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Complete side-activities
When servers go live you can just bet most players will be rushing through the story missions, aiming to hit that end-game level cap and start rushing the Dark Zone. But as well as being a shared worlds RPG and tactical cover shooter, The Division is an Ubisoft game in the tradition of Assassins Creed, Watch Dogs and Far Cry, and you know what that means.

On the off chance you somehow dont, what it means is this: the map will offer you a bunch of activities that arent related to the critical story path. These activities will reward you with XP, loot and money, better equipping you for the main missions, so why wouldnt you do them?

For best results, regularly check maps and notice boards at hubs for details of new activities and events. Youll quickly learn which kinds of activities you enjoy and find the most lucrative.
Fill ya boots, sell ya loot
This might seem obvious, but offloading your old gear at vendors is one way to obtain currency. The mark as junk feature makes this very easy to do in bulk.

Be smart about this: when youre heading out into the game world, empty out your backpack as much as possible. (If youre only going to do some low-level stuff you know you can steamroll, leave behind your back-up gear and stick to one build.) This will ensure you have plenty of room for loot. Dont walk away leaving trash loot on the street when you could convert it into dollars! Every bit counts.

Although you might not be levelling at as spanking a pace as in the betas, youll still find yourself outgrowing your old gear on the reg. Think about what to keep, and what to chuck in your stash for later. You dont need half a dozen identical rifles with slightly different stats, but it might be worthwhile holding onto a slightly out-of-date shotgun if you dont have a close-quarters alternative.

Dont spend money unnecessarily
Unless youve got a really obvious gap in your build one piece of armour drastically under-levelled, for example theres no need to buy gear while youre levelling up. On your way to the cap youll find equipment turnover is rapid even when youre purely reliant on drops. Dont waste your ready now when that little whack of cash might be all you need to buy an end-game gun in a few days time.

That said, make sure youre not being too cheap. Keep an eye one how much cash youre earning during missions and activities, and if it stacks up well against the cost of some tasty item youll only use for a few levels, go for it. Its just a time investment, after all.[list]

Dark Zone runs
You knew it was coming. The Dark Zone is where all the best loot in the game is, and even the worst drops here will net you decent payments when you clear them out of your inventory at the nearest vendor.

Look for unique named NPCs and drop them for a very high chance of valuable gear, or go rogue, if you must. Try to fill up your stash before extracting, then cash in all your contaminated gear back at your Base of Operations.

The vendors in your base will bleed credits in exchange for this tasty stuff, even if it seems like rubbish in comparison to your equipped sets. Really good drops, of course, should be kept and equipped; were only human.