Skill level is the basic attribute of equipment and gives skills a flat boost.
In The Division 2: Warlords of New York, Agents will no longer have to worry about how much horsepower they have on their gear if they want to rely on skill-based construction. Now they have a basic attribute built with them in mind: Skill Level. Skill level is one of the three main attributes added to the game, including weapon damage and armor. These basic attributes are similar in concept to the three basic attributes of the first game: firearms, stamina, and electronics.
Skill level can appear as a basic attribute on gear, although it tends to appear on skill-oriented gear. Unlike weapon damage and armor, which have a range that they can cast, skill level will always be obtained as a +1 attribute. Each skill has a total of six accessible levels, so to maximize a skill, an agent will need six pieces of equipment with this new base attribute. The skill level can be banked in the recalibration library and applied to equipment.
Each skill now receives a flat bonus to its stats based on the total skill levels an agent has from their gear. Previewing a skill will show what those boosts are, as can be seen in the image above. Agents now have a seamless way to preview the power they will gain with each level they equip, allowing them to craft skills in a more streamlined way.
The skill level does not exceed 6 levels, but some talents and exotics will allow the skills to reach a state of overload. This can work in two ways: either a talent provides a temporary +1 level that allows agents at maximum level to overload, or an exotic can trigger the overload stat when their talent is triggered (however, this will be more difficult. to activate only +1 talents). Overloaded skills will receive a massive power boost for a short duration.
Due to the removal of skill potency, mods will now function similarly to weapon mods and can be installed without limitation. Skill mods are meant to change a skill toward an agent's preferred build, and will have the Gear 2.0 UI to indicate the potency of the mods. Skill levels will appear on world players as well, so if someone shakes a level 6 healing chemistry launcher, you can safely assume that they are the healer.
* UPDATE 03/03/2020 * An exception to the rule was found: shields. Shields will increase in power with skill level and the base Armor attribute. Not the total amount of armor added, be careful, but the number of base armor attributes you've equipped. Think of every item with a base armor attribute as a +1 to your shield skill level.
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