The First Descendant: Viessa Guide

In The First Descendant, Viessa, the Ice Queen, is one of the eleven playable characters in the current version of the game. There’s a high possibility that you chose her as your starting character and want to know how to master her. If so, I got you covered! Here’s everything you’ll need to know about Viessa.

Viessa Guide

Before anything else, get to know Viessa first! Her kit focuses on freezing, crowd control and debuffing. In other words, she’s not a damage dealer, but a utility/support type of character. She will shine the most with proper teamplay and coordination.

Also, the status effect inflicted upon frozen enemies is referred to as “Ice Shackle.” It’s important not to confuse this with “Frostbite,” which occurs when you, the player, become frozen. Keep in mind that Viessa is not immune nor resistant to Frostbite.

Now, that you know how Viessa generally works, let’s proceed with her mechanics and some information to help you understand how to use her effectively! You may also want to check where Viessa is placed on our Character Tier List!

Stats

Viessa’s only defense lies in her high shield capacity. However, in this case, “high” is relative, as her shields are still significantly lower than her health pool. This advantage becomes less relevant when playing aggressively.

Her noticeable shield recovery bonus is the main reason her shields are valuable for her survival. Even during combat, the difference is evident, and it is advisable to temporarily disengage with her to restore her defense.

Abilities

Viessa possesses four abilities and one passive skill: three Fusion and two Tech classified abilities. All of them contribute to debuffing and crowd control while providing decent damage output, particularly in combination with her passive skill. Every ability inflicts damage, except for Frost Road.

• Passive Ability: Ice Sphere-Tech: Whenever you create Ice Shackles, you gain Ice Spheres that orbit you and deal damage, as well as apply Ice Shackles to enemies.
  • This passive skill provides additional damage and crowd control, complementing Viessa’s role as a debuffer.
• Frost Shards-Fusion: Launches Frost Shards in a direction, inflicting stage 2 Ice Shackles on a direct hit and stage 1 on an AoE hit.
  • While not her flashiest ability, it is useful for priming enemies with Ice Shackles. The damage is most significant against weaker foes.
• Frost Road-Fusion: “Smooth as Ice!” This ability grants you 30% increased movement speed and a 10% increase in maximum shields. Additionally, it leaves a trail of ice sheets behind you, which inflict stage 2 Ice Shackles.
  • This ability offers significant utility and serves as a quick escape when surrounded. The shield increase is useful for absorbing incoming chip damage during your retreat.
• Cold Snap-Fusion: You hurl ice sheets in front of you, inflicting stage 2 Ice Shackles.
  • Due to its short range, this ability essentially functions as another melee attack with a broader hit zone and a slowing effect. However, it synergizes well with other abilities due to Viessa’s rapid casting speed, fitting seamlessly into her gameplay.
• Blizzard-Tech: You create a snowstorm that freezes everything within its zone. Each frozen enemy generates a zone around them that damages nearby enemies. The AoE inflicts 3 Ice Shackles, and the final explosion inflicts 4. The Ice Shackle cap is 4, resulting in a 90% slowdown.
  • This ability offers high damage potential and effective crowd control, limited mainly by its range and cooldown.

Tips, Tricks & Synergies

Foresight should be your greatest ally. Always plan your engagements and coordinate with your team. Knowing enemy spawn patterns and staying vigilant will enhance your survival, especially considering Viessa’s squishiness. This approach will also optimize your crowd control abilities.

Carry at least one high-damage handgun with mods for increased damage, critical chance, and weak point damage. “Assassin’s Edge” is recommended, but the choice is yours. Refer to the next tip for the rationale behind this choice.

Viessa’s grappling hook is a versatile tool that goes beyond just mobility. It can be used in combat to stun enemies effectively, especially tougher ones.

To do this, simply target an enemy within grappling hook range, hook onto them, and follow up with a melee or secondary attack. This combination reliably stuns the enemy, which is particularly handy against shielded foes.

To make it even more effective, use Frost Shards before the attack and Cold Snap after to freeze the enemy, making headshots easier. If you want to add some style and effectiveness, consider using the Kicking Module. Keep in mind that this tactic doesn’t work on Boss or Commander-type enemies.

Aim Frost Shards at the invincibility-granting orbs of the commander; you’ll usually hit all four of them.

Viessa’s Blizzard pairs well with Valby’s Laundry Bomb. Keep an eye out for Valby players, as together you can deal significant damage.

While not as fast as Bunny Frost Road, Viessa’s Frost Road provides a decent boost and is best used for escaping or utility. Exercise caution when using it early, as it might save your life or your teammate’s.

Viessa’s lack of defensive capabilities aside from her shields and her glass cannon-like performance suggest that she thrives in close-quarter combat.

This is not only due to her abilities but also because of their melee synergies. Agile and adaptable gameplay will reward you more with her than static tactics.

And that’s everything you need to know on how to use Viessa in The First Descendant! Who should I make a guide about next? Let us know in the comments section below.

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