If you’ve jumped into Division 2‘s winter event and saw the requirement to shoot 40 presents, your first thought was probably, “There’s no way I’m running across all of DC for this.” And honestly? You’re not wrong.
The good news is there’s a very simple cheese method that lets you complete the Shoot 40 Presents requirement without needing to physically find all 40 unique locations. This works even when not all presents were discovered yet, and it’s perfect if you’re just after the commendation, patch, or event completion.
This guide will walk you through exactly how the cheese works, when to use it, and when you shouldn’t use it if you want maximum loot.
Quick Context: What These Presents Are For
If you want the full breakdown of where every present is located, check out my full guide here:
👉 Division 2: Rudolph Hunt – All 40 Secret Presents Locations
Before we get into it, quick heads-up: this method relies on how the event currently tracks progress, which means it could be patched or changed at any time. If you want to use the cheese, do it sooner rather than later.
Quick recap though: during the Rudolph Hunt event, there are 40 hidden green presents scattered around Washington DC. Shooting one gives you a 20% chance at a Winter Key, a guaranteed named item, and potentially legacy holiday apparel you may have missed in past events. Shooting all 40 unlocks a commendation and a festive patch.
Worth doing? Absolutely.
The Shoot 40 Presents Cheese Explained
Here’s how it works, and yes, it’s incredibly simple.
You go to a known present location and shoot the present like normal. After that, you fast travel far enough away, the Base of Operations works perfectly, but any distant location does the job. Once you’ve traveled away, fast travel back and run to the same present spot again.
The present won’t visually respawn. It’ll look empty. But when you shoot it again, the game still counts it toward the “Shoot 40 Presents” requirement.
You can repeat this loop as many times as needed. Shoot, fast travel away, come back, shoot again. Every shot progresses the counter.
That’s it. That’s the cheese.
Important Note: because this is clearly not intended behavior, it’s very possible Ubisoft patches this during the event or in a future update. If it stops working, this is likely why.
What This Method Does (And Doesn’t) Give You
This is important.
Using the fast travel cheese only progresses the event counter. You do not get extra named items, Winter Keys, or apparel drops when reshooting the same present on the same character.
If your goal is pure completion, this method is perfect. If your goal is loot, there’s a better way.
Want Loot Instead? Swap Characters
If you care about maximizing rewards, character swapping is the move.
Each character gets their own fresh set of presents, while the commendation progress is shared across all characters. That means if you have four characters, you only need to shoot 10 presents per character to reach 40.
Unlike the fast travel cheese, shooting presents on different characters does reward named items and holiday drops every time.
So the ideal setup looks like this:
- Use character swapping for loot
- Use fast travel cheese only if you’re short a few or just want the commendation done fast
Best Way to Combine Both Methods
Honestly? The smartest approach is mixing both.
Run legitimate presents on one character until you’re bored or hit a wall. Swap characters if you want loot. And if you end up at 39 and just want to be done, fast travel back to any present, shoot it again, and finish the event.
Zero stress.
Final Thoughts
This winter event ended up being way more fun than expected, especially once the community started piecing everything together. Between the Rudolph Hunt, the loot drops, and this very convenient cheese method, there’s really no reason to miss out on the rewards.
Just keep in mind that cheese methods like this don’t usually last forever. If you’re reading this late into the event and it no longer works, odds are it’s been patched.
If you’re short on time or patience, use the cheese. If you want maximum loot, rotate characters. Either way, getting all 40 presents done is way easier than it looks at first glance.
If you notice any changes, patches, or better methods, drop them in the comments. Good luck, agents, and enjoy the holiday chaos 🎄
