Sharpshooter specialization in Division 2 The Division 2 guide, tips

Last update: 04 April 2019

The Sharpshooter is the last of the three specializations available at the launch of Tom Clancy's The Division 2. As one can imagine, this specialization focuses on dealing damage from long distances and sacrificing durability (Armor, Health) to maximize the damage output. In this chapter you will find all the information about this specialization - equipment, characteristics, and unique abilities, as well as useful hints that will allow you to use the specialization to its fullest potential.

• Equipment
• Passive abilities and characteristics
• Abilities worth attention
• Tips

Equipment

The signature weapon of the Sharpshooter is, quite obviously, a sniper rifle - TAC-05 C. This weapon is significantly stronger than the "regular" marksman rifles in the game, effective at long distances. This weapon deals the highest, single-target damage in the game - a headshot hit is capable of taking out most enemies with a single shot, even on highest difficulty levels. What is important, the bullets fired from this weapon are capable of penetrating the target, hitting other enemies standing directly in the line of fire. Additionally, hitting the enemy causes a mini-shockwave to be created, dealing small damage to the enemies located right next to the victim.

As with any signature weapon, the TAC-05 C is also not without flaws. The biggest problem with the weapon is the fact that - despite the absurdly high damage - it can hit only a single target (not counting the enemies hit after the penetration of another target). What is more, the weapon has a rather low rate of fire, making any missed shot hurt. The biggest flaw of the weapon, however, is the necessity of the x12 sight - the sight allows one to hit enemies over great distances, but in a direct encounter (when the enemy is closer than 10 meters) causes the weapon to become useless, as you will not be able to hit anything. The sight cannot be removed or swapped for another one.

The Sharpshooter has also access to unique grenades - Flashbang Grenades. They do not deal any damage, but they cause a blindness effect on all of the enemies in a large area, preventing them from doing anything for several seconds. This is probably the best crowd control item in the entire game - a flash grenade thrown into a narrow tunnel or a small room will blind all of the enemies located there. It is also very effective at defending your position from charging enemies. This makes this tool a must-have.

Passive abilities and characteristics

The Sharpshooter has access to a skill tree with 19 unique abilities to unlock. All of the available abilities were presented in the following table.

Name	Cost to unlock + requirements	Effects
One In The Head	5 points	+5% increased headshot damage. The ability has 5 levels.
Deft Hands	3 points, requires the One In The Head ability	+10% increased reload speed for weapons.
Breath Control	3 points, requires the One In The Head ability	+10% increased weapon stability, reduced recoil and faster reacquisition of targets. The ability has 3 levels.
X-Stat Armor Kit-Supplementary	3 points, requires the One In The Head ability	Armor kits now repair 50% less when used, but remove status effects and increase resistance to bleed, poison and burn for 20 seconds.
Tactician	5 points	Unlocks the unique Drone upgrade, the Tactician. The drone scouts and marks hostile targets, feeding them to the agent and other allies' HUD.
Graphene Battery	3 points, requires the Tactician ability	Increases the duration of the Drone ability.
Carbon Fiber Frame	3 points, requires the Tactician ability	Decreases the cooldown time of the Drone ability.
Sharpshooter Uniform	Unlocked by default	Unlocks the unique Sharpshooter outfit.
Sharpshooter Tactical Link	10 points	All group members that are closer to enemies than you get +10% headshot damage.
My Home Is My Castle	5 points, requires the Sharpshooter Tactical Link ability	Increases the armor of the character while in cover.
Vital Protection	5 points, requires the Sharpshooter Tactical Link ability	Decreases the chance you are critically hit in conflict by 20%.
Round After Round	5 points, requires the Sharpshooter Tactical Link ability	After 20 seconds in cover, you start generating 5 marksman and 5 rifle ammo, every 10 seconds.
Sharpshooter 93R	10 points	A 3-round burst fire weapon for hectic close encounters. The ideal companion for when the situation calls for rapid fire and high mobility.
This Is My Rifle	5 points	+5% Rifle weapon damage. The ability has 3 levels.
Digital Scope	5 points, requires This Is My Rifle ability	Unlocks a digital aiming device for long top rails.
.50 Caliber Ammo Acquisition	Unlocked by default	Enemy headshot kills may drop signature weapon ammo, for the TAC-05 C Rifle, except when firing the rifle itself.
Group Signature Ammo Supply	5 points	Kills with signature weapon grant a Chance to gain signature weapon ammo to all group or raid members.
Signature Weapon Damage	10 points	25% increased signature weapon damage. The ability has 3 levels.
Flashbang Grenade	3 points	Unlocks the flashbang grenade that applies blind to all targets within a large area of effect.

Abilities worth attention

The following abilities are particularly worth noting:

1. One In The Head - the ability increases the damage dealt by headshots, which is crucial when playing as a sniper.
2. Deft Hands - a perfect ability for a character using a sniper rifle which, in most cases, has a rather long reload time.
3. Breath Control - the ability works wonders when using rifles, allowing the player to shoot one after another without losing accuracy.
4. X-Stat Armor Kit Supplementary - one of the must-have abilities of the Sharpshooter. Even though it decreases the amount of armor regained by using the Armor Kit, it removes all control-impairing effects from the character, which is crucial when playing as this specialization - enemies will be constantly throwing grenades at you.
5. My Home Is My Castle and Round after Round - both of those abilities activate once the character is hiding behind cover, what a Sharpshooter will be doing all the time. The former allows the Sharpshooter to gain some extra armor, the latter regain lost ammo to main weapons.
6. This Is My Rifle - if you are planning on using rifles, this is a must-have ability, as it allows you to deal additional damage while using those weapons.
7. Tactician - a useful ability, as it allows the player to pinpoint the locations of enemies, but the Pulse effect is worse than the one found in the first installment of The Division, as it does not increase damage against marked targets. You can use it, but there are other more effective abilities in the game.
8. Sharpshooter Tactical Link - another must-have ability which will be active most of the time, as you should be as far away from the enemies as possible.
9. Group Signature Ammo Supply - another ability worth unlocking, as it allows your teammates to acquire additional signature ammo.
10. Signature Weapon Damage - a very costly ability, but offering a huge damage boost to the signature weapon. An ability worth your interest, but only after you have unlocked all of the other skills from this list.

Tips

To sum up, here is a handful of tips on how to play using this specialization:

1. The Sharpshooter is effective as a solo choice. Huge damage caused by the signature weapon will allow you to eliminate most of the key enemies with a single shot. You should, however, start the encounters with the longest possible distance to the enemies to increase the time needed for the enemies to reach your position. During solo game it is worth to use a Turret ability to divert the attention of your enemies off you.
2. The Sharpshooter is extremely good in a party, as a character focused on dealing damage and eliminating key targets (like snipers and engineers). The Sharpshooter can use his/her full potential when in a team - the player can focus on dealing damage, while teammates will divert the attention of enemies. While in a party, you should think about using the Drone with the Tactician upgrade - it will make encounters easier for you and your teammates.
3. The Sharpshooter should focus on taking out key targets - enemy snipers, engineers and medics that make encounters more difficult and that tend to keep a safe distance from the battle.
4. While playing as a Sharpshooter, you should ALWAYS use Flashbang Grenades. Those grenades allow the player to blind all enemies on in a large radius, making them the most effective crowd control tools in the entire game. Additionally, you should find a weapon with the Eyeless talent that increases the damage against blinded targets by 20%.
5. Keep in mind that the TAC-50 C has a x12 sight permanently installed. This causes the weapon to be completely useless against targets closer than 10 meters. You should always have a weapon for close combat ready at your disposal.
6. The Sharpshooter can use all of the weapons, but it is worth to focus on Rifles and/or Marksman Rifles. This specialization has access to abilities that increase damage dealt with the mentioned weapon types.