Not one of the main 3, but Enemy Armor Damage.

When I did play it was basically all-in firearms. Glass cannon all the way, baby.

First off, congrats on picking up The Division. If you just got into it, you're getting a lot of gameplay for a low price. You've also picked it up after a lot of balancing (and rebalancing!), glitch fixing and QoL improvements. It's in a really good place and you've got plenty of time to save NYC before heading down to DC for the warmer weather when Division 2 releases. Onward... Some good stuff, along with some bad advice got posted in here, but this is spot on... [quote]As your level 8 stamina, once your 30 depends on what classified build you go for[/quote] As is this (with a very minor caveat)... [quote]Others may disagree, but I would suggest not worrying too much about your build until you hit end-game.[/quote] Unlike Destiny, your character can morph into whatever playstyle you want depending on the gear you run. Even then, there's are variations of builds even utilizing the same gear or gear set. It's already been said, but the best thing to do is to figure out what your playstyle (or styles) will be. If you are getting together with a regular group, decide who wants to fill what role and trade equipment to that end. I'd recommend having a couple of builds/styles you are comfortable with so you can change roles when you're just matchmaking with random players. Having said all that, at lower levels stamina is a very good thing to emphasize. I prioritize it, then firearms and then tech. I also feel that out of all the signature skills that recovery link is the best one to go for early on as it can really help you (and your squad!) out if you get in over your head. It's possible to unlock as early as 12th level, maybe 11th with some careful planning. Certainly low enough to keep you alive in the DZ if you choose to go there. Speaking of which, there's no reason to head into the DZ unless your level is near the max level for that bracket. Too low a level makes you far too easy a prey item for enemy AI and other players. Additionally, as rapid as the progression is at lower levels whatever gear you get will be quickly replaced. And if you're going in solo (not recommended for new players), I'd suggest you be at the max level for that bracket. If you're just running through with one character, which most players do, just replace gear as you get better & more build appropriate items. However, as items can be optimized don't let gear score alone be the determining factor for whether you keep things or dismantle/sell them - pay attention to the perks, and what ability scores it takes to unlock them, all perks are not created equal (there's a reason why handguns with the Coolheaded perk and sawed-off shotguns with the Determined perk are the norm and no one runs with the Sustained perk but everyone loves Predatory). If you're planing on running multiple characters you may want to put some quality items in your stash to make things easier the second (and even third or fourth) time around. Remember when I mentioned builds and caveats about only worrying about builds once you reach the endgame? The endgame means different things to different players. Some want to make it through the story and just live in the Dark Zone (Some not even at the max gear score - highly recommended if you want to experience a sparse player population and feel the full weight of a plague infested NYC! Not many rogues to worry about, but no backup either), others want to run incursions relentlessly, some run through the Underground non-stop and others prefer the more traditional PVP style of Last Stand and Skirmish. Decide what [b]your[/b] endgame is and worry about the build(s) then. Some quick suggestions... Tweak your builds and use the loadout feature to save them. Use perks that synergize with your build to maximize it. Don't always run with the same perks (though some are more useful and more widely applied than others), or worse yet...forget about them. Use your consumables; too many players use only frag grenades, never load explosive/incendiary rounds, drink a soda/water or eat canned food/energy bars. Don't be afraid to use your med kits for "another time." There's an Bedouin saying that advises, "Die with your water in you." A full waterskin can't be used by a dead man, and med kits on a dead agent are equally useless. Learn the difference between additive and multiplicative damage. I'm sure there's other stuff, but it's been a long day and I've had one too many lambics. If I think of anything else I'll mention it, or maybe just PM you, and you can always ask me or hit up YouTube or Reddit (good Division community there) for some answers, suggestion or build ideas. It's a deep game with a lot of stuff to do (and learn), and despite claims to the contrary, it's got a solid story. Good luck, Agent!

Firearms---> Your skill and damage dealing ability with weapons. Stamina----> your survivability and ability to absorb damage (along with Armor stat on gear). Electronics-----> power/ damage dealing ability of your abilities and devices, as well as how long their cooldowns are. Unless you are a very advanced player...or one who is running with a set fireteam where there are very clearly defined roles...I would go with a "balanced" build. So if you're want to do your damage mainly with weapons then I'd invest mainly in Firearms and Stamina. If you want to do your damage mainly with devices/abilities....or you want to act as a team healer...then I'd invest mainly in Stamina and Electronics. But this is mainly end-game advice. As a Level 8 you're probably doing a lot of solo play, and you need to focus on survivability. So your instinct to invest in Stamina is right....and I'd invest in Firearms as well for right now. If you decide you want to run a "skill build" once you're level 30 and into the end-game, you can still do that. But without a DPS (Firearms/Stamina) build...you're going to find making it through the campaign and side missions tediously difficult. Let your desired play style guide your builds. When I play I typically either play as a DPS player or a DPS/support player. As a pure DPS player running story missions...I usually run a Classified Striker Gear set. With an AR(H&K G36) and an LMG or SMG. SMG for close, indoor fighting. LMG for outdoor fighting at range. I build mainly around Firearms and Stamina. As a support player I play what I call an LMG/Support build. I run a Reclaimer gear set which allows me to combine all the powers of the various healing stations into one box...then I use an LMG for long range crowd control. The box is helpful because it acts as a Healer for the fire team....plus you tend to draw a lot of agro from snipers and tanks....so it allows you to withstand all that directed fire. When running this build I try to invest equally in Firearms, Stamina and Electronics. I rarely play PVP....but when I do I'm usually just running bounties in the Dark Zone to earn gear caches....and get forced into it by another player going Rogue. So I'm running a survivability build. The goal is allow me to take up what are often multiple elite and veteran AI enemies at the same time without support.....or if another player goes Rogue to be able to survive long enough to either get away.....or to prolong the fight so that other players and AI can make his life miserable. So I usually run the Defense gear set which allows you to use a riot shield but use an SMG rather than just a sidearm. Then I carry RPK-74 (as opposed to an M-60) LMG as my secondary weapon....and I invest HEAVILY in Stamina. This makes surviving in PVE in the DZ easier...and makes me a very unappetizing target for gankers in the DZ. But this is just scratching the surface of the number of builds that are available in The Division. So I recommend that you fire YouTube and watch some of the videos that get into the theorycrafting part of the game. Because--as an RPG---this game is MUCH deeper and offers TONS more "build-variety" than Destiny does.

This is just a placekeeping post so I can find it easily, after I finish tackling some yard work and other adulting.

I should qualify this by saying right off the bat that I am NOT a hardcore player. Just a regular player. It really depends on the kind of role you want to play. For example, I recently made a build that focuses entirely on skill power. In end-game activities, I've seen my Sticky Bomb hit for almost 1.5M damage, but the trade-off is that I have low gun DPS and really low health (basically your glass-cannon archetype). Others may disagree, but I would suggest not worrying too much about your build until you hit end-game. When I played through, I just experimented with different guns to see what I liked and payed almost no attention to my Firearms, Stamina and Electronics. [quote]How important is tech?[/quote] Basically this increases your Skill Power, which determines how effective your skills will be and how quickly they will recharge. If you're more focused on gunplay and not so much on your skills, you don't need to invest much into Electronics.