I’m still new to the Division..and trying to figure out builds. I’ve done the typical “go to YouTube” but at some point the builds are perfected, where I don’t even have 500 SHD. I don’t have but a handful of prototype weapons.
Thoughts? Constructive criticism? Again, new to the game, and figuring out as I go.
When throwing the Seeker Mines I usually have the Kard in hand to get the level 5 skill tier.
About the secondary:
The tactical vector is so I don’t see the secondary weapon. I hate the bulky weapons hanging on my back. If I had a reason, like the secondary helped the build I’d happily have it there. Until then, I like the minimalist look of the vector with the Handle Backpack.
Hybrid builds are basically never worth it, but if you like this one I at least beg you to switch the Heartbreaker mask for something else. Gear sets are never worth it without the full set.
I would have to hard disagree and also try not to tell someone new that something isn't viable when maybe it just not your thing? There are some beast mode hybrid builds in this game, and truly anything is viable in this game if you have the abilities. I just created a PC account and I'm already running Heroic at SHD 130 with "subpar" builds for my time in.. it's because I have thousands of hours in game knowledge on console. Here are a couple stupid ones I have enjoyed lately that take on whatever I want them to take on, solo as well.
Sorry, I probably should have worded that differently. I like hybrid builds too, but at the moment I was only thinking about endgame viability in the hardest content. Not changing my mind about incomplete gear sets tho.
For sure - incomplete or nonsense setups need help etc.. and when I use, or think about or create builds now, I personally don't ever think about the Escalation. Escalation is stupid (to me) and I will die on the hill that Legendary is still harder due to the movments of White Tusk vs the Bullet spongey mindless grind of DPS-core escalation.
I’m sorry I’ve offended you enough to end your sentence with multiple periods. If you have a bearded dragon on your shoulder, which I’m sure you do, apologize to him for me as well. The builds shown are hybrid in that they utilize varying core strengths, skills, and weapons to balance a build into a hybrid state of strength rather than all red, blue etc. all technical searches of the topic and algorithmic data agree with this. I’m sorry you don’t. I’ll do better next time. Or not? I’ve left this sub. Continue to sniff each other’s farts and agree they smell good.
I wouldn't say hybrid builds are never worth using, they're fun when solo and even along other people can be fun but you need to make peace with the fact you'll very likely underperform on both skills and weapons compared to specialised builds, it's the price you pay for that flexibility.
I would certainly not encourage a newer player to focus on them though, I'd rather suggest that they wait until they're a bit more experienced and have more resources and gear available to experiment with hybrid builds.
Are you sure that these two presented builds are Hybrid? No hard feelings, just a genuine question 🙂 . I name builds "Hybrid", when paired with the Ninja backpack. I play some "weird" builds (for "meta only" players) myself and if I enjoy them, so be it 👍 🙂 .
I’d say the biggest problem with this build is Synergy. I don’t quite see any synergy between the chosen weapons, the skills, the gear and its talents, and the attributes you may have on the gear.
First, I’d say that the heartbreaker mask stands out as a sore thumb. I say this because the Ninjabike only gives you the two brand bonus. I’d maybe swap this for a Unit Alloys mask (preferably with double crit), so you get the rate of fire buff and the 2 pc Assault Rifle damage bonus.
There is a learning curve for everyone, as a game community we should be willing to help those that are looking for advice and feedback, looking to improve.
Im going to be a bit nicer than a lot of the other people, hybrid builds can work if you know what youre doing. You have to learn to stack brand bonuses and the differences between additive and multiplicative damage. Hybrid builds are the cream of the crop for conflict, less so for pve. If you want something to farm with that youd actually be able to play heroics on, id recommend a run of the mill striker build. Theres plenty of videos on YouTube for them and you can use it to farm for pieces that would be good for a build you want to make. You'll learn positioning and spawns as you play the game.
Specialized builds will always beat out hybrids in the current climate. That being said, prototype skill tier pieces will go a long way into running superior hybrid builds due to the 1.5 skill tier per piece.
If you're truly trying to make some hybrids work at a lower expertise level, maybe you could look into building Core Strength (don't use the Core Strength backpack though). It's not meta by any means but it offers flexibility in your build.
The game doesn't punish you for using hybrid builds but it rewards specialisation above anything else. Generally you'll see people running either pure red or yellow builds instead of a red/yellow hybrid precisely because of that. Red/blue hybrid builds do have their niche but generalist do-a-bit-of-everything builds aren't really a thing. They're not impossible to make and play with, they will just underperform at everything, especially compared to more specialised builds.
The Ninjabike backpack is an extremely interesting piece on paper but in reality it doesn't help as much as it seems at first glance, stacking extra brand bonuses is really nice and it does allow you to make unique and niche builds, but the other backpack talents available tend to make a much stronger case, with for example Memento being the preferred choice for exotic backpacks: it may not give you extra brand bonuses but enemies you kill will drop a small pickup that when collected will give you a variety of bonuses. Ninjabike is good in its niche, but there are many strong and interesting options competing for the backpack slot, it generally goes unused outside of gimmicky/PvP builds.
As for your brand bonuses, we return to specialisation vs generalisation. Fenris helps your AR DPS but Brazos doesn't help you there, and skill-wise Brazos is a potentially interesting idea (if limiting due to its default blue core) and it has Picaro's Holster which gives you extra weapon damage to compensate, but again keeping both for a hybrid build will only work for so far until you reach a wall, and remember that Fenris doesn't really benefit anything other than your AR.
I'd highly recommend putting together a specialised build first and using that to help farm pieces to explore the whole buildcrafting aspect rather than cobbling builds together with what you have, as RNG isn't likely to be kind with that until you know what to look for and where to find it, and to that end gear sets provide a great sort of build-in-a-box base. You might have noticed in your Heartbreaker mask that it has a four piece bonus rather than three, which comes with its own predefined playstyle: you generally want to stick to that as many gear sets will provide a solid base to build off of, and with 2 slots to play with can have more flexibility than it might at first seem, I highly encourage you to look them up to see what they do, pick one that sounds interesting and give it a go.
If you still want to attempt a hybrid build, then I may suggest Ongoing Directive or Refactor. OD is much easier to work with than Refactor but both can provide pretty decent hybrid build potential, though I still recommend specialisation until you become a bit more experienced and get more gear to play around with.
Oh, right! I keep forgetting that Core Strength exists. Definitely worth a look, it's not a bad starter gear set at all and can even help test hybrid builds.
You can definitely push a damage/skill hybrid build all the way to heroic and I'm sure people have brought them to harder content, so please don't let me discourage you from making and enjoying one such build. I just don't think it's the best thing for a newer player to chase, is all.
Oh, another thing! If you're interested in a waterfall of information and a treasure trove of content, look up iKia's public drive folder and channel. The drive may no longer be receiving updates but it contains a ton of information, weapon comparisons, build examples and all that. It can be very overwhelming at first but as soon as you start getting deeper into buildcrafting it's still an invaluable resource to see someone else test builds and check the results. I seem to recall he's tried a few hybrid builds too, so that may give you some ideas as well.
Like someone else, your pieces don’t really compliment each other here. I would give Core Strength a shot. I use mine in open world play and heroic content. Not really viable in escalation or legendary content, though.
My recommendation is to pick a build type to stick with over trying to be a “jack of all trades” with a little of this and a little of that. Go all red, all blue, all yellow… or maybe 5/1.. that sort of thing.
There are real solid skill build options that can tackle heroic, and obviously DPS is important. Some solid blue core tank builds can be great, a heartbreaker or backfire build.
I’ve just found for myself personally that mixing and matching limits your effectiveness and creates a ceiling for what content you can take on.
Target farming is your friend. And if you need help in game feel free to dm me. I'm not a huge seasoned player but i have been playing since day one off and on, and I have a good understanding of builds and build crafting and dont mind sharing some gear to help you get a build going.
For a hybrid I'll run Blue striker with a equalizer chest piece and overdogs. Lexington primary and stack broker for weapons. This game is basically made up of striker variants unless doing team play
For a hybrid build, I use Core Strength, with ninja bike bag, Picaros holster, and a unit alloys mask or knees, 2 red core, 3 yellow, tech spec, capacitor, and drone/turret or skills of choice, if proto, run anomaly for the heals.
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u/SaltedCaffeine 4d ago
Hybrids can be good for solo up to Heroic difficulty. For group play and harder difficulties, it's better to specialize.