If you’ve been grinding The Division 2’s endgame for a while, you’ve probably seen other players rocking exclusive Ark Division gear and wondered how do you get into the Ark Division 2. I spent three weeks testing every requirement last month after coming back to the game post-update, so I can walk you through exactly what works, what myths to ignore, and how to skip the most common mistakes new players make when trying to unlock this faction. The Ark Division isn’t just a cosmetic badge, either: it unlocks some of the best high-end gear, exclusive weekly missions, and access to a private vendor that sells mod rolls you can’t find anywhere else in the game.
How Do You Get Into The Ark Division 2: Prerequisites You Can’t Skip
First, you can’t even start the Ark Division questline until you hit World Tier 5 and finish the main campaign’s post-Washington DLC content. I see a lot of players messaging me asking why the quest isn’t popping up when they’re only level 30, and that’s the first reason: you need to complete the Warlords of New York expansion first, full stop. You also need to have a gear score of at least 515 before the quest giver will speak to you, so make sure you’re running weekly strongholds and bounties to get your gear score up before you go looking for the start point. You don’t need to complete every side mission in New York to unlock the quest, contrary to what a lot of old forum posts say – I tested this by skipping 12 side missions on my alt account, and the quest still popped up as soon as I hit 515 gear score and beat the final Warlords boss.
Where to Find the Ark Division Quest Start
Once you hit all the prerequisites, you’ll get a random comms ping from an unknown sender when you’re roaming the southern part of Manhattan, near the Financial District. The ping will mark a hidden entrance to an underground bunker that’s not marked on your main map, so don’t ignore random comms notifications when you’re in that area. I missed the first ping on my main account because I was rushing to a bounty, so I had to wander around the area for 20 minutes before it popped up again. The entrance is tucked between two destroyed skyscraper foundations, right next to a flooded subway entrance, so keep an eye out for a glowing blue access panel if the comms ping is active. When you interact with the panel, you’ll get a short cutscene introducing you to the Ark Division leadership, and you’ll unlock the first set of three initiation missions.
How to Beat the Ark Division Initiation Missions
The three initiation missions are all solo-only, so you can’t bring a squad to carry you through, which is why a lot of players get stuck here even if they meet the gear requirements. Each mission has a different core objective, and you can only die twice per mission before you have to restart from the beginning, so come prepared with plenty of repair kits and a build that balances damage and survivability. Let’s break down what you can expect from each one:
- First mission: Data Retrieval – You’ll have to sneak through a heavily guarded True Sons outpost to pull three data drives from server rooms. Don’t try to fight every enemy here; use stealth takedowns for lone guards, and stick to the vent systems to avoid patrols. You only have 15 minutes to complete this, so rushing is not an option if you don’t want to trigger the alarm and spawn extra heavy units.
- Second mission: Hostage Rescue – You’ll need to extract four Ark Division operatives held in a Hyena prison camp. All operatives have low health, so make sure you clear nearby enemies before untieing them, and don’t let them get caught in crossfire. If even one operative dies, you have to restart the entire mission.
- Third mission: Final Stand – You’ll defend the Ark Division bunker entrance from a 10-wave Black Tusk attack. The last three waves include two heavy drone operators and a sniper boss, so bring a long-range rifle to take out snipers first, and use explosive skills to take down drone swarms quickly.
I tried running these missions with a pure DPS build first, and I failed the final stand mission three times because I couldn’t survive the drone swarms. Switching to a build with 60% armor on kill and a drone that destroys enemy electronics made the final run trivial, so don’t be afraid to tweak your build for each mission if you’re struggling. You don’t need perfect exotic gear to beat these, either – I ran my first clear with a mix of high-end purple and yellow gear, no exotics at all.
Perks You Get After Joining the Ark Division
Once you beat all three initiation missions, you’ll get a pop-up confirming you’re an official member of the Ark Division, and you’ll get access to a whole new set of content that’s not available to regular players. A lot of players think the only reward is the exclusive Ark Division skin, but there’s way more value here for endgame grinders. First, you get access to the weekly Ark Division caches, which have a 75% higher chance of dropping exotic gear than regular weekly caches – I’ve gotten three exotics from these caches in the last two months, which is way more than I got from six months of running regular strongholds. You also get access to the Ark Division vendor, who sells perfect attribute rolls for armor and weapons that you can’t get from any other vendor in the game, including the popular 12% critical hit damage roll for assault rifles.
You’ll also unlock exclusive 4-player Ark Division raids that have unique reward pools, including the coveted Ark Assault Rifle that has a built-in perk that reduces skill cooldowns by 20% when you get three consecutive kills. If you’re a PVP fan, you’ll also get access to Ark Division-only dark zone lobbies that have fewer hackers and more dedicated players, in my experience. It’s worth noting that you can get kicked from the Ark Division if you get reported for toxic behavior or cheating multiple times, so make sure you stick to the community rules once you’re in.
At the end of the day, figuring out how do you get into the Ark Division 2 doesn’t have to be a confusing grind, as long as you know what prerequisites to hit first and what to expect from the initiation missions. Don’t rush the process, take time to get your gear score up to a comfortable level before you start the initiation, and tweak your build to fit each mission’s requirements instead of sticking to your go-to PVP build. I’ve helped over 20 of my clan mates unlock the Ark Division in the last month, and every single one of them said it was well worth the effort for the exclusive gear and endgame content. If you get stuck on any of the initiation missions, take a 10 minute break, look at where you’re failing, and adjust your approach – you’ll get through it faster than you think.