One of the early major content updates to The Division 2 added a new specialization to the looter shooter. Dubbed Gunner, the fourth specialization lets you wield a powerful minigun, lob Riot Foam grenades, and use the disorienting Banshee item. Here’s how to unlock and use the Gunner specialization.
Further Reading:
How to unlock Gunner
Since specializations are endgame classes, you won’t be able to see or access the Gunner specialization if you haven’t completed the campaign.
More bad news: Unlocking Gunner isn’t a quick process — at all. To use the specialization, you need to complete five stages of Field Research. Each stage has numerous challenges, and many of them are time consuming and tedious.
You can check Field Research requirements by pressing Triangle/Y on Gunner while at the Specializations bench (located in the White House). Only Stage 1 objectives will be listed until they are completed.
In Stage 1, you’ll need to shock Roach twice before killing him in the Bank Headquarters, capture all Downtown West control points with the Sharpshooter specialization, kill 20 enemies with the mounted gun in Grand Washington Hotel, and complete five public execution activities using only marksman rifles.
So if you’re keeping score, that means you have to replay two main missions (at least once) and a slew of side activities — just to get through Stage 1.
Stage 2 asks you to capture every control point in the Southwest while the survivalist specialization is active, set Lt. Kennedy on fire three times before killing him on normal difficulty or harder, kill enemies after trapping them in foam, and complete five propaganda missions just using shotguns.
For Stage 3, you have another four tasks. The first is to break Sgt. Wade’s helmet before killing him on normal or harder, capture all the control points in Downtown East and Federal Triangle using the Demolitionist specialization, defeat confused enemies, and do five resource convoy activities with just SMGs.
Stage 4 is just like the rest. Start by beating General Ridgeway without using an armor kit on normal or harder, take down five heavy weapon enemies in the open world, kill enemies after highlighting them with pulse, and beat five territory control activities with just an assault rifle.
Four more tasks await in the fifth and final stage. You need to break all of the Basilisk’s armor before killing him on normal or harder, use mounted weapons to kill enemies in the Roosevelt Island Stronghold, complete control point activities with just an LMG, and finally kill enemies in the open world using mounted weapons.
Year 1 pass owners get instant access
You can completely skip the unlock process by purchasing the Year 1 pass for $40. If you own the Year 1 pass, completing the Field Research will unlock exclusive cosmetic rewards instead.
The Year 1 pass gives you seven days’ early access to three DLC episodes (the first drops later this summer), eight exclusive classified assignments, other exclusive goodies, and yes, instant access to the new specializations. Considering Gunner is only the first of three unlockable specializations, you will likely have to grind plenty more without the Year 1 pass.
Gunner: The basics
The Gunner specialization grants agents access to a new signature weapon: The Minigun. Resembling the high-powered guns that large green/yellow enemies carry around in The Division 2, the Minigun turns your agent into a tank capable of killing groups of enemies in a hurry. It’s also an ideal weapon for bringing down bosses from close range.
After unlocking Gunner, you’ll have three skill points that can be applied to its unique skill tree in the specializations menu. That’s enough to unlock the class-specific grenade, Riot Foam. These grenades bubble up around enemies, stopping them from moving and using their weapons for a short period of time.
Gunner specialization also comes with a new unlockable item, Banshee. Banshee sends an arc of pulse energy towards enemies that will confuse them regardless of whether or not they are in cover. Two additional mods can increase the range of Banshee and the duration it lasts.
As with the other three specializations, Gunner also has a slew of unlockable talents that do things like increase weapon damage, generate ammo, and increase the rate of fire. As you play as the Gunner class, you’ll earn points to spend in the skill tree.
