Handling elite enemies in The Division 2 can be rather difficult if not approached correctly, or rather easy if approached strategically.
If you’ve been playing The Division 2, then you’ve run into your fair share of elite enemies that have complicated situations and made things much more difficult – whether that’s in a mission, a control point, or a random encounter. Elites are heavily armored and come in different forms, including melee and LMG.
Handling elite enemies can be rather difficult if not approached correctly, or rather easy if approached strategically. They can be overwhelming enemies in general, especially for those playing solo, but there are a few tools at your disposal that will help greatly in the long run.
Handling Elites
Starting with Builds
One of the most important aspects of the game is knowing the builds and what type of character you’re playing. Are you a sniper with high crit damage or do you lay down heavy fire with extra rounds mods? Either way, it’s important to know what armor is equipped and what mods are attached. For example, there are mods that deal in elite damage. These are useful, but not for every situation. If you’re solo and want to gun through the story missions, then using high critical damage is more important because you’ll statistically face more regular enemies than elites overall, whereas if you’re in the dark zone or in a specific scenario with two or more elites, then it’s crucial to have those stats. Having high critical damage is nearly as effective, mostly because that works great against the waves of regular enemies. It’s also of note that your own health and armor should be beefed up before battling elites. This is pretty standard, but when creating a build, make sure there’s added percentage to health as well.
Knowing the Right Skill
The skills, such as the drone or the hive, are nuanced in their importance per scenario. For example, being able to heal and revive allies with the chem launcher is good for group play, but it’s not necessary in solo. One of the more effective tools is the chem launcher variant known as the Oxidizer – a destructive gas that depletes enemy armor rather quickly. It’s effective against elite enemies, especially if the second equipped skill is the drone or a turret, which will continuously lay down fire on a selected enemy until destroyed. Timing these two together can even the playing field and finish off the elite with ease.
Regular Enemies First
Before taking on the elite, make sure the regular enemies with the red or purple bars are neutralized first. If you focus too much on the elite without killing off the rest of the wave, they’ll flank you while you’re distracted. It’s not necessarily the elites that do all the killing, but the regular enemies who are forgotten about.
Explosives, obviously
When it comes down to it, explosives work remarkably if timed right. Elites do move around the space, but they’re usually slow (not always. Sometimes they run). Grenades are always a great idea, so upgrading the perk to allow for maximum grenades helps a ton. There are also explosive canisters scattered throughout the maps, so timing those shots will quicken the pace of an elite battle.
