The Division 2: Everything You Need to Know About Dark Zones and PVP

This page tells you all about the loot gathering and potential PvP aspect of the Division 2 known as the Dark Zone.

You can find more in-depth information about Dark Zone Levelling and Stats on the next page. 

What are Dark Zones?[edit]

Dark Zones are areas that have been contaminated and are separate from the main places on your map. Going into a Dark Zone will add you to a shared environment where you can take over landmarks and try to get your hands on some good loot. Other players will be doing the same and may even try to steal your loot so you’ll need to be on your toes in these areas.

You can see Dark Zones on your map are marked with the large purple symbols. Once you have access to a Dark Zone you’ll be able to see their entry points from the main map as well.

How To Unlock Dark Zones[edit]

Before you can access dark zones you’ll need to upgrade The Theatre to level three. The Theatre is the first settlement you’ll come across in the game and you’ll need to complete three main missions to unlock the Solidarity tier which will give you access to a Dark Zone officer.

Once you’ve completed three main missions head back to The Theatre to unlock the Dark Zone Officer Senait Ezera. After talking to her she’ll become available at your home base and you can talk to her to gain access to the first Dark Zone and to later choose your tier points.

Once you’ve unlocked Dark Zones your gear will have two lots of stats that you can view and toggle between. One is automatically levelled for PvP and the other is how it looks in the main world. Make sure to equip gear that will serve you best for either occasion.

How to Get Dark Zone Loot[edit]

One of the main points in going to a Dark Zone is to get Loot. On your first visit to these areas, you’ll be talked through the process but it can be a little confusing when you return.

You can choose to get your loot through regular play or you can “go Rogue” which will give you a lot more loot but also flag you as a target for other players. 

It’s worth noting that if you die in the dark zone you can respawn to try to collect your loot but it may not all be there and there’s always the chance someone else has already stolen it.

Landmarks[edit]

These are the purple points on your map and you’ll notice that periodically your scanner will mention one has been detected. Here’s where you’re likely to find NPC enemies like Hyenas in mini stronghold situations.

Take them all out and as usual, they have a chance to drop weapons and armour. Where Dark Zones differ, is sometimes this loot is contaminated. 

Contaminated Loot[edit]

Contaminated loot is generally better than regular stuff but it needs to be cleaned before you can equip it. To do this you’ll need to take it to an evac point which should be marked in orange on your map.

Once there you will be prompted to call for Evac. Do this in a place easily defendable as this is where the helicopter will appear to pick up your loot. You’ll need to wait, not only for the chopper to show up so you can attach your loot to it but it also won’t leave immediately.

During this time enemies may appear to try to cut your loot free and steal it for themselves. This is when you are most vulnerable to other players trying to get some of your loot for themselves – even your teammates.

Once your loot is safely away you’ll be able to find it nice and clean and ready for use in your mailbox which is accessible via your stash.

Going Rogue[edit]

Your other option for Dark Zone loot is to go rogue. Going rogue is a process that will flag you to other players as an enemy – even though much of what you do can seem quite harmless.

You can find random terminals all over Dark Zones to hack which will allow you to go Rogue. You can also try to steal someone’s airlifting loot at your own peril. Doing so will alert you to rogue chests in the area that you can access to get more items.

If you want to be a more violent rogue you can choose to do so. Now your fire will hurt other players (but there’s also hurts you) so you can kill them to steal their loot. If you become particularly notorious you’ll become disavowed, continuing to do so will make you marked for a manhunt.

You can lower or lose your rogue status by not participating in any rogue actions for a long enough period of time. However, the longer and more dire your rogue status is the better loot you are likely to find.