatly.

That does it for my guide about The Division 2 Shield Build. Try it out for yourself to see just how good this is. Kindly leave a comment below telling me about your favorite build in the game you love using.