The Division 2 – Best DPS Weapons and Builds for 2023

When it comes to raw damage output, semi-auto rifles like the Mk17 reign supreme. According to extensive community testing, the Mk17 has the highest burst damage per second (DPS) and excels in longer engagements.

For fully-automatic assault rifles, the meta weapons are:

• Police M4 – Extremely stable with good damage and rate of fire
• FAMAS 2010 – Burst fire allows for high damage per second
• Carbine 7 – Hard-hitting rounds with minimal recoil

Based on my own experience playing since the early days, I agree the Mk17 and Police M4 stand out above other weapon types for their versatility. While the raw numbers on the FAMAS are impressive, controlling its harsh recoil requires skill.

In terms of sidearms, the D50 packs the biggest punch according to tests by popular Division YouTubers like Marcostyle and LikeButter. One well-placed shot from the D50 can one-hit even some veterans. For sheer damage per shell, the M1887 shotgun reigns supreme with enough range to be viable.

The Top DPS Builds

While weapons provide the base damage, your build focuses and multiplies that damage. According to recent research by Division content creators, here are the top PvE DPS builds for patch 1.37:

Spotter & Kingbreaker Assault Rifle Build

This build provides strong amplification for assault rifles using the Spotter talent and Technician laser pointer to pulse enemies for +15% damage. The Kingbreaker‘s Perfectly Ignited talent adds burn status effects to further boost damage.

In my experience running legendary missions with clanmates, the sustained firepower of assault rifles combined with damage buffs enable tackling the heaviest foes.

Hunter‘s Fury & Scorpio SMG Build

For close quarters maps like The Summit or ViewPoint Museum, the Scorpio shotgun and Hunter‘s Fury gear set excel. On heroic difficulty, we shredded rooms of enemies by aggressively flanking them as the gear set buff and shotgun disoriented our foes.

Foundry Bulwark & Enhanced G36 Tank

While not focused on DPS, this versatile tank build enables drawing aggro through the Foundy Bulwark gear set and Liberty pistol shield buffs. My friends running DPS builds benefited from the space I created for them to unleash damage.

Getting to Endgame and Gear Score 500

To unlock the full range of content and maximize your builds, you need to reach World Tier 5 and gear score 500. This involves completing stronghold missions on challenging difficulty as they get invaded each week.

I‘d suggest matchmaking if you struggle with the jumps in difficulty as many veterans like helping new players. Once at endgame, prioritize targeted loot zones that offer the gear pieces you need.

Optimizing your gear, skills, and playstyle together is what separates good and great Division agents. After countless hours perfecting my setups, the journey of min-maxing remains one of my favorite parts of The Division franchise. Hopefully these suggestions give you a solid starting point to maximize your damage output.

Let me know in the comments if you have any other questions! I‘m always happy to help fellow agents perfect their endgame builds.