All Dark Hours Commendations – Requirements, Tips, and Strategies
This guide outlines the 12 Commendations associated with the Dark Hours raid in The Division 2, drawing upon the provided video transcript. Unlocking each Commendation rewards the agent with a patch.
Commendations Unlocked via Standard Completion
Four Commendations are unlocked naturally just by completing the associated boss encounter for the first time.
Commendation Name
Max Boomer Bailey award
Oliver weasel Gordon award
Lucy and Buddy award
DDP 52 Razer back award
Requirement
Complete the first boss encounter (Boomer).
Complete the second boss encounter (Weasel).
Complete the third boss encounter (Lucy and Buddy).
Complete the final boss encounter (Razerback).
Commendations for Difficulty and Repetition
These commendations focus on completing the raid under specific difficulty settings or multiple times.
Commendation Name
Dark Hours Merit
Extreme Service Distinction
Requirement
Complete the Dark Hours raid on story difficulty.
Details
This must be completed on Discovery difficulty, which alters the mechanics to make the raid easier. You can matchmake on this mode, but you cannot receive raid Exotics.
Complete the Dark Hours raid five times from start to finish.
This must be completed on normal difficulty.
Commendation for Unique Collection/Action
This commendation requires a specific action throughout the entirety of a single raid run.
Commendation Name
Blueberry the Bear Merit
Requirement
Find and destroy every blueberry bear during a single run-through of the Dark Hours raid.
Details
There are 40 tiny blue Bears scattered throughout Dark Hours. This can be done on any difficulty (Discovery or Normal). The run must be complete and active, as some bears are locked behind doors that require performing raid mechanics to open. If a bear is missed and the team moves too far, the raid must be restarted to refresh the spawn points. The Commendation is awarded immediately upon destroying the 40th bear.
Boss Commendations Requiring Specific Mechanics
The final four commendations are attached to each boss encounter and require performing specific mechanics. All of these boss commendations must be completed on normal difficulty (cannot be done on Discovery).
Rapid Response Merit (Boomer Boss)
This is described as the most difficult Commendation due to the coordination required.
Requirement: Defeat Max Boomer Bailey without any agent using the same mounted weapon more than once.
Mechanics: There are two mounted guns (Guns 41 and 45).
If an agent uses Gun 41, they cannot use 41 again. They can use 45 next. Once they have used both, the next uninitiated agent should be familiar and comfortable with the encounter.
Learning the Boomer Double Down technique is highly recommended, as it allows for quicker completion and makes the Commendation easier.
Typically, two agents (kiters) take position on the guns from the start.
Good communication is essential for managing who interacts with the guns. If the two main kiters have used both guns but the boss is not defeated, the team needs to discuss who (often a designated “floater” like Milkman in the example) will jump on the guns next.
Extreme Operations Distinction (Raid Survival)
Although not attached to a single boss, this highly challenging Commendation requires flawless team execution throughout the entire raid.
Requirement: Complete the Dark Hours raid without any agent being killed.
Mechanics:
Going down to your knees (where you can crawl and be picked up) is acceptable and will not void the Commendation.
If any agent enters a “killed state” (where their name flashes up on screen indicating they are killed/unconscious), the Commendation is voided, and the team must wipe and reset the raid to try again.
Disconnections (Downtime Myth): If a agent gets disconnected, as long as they return and their name never leaves the bottom right corner of the screen, they will still get the commendation. Even if a disconnected player does not return, the remaining agents can still continue and earn the Commendation.
Target Prioritization Merit (Weasel Boss)
Requirement: Defeat Oliver Weasel Gordon while at least one of his security detail is still alive.
Mechanics:
Seven agents position on the Bravo side, and one agent is on the Alpha side.
The Alpha agent uses a tank build (e.g., with Protection from Elites) to make them practically invincible against Elites.
The Alpha agent uses their shield and skill (like a mosquito) to grab the Agro of their boss (e.g., Dizzy) and kite them into a corner.
The team kills the other boss (e.g., Ricochet) first, which causes Weasel to spawn.
Once Weasel appears, the team switches focus and kills Weasel before the kited boss (Dizzy) dies.
Evasive Maneuvers Merit (Lucy and Buddy Boss)
Requirement: Defeat Lucy and Buddy without any agent taking damage from one of Buddy’s seek mines.
Strategy Advice:
This can be achieved using virtually any team strategy.
A dedicated agent should run a six skill tier build with an Oxidizer Chem Launcher.
This agent’s sole job is to watch Buddy. Buddy only releases seek mines when he goes down to his knees.
When Buddy kneels, the agent must immediately fire the Oxidizer to destroy the seek mines.
If an agent is too close to Buddy when he spawns the mines, they may go off and damage the agent before the Oxidizer destroys them, voiding the Commendation. If the Commendation is voided by a hit, the team must wipe and restart the encounter.
The Blitzkrieg Merit (Razorback Boss)
Requirement: Defeat DDP 52 Razer back before it deploys its tower for the ninth time.
Mechanics: This is generally considered the easiest Commendation. The “tower standing up” refers to the phase where the team must shoot the weak points to do damage to Razorback. Guns cover the four power levels, it is difficult to take more than four tower cycles to defeat the boss. It is anticipated that over 95% of players will unlock this Commendation during their very first completion of the raid.
FILE STATUS: ACTIVE
LAST UPDATED: October 2025
DIVISION TERMINAL: ONLINE