What Is Expertise and how to level up The Division 2

Expertise can be found in the Tinkering Station, and there are 3 ways to level it up. Maximum level for expertise is 30. This means that as more gear is added to the game over time, the expertise level will remain capped at 30. Therefore, not all gear needs to be proficient anymore to reach level 30.

Before you can apply weapon damage or Armor upgrades using Expertise levels, you first need to level up proficiency. To gain your first Expertise level, you must make 20 items fully proficient. To reach Expertise level 2, you’ll need to make an additional 20 items fully proficient, and so on for each subsequent Expertise level.

Play the game

There are correctly 417 gear items in the Tom Clancy's The Division 2 you will need to make each item fully proficient. You have to do proficiency levels on all gear items.

When you play the game, all items currently equipped on your character will gain proficiency levels as you play. However, items in your inventory or stash will not gain any proficiency levels. If you use the same build and gear for an extended period, all the equipped items will eventually reach full proficiency, not necessarily at the same time. Therefore, it’s important to check frequently to see if an item has become fully proficient.

Once an item reaches full proficiency, it’s crucial to swap it out with a different item to continue gaining proficiency levels on new gear. This ensures you make consistent progress across all items. Make sure to swap out all six pieces of gear, all three weapons, your specialization, and both skills if they have reached max proficiency levels. This method only works if you’ve replaced all items that are fully proficient. It’s a good system because it encourages players to experiment with different builds and playstyles.

Donate duplicates

If you’re not using the first method, start donating duplicates to level up Expertise. You need to donate 20 of the same item to max out the proficiency level for that piece of gear using this method.

For example, if your FAMAS assault rifle is not yet proficient, you can either farm 20 FAMAS rifles, craft 20 FAMAS rifles, or purchase 20 FAMAS rifles from a vendor. Once you’ve gathered 20 duplicates, donate them all to make the FAMAS fully proficient.

Donate materials

This method is not recommended for new players, as you’ll need materials for optimizing your gear and recalibrating. I suggest starting with the first two methods and only using this method once the others are no longer effective.

For example, some items are impossible to level up through regular gameplay or by donating duplicates; the only option is to donate materials. One such item is the Enforcer shotgun, which was only available as a pre-order bonus. If you got the game after its release and don’t have access to this weapon, you’ll still need to make it proficient to achieve the maximum Expertise level.

Expertise XP Events

Sometimes, there are special events that double the XP for donations. During these events, you only need to donate 10 items to make an item proficient, instead of the usual 20 items. It’s a great opportunity to take advantage of these events. Additionally, it takes half the materials to make an item proficient, and all equipped items earn more XP just by playing the game. Be sure to look out for these events and make the most of them!

Expertise benefits in The Division 2

This table shows the benefits of upgrading Armor using Expertise. However, the benefits are too low in relation to the time invested, making it feel like the upgrades have little impact.

This table shows the actual damage increase you get from adding Expertise to a weapon. I’ve selected the most popular weapons for this comparison.

These two tables show only the damage increase from expertise levels alone. They do not account for watch levels, gear, set bonuses, or any other factors.