The Division: how to craft for better gear and weapons
Crafting is one of the most convenient ways to quickly power up your The Division agent.
The Division guide: crafting how-to and FAQ
The Division gives you so many ways to earn loot that it's easy to overlook crafting, but you're not doing yourself any favours by ignoring this side of the game. There's nothing better than quickly putting together exactly the right tool for the job right when you need it and knowing it's going to come out at the right level, with a chance of some sweet bonuses.
In some games crafting is a right pain, with laborious material collections and complicated recipes. The Division makes it pretty easy, once you get a handle on the basic systems. Read on and be illuminated.
How and where do I craft?
Crafting is available as soon as you found a Base of Operations in Manhattan - so you need to finish the Brooklyn prologue and complete the first story mission (securing the post office) first. The crafting station is opposite the entrance in the first room; look for a guy bent over a long, low table. You need to hold down Square/X and endure a short animation before the crafting menu opens.
What can I craft?
Weapons, sidearms, weapon mods and all kinds of armour - everything except clothing. If you can equip it, you can make it. You can also convert materials into other resources in the crafting menu.
What should I craft?
Blithely, whatever you want. More seriously, look over the stats carefully. Be sure you're not mistaking a slightly higher DPS on a different weapon type for a superior weapon of the type you've got. Be aware that some crafting output is randomised, so you can't guarantee good bonus stats. Crafting is really handy for plugging holes in your build if you're short on cash and unlucky with drops, but really need - for example - a more powerful shotgun. Be sure to take a look at mods, too; that powerful but difficult LMG will benefit from a stability add-on.
Check in with your crafting bench regularly and see if there's anything worth building. Don't bother crafting stuff you don't need; you don't make enough money from selling it on to justify the material outlay, given how expensive it is to make later, better stuff.
What do I need to craft?
Three things: blueprints, crafting materials and derring-do, which you supply. Crafting materials come in multiple flavours - fabric, tools, electronics and weapon parts.
Where do I get blueprints?
Blueprints are awarded for completing quests. Check in with the JFT officer and notice board at safe houses to unlock new side missions, and do them as soon as you can so you get level-appropriate blueprints.
Where do I get materials?
There are multiple ways to obtain crafting materials:
- Collect them from nodes
As you roam Manhattan you'll see notifications informing you that you've found crafting materials, after which these locations (think of them as resource nodes) will be marked on your map. Search these areas for multiple chests, which should see you walk away with four to eight pieces of varying quality at a time. The chests refill regularly (like plants and minerals respawning in a fantasy MMO), so be sure to raid them whenever you wander past. There are multiple collection zones for each type of material so if you need a stack, do a circuit of every one you've found so far. - Deconstruct unwanted items
Don't just sell all your junk! If you need a small amount of crafting materials to complete a crafting recipe, break down an item of the same quality and type. For example, if you need some specialised (blue) fabric, deconstruct a blue holster. - Purchase related perks
With the right Base of Operations upgrades, you can sit back and let the crafting materials come to you. One example is Pharmacy, a medical wing upgrade that provides the Rigger perk, awarding you with fabric once per hour. You need to collect your earnings regularly.
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