This guide outlines a simple and effective strategy we used to complete the Theo Parnell Master Mission in The Division 2. If you prefer, you can also watch the video version I’ve created.
Theo Parnell Master Mission Introduction
Before players can take on the Theo Parnell manhunt mission, they must first complete all 16 scout missions for the season. Once the season ends, this requirement is no longer an issue, as the mission will transition into a legacy manhunt mission. However, while the season is active, both you and your squad members must have all 16 scout missions completed.
The Theo Parnell Master Mission becomes available only after completing the Climax on a lower difficulty. The Provocator exotic can still drop on other difficulties, with the drop rate increasing as difficulty rises. A guaranteed drop is awarded on your first Master clear.
The Builds
There are multiple ways for teams to complete this mission using various builds. My strategy is designed for a squad of four and is suitable for casual players. The build setup we used included two players with DPS builds, one with a tank build, and one with a healer build.
Glass Cannon DPS Build
For the DPS builds, aim for the hardest-hitting setup you’re comfortable with. With modifiers, you can invest a bit more into survivability while still dealing significant damage. I opted for a full DPS approach, using my legendary Glass Cannon Striker build.
DPS Build Requirements:
- Specialization: Survivalist (Crossbow)
- Primary Weapon: Exotic St. Elmo’s Assault Rifle
- Secondary Weapon: Paratrooper SVD (with Damage to Target Out of Cover and Lucky Shot)
- Sidearm: TDI Kard Custom (Not essential)
Gear Setup:
- Mask, Backpack, Holster & Kneepads: Striker’s (Weapon Damage & Critical Hit Damage)
- Chest Piece: Ceska (Weapon Damage, Critical Hit Chance, Critical Hit Damage & Glass Cannon)
- Gloves: Exotic Rugged Gloves (Exotic Exodus Gloves are also perfect for this build)
Additional Details:
- Mods: 3x Critical Hit Damage
- Skills: Revive Hive + any skill of your choice for the second slot
- Grenade: Incendiary Grenade (Not essential)
Modifiers:
- Active: All Out
- Passive 1: By the Teeth
- Passive 2: Quicken
- Passive 3: Retribution
Protection from Elites Tank Build
For the Tank build, you’ll need something durable enough to withstand elite enemies, allowing you to handle the mission’s mechanics for your team. This Explosive-Resistant Tank build is highly effective.
Tank Build Requirements:
- Specialization: Firewall (Flamethrower – Not essential)
- Primary Weapon: Carbine 7 Assault Rifle (Not mandatory, but the Exotic Scorpio Shotgun is a great alternative)
- Secondary Weapon: Lefty Shotgun (Not essential)
- Sidearm: Exotic Mosquito (Swap this out if using Scorpio as your primary)
Gear Setup:
- Mask: Exotic Catharsis
- Backpack: Lengmo (Armor, Armor Regen, Explosive Resistance & Adrenaline Rush)
- Chest Piece: Gila Guard – Pointman (Armor, Armor Regen, Explosive Resistance & Perfect Vanguard)
- Gloves: Belstone Armory (Armor, Armor Regen & Explosive Resistance)
- Holster & Kneepads: Improvised (Armor, Armor Regen & Explosive Resistance)
Additional Details:
- Mods: 5x Protection from Elites
- Skills: Revive Hive & Bulwark Shield
- Grenade: Concussion (Not essential)
Modifiers:
- Modifiers are not important on this build and you can set them up how you like
Future Initiative Healer Build
For the healer, a standard Future Initiative build works exceptionally well.
Healer Build Requirements:
- Specialization: Survivalist (Crossbow)
- Primary Weapon: Exotic Scorpio Shotgun
- Secondary Weapon: Lefty Shotgun (Not essential)
- Sidearm: TDI Kard Custom (Not essential)
Gear Setup:
- Mask, Chest, Holster & Kneepads: Future Initiative (Skill Tier & Repair Skills)
- Backpack: Ugina Getica – The Setup (Skill Tier, Skill Haste, Repair Skills & Perfect Opportunistic)
- Gloves: Exotic BTSU Gloves
Additional Details:
- Mods: 3x Repair Skills
- Skills: Restorer Hive & Reinforcer Chem Launcher
- Grenade: Incendiary Grenade (Not essential)
Modifiers:
- Modifiers are not important on this build and you can set them up how you like
Theo Parnell Master Mission Area by Area Guide
The Climax mission for this season takes place at the Space Administration HQ. You’ll face off against the Hyenas in a way you haven’t before. I’ll walk you through each area and share the tips that helped us progress.
Area 1 – Courtyard
In the first area, you’ll enter the courtyard with the objective of deactivating the turret. There are three power generators scattered throughout the area, and their positions can change per run. You’ll need to shoot these out to deactivate the turret, which will remain active until you do so. Be prepared for multiple ad spawns in the area.
We found the most effective strategy was for the two DPS players and the healer to take cover near the entrance. About 90% of the ad spawns will appear in front of you, with one spawn behind. You’ll be safe from the turret, and as long as you quickly eliminate the enemies that spawn behind you, managing the rest of the area becomes much easier.
The tank will then move around the area to shoot out the three power generators. Once they’re destroyed, the turret will be deactivated, and all that’s left is to clear the ad spawns to proceed.
If one of the DPS players is comfortable, they can also assist with shooting the power generators to speed up the process. Look for the yellow cables on the ground to help locate the generators.
Area 2 – The Atrium
Before entering the next area, you’ll need to shoot the junction box located at the top left of the main door. Once inside, your objective will be to secure the atrium and clear the ad spawns.
Once the ads are cleared, the objective will be to hack three terminals—two on the ground floor and one on the floor above.
We handled this by having the DPS players and healer go to the upper floor to hack that terminal, while the tank took care of the other two. The terminal upstairs is a great spot to defend, as it allows you to clear all the ads that spawn in. Ads will begin spawning as soon as you start hacking a terminal.
While hacking the terminals, at least one person must remain within the hack radius; otherwise, the progress will start to drop if you step out. Once all three terminals reach 100%, you’ll need to clear the remaining waves of ads. The DPS players and healer will stay upstairs throughout this phase to help manage the spawns.
Area 3 – Floor 1
Proceed through the door and head upstairs, where you’ll need to cut the power. To do this, look for a number sequence displayed on a screen attached to the wall. The sequence will range from 1 to 5, but in a random order, and it will be different each time you play.
Take note of the sequence, and then you’ll find five switches on the same floor that you can interact with. Each switch will have a number on it, and you must activate them in the order displayed on the screen. Be cautious of the two terminals in the area, as they will electrocute you until the sequence is completed.
As soon as you enter the area, ads will begin spawning, and multiple waves will come at you while you’re trying to complete the task.
Our approach was to have the DPS players and healer take cover on the right side as soon as we entered, near the room with switch 1. From there, we controlled the ads throughout the encounter while the tank checked the screen and activated all five switches.
Once the switches are activated, there will be two more terminals to hack. We had the tank handle these while the DPS and healer focused on dealing with the ad spawns. As before, the tank must remain in the area to keep the terminals from losing progress. As you get more comfortable, you can likely have multiple people working on the switches, allowing you to hack both terminals simultaneously.
One more important note about this area is that once you start hitting the five switches, the ads will eventually stop spawning, allowing you to focus on the mechanic without the distraction of additional enemies.
Area 4 – Second Floor
Once the area is clear, proceed forward, go through another door, and head upstairs. Your objective will be to hack a terminal, and there are three terminals in the area.
Initially, no ads will spawn, but once a terminal is interacted with, enemies will begin to appear from different areas of the room.
As before, you’ll need to stay within a radius to charge the terminal, but this time, there will be power fluctuations that interrupt the charging. For each fluctuation, you must locate and shoot the junction boxes to proceed to the next terminal. Continue this process until all three terminals are interacted with and reach a 100% charge.
The terminals must be activated in order, so we headed straight to the terminal directly ahead as you enter the area. The tank interacts with this terminal while the DPS players handle the ads. One ad spawn is right by you, and the other is on the opposite side of the room. The healer’s role is to keep the DPS players healed.
Once the terminal reaches 30%, it will stop charging, and the tank will need to shoot a junction box behind a door to the left. To access the junction box, you’ll need to interact with the keypad to open the door. Afterward, the tank will cross the bridge and interact with the next terminal, while the DPS and healer can remain in their position. This second terminal will also only charge partially, and the tank will need to find and shoot two more junction boxes to continue.
One junction box is located in the room directly ahead as you cross the bridge. Just head left within the room, and you’ll find another door you can interact with to open and access the junction box. The second junction box is located by exiting the room and returning to the area with the first terminal. Take a left and head straight forward to find another door that can be opened, with the junction box located behind it.
Once both junction boxes are dealt with, the tank can proceed to the third terminal in the main room, where the exit is, and charge it to 100%.
Once the terminal reaches 100%, you’ll need to clear the remaining ads. Afterward, the exit door will open, leading to Theo and the rooftop.
Ads will continue to spawn, so you can either clear all the waves first or rush to the top all at once.
At the top, there will be a door locked by a junction box. Look for a yellow cable on the floor near an elevator, as it leads to the junction box.
Area 5 – The Rooftop
After speaking with Theo, you’ll head outside onto the rooftop. This objective is fairly straightforward, as you’ll need to secure the roof from multiple waves of ads. Theo will assist by deploying Decoys, and you’ll also need to deal with a named enemy called Dingo.
We stayed in the area where we entered and handled the ads from there. If the tank prefers, they can switch to a DPS build at this point, allowing for three DPS players and one healer.
Once the ads are cleared, a cutscene will play, and then you’ll proceed forward, heading back into the building and down the elevator shaft.
Area 6 – Flooded Room
In the next area, you’ll notice that the entire place is flooded! Your objective is to lower the water level.
As you enter, look to the left, and you’ll see a screen displaying a three-number sequence. Just like before, this sequence will be random each time you run, with the numbers 1 to 3. You’ll also find three red valves, each marked with a number. Valve 1 will be in the room behind the screen, while valves 2 and 3 are located on the opposite side of the room, with valve 3 positioned in a doorway.
Simply activate the valves in the order shown on the screen, and the water level will drop. Your next objective is to lower the water level again, but this time, ad spawns will occur.
For this part, we had our DPS players and healer stay in the area where the initial screen was, inside the room with valve 1. From there, we cleared all the ads, while the tank ran to the opposite side of the area to find a new screen in a room at the back. This screen displays a 6-digit sequence, which, once again, will be a random combination of the numbers 1 to 6 each time you run.
You already know the locations of valves 1-3. Valves 4-6 are on the same side as the screen you just found. Valve 5 is in the room with the screen, valve 6 is just outside the room to the left and up some steps, and valve 4 is outside the room to the right.
You need to activate all 6 valves in the order shown on the second screen. Once all the valves are turned in the correct sequence, you’ll just need to secure the area.
If necessary, the tank can complete the entire valve sequence alone while the DPS focuses on clearing ads. However, as you get more comfortable, the DPS and healer can assist the tank to speed things up. The tanks can handle valves 4-6 while the rest of the group covers valves 1-3.
Once the valves are done and the ads are cleared, you’ll move on to the final area.
Area 7 – Theo Parnell Master Mission Boss Fight
You’ll reach a checkpoint before entering the final area, so if you wipe at this point, it’s not a big deal. However, any wipe before this will require you to start the mission over from the beginning.
In the final area, you’ll face the boss, Bichon. As soon as you enter, ads will begin spawning from various areas of the room.
Your objective is to secure the lab, but once you start shooting at Bichon, you’ll discover that he has rechargeable armor.
To deal with the armor, you’ll need to overcharge the system. There are three interaction points in the area: one near where you entered, and the other two are upstairs, down the right side as you came in.
Once all three interactions have been completed, you’ll need to interact with the module located at the top left as you entered the area.
This process needs to be completed twice, after which Bichon’s armor will no longer recharge.
Once that’s done, you’ll be able to break his armor and eliminate him. However, after the sequence, Bichon will emit a pulse that will damage you if you get too close.
You’ll need to manage the ads while also avoiding Bichon’s grenades and dealing with his pulse.
There’s a trick to make this a bit easier: ensure that one member of your squad has the crossbow. By using it from the start, you can break Bichon’s armor right away. This allows you to eliminate him quickly and then focus on dealing with the ads and completing the mechanics to finish the mission.
The first time we did this mission, we had the DPS and healer take cover in a corner while the tank handled all of the mechanics. Once the mechanics were completed, we moved as a team to take down Bichon and the remaining ads.
Theo Parnell Master Mission Exotic Provocator
Once you complete the master version of this mission, you’ll receive the new Exotic Provocator. However, it can only be guaranteed as a drop once. Completing the Theo Parnell Master Mission again will give you the best chance of it dropping again in the future.
The chest piece comes with an Armor Core, along with Armor Regen and Hazard Protection as attributes. Its talent, “Challenger,” reduces damage from enemies within 20 meters by 25%.
I haven’t had the chance to test or experiment with this piece yet, but when I do, you can find my thoughts and any build suggestions on my YouTube channel.
Theo Parnell Master Mission End of Guide
And that wraps up this guide! If you found it helpful, feel free to drop a comment. If you’re a fan of The Division 2, be sure to subscribe to my YouTube channel and check out our Discord servers.
I also recommend checking out my guide on how to get the secret Duck Mask—link is below. Thanks for reading my guide, and until next time, take care!
