Franco Abrina
The First Descendant is finally out, and if you’ve been here before, you’ll probably know that we previously covered the early beta version of the game. Well, a lot has changed since then, so here are a few tips and bits of info to help you get started with the launch version that we’ve all been waiting almost a year for!
Complete Beginner’s Guide
First off, you have three starting characters to choose from, and each of them will cater to different playstyles. Feel free to choose whichever you want, as you can always unlock the other two later on.
We will not be going into too much detail here, but if you are still unsure of who to pick, here are quick summaries of what each starter character can do:
- Viessa – This character specializes in applying debuffs. More specifically, her entire kit is centered around ice, which mainly means that she can slow or immobilize enemies.
- Lepic – This guy is largely a generic soldier archetype, and as such, he is the DPS option among the starter characters. His entire kit revolves around chucking explosives at enemies.
- Ajax – Finally, Ajax is the tank of the initial three characters. Those who prefer a more defensive and support–based playstyle will feel right at home with him. He has some good crowd control and a bunch of active shield abilities.
If you did play during the (very) brief beta period and reached certain milestones, you are actually eligible for some free rewards that you can claim right outside of the spawn area.
Just turn to the left after selecting your starter character and interact with the red mailbox to receive your freebies (if there are any). If you are completely new, you can disregard this as there probably won’t be anything in there for you.
Follow the Main Quests
As a new player, there will be an overwhelming number of terminals, NPCs, and various other mechanics scattered throughout the main hub area. Ignore most of these for now, as they won’t matter at the very beginning anyway.
You will gradually be introduced to these mechanics over time, and following the main objectives (marked in purple) will open up new areas where you can grind for all sorts of resources, including stuff you’ll need to unlock new characters.
You will actually be relatively railroaded into unlocking Bunny as a new player, which is a good character for farming and will likely be what you’ll be using for quite some time until you get other descendants.
Don’t feel pressured into rushing through all the content, because there is a ton of grinding to be done over a long period of time later on. If you have played Warframe before, this is going to feel very familiar.
Weapons – Upgrading, Ammo Types, Etc.
One important thing to note when it comes to weapons is the fact that each of them have different ammo types as indicated by a colored icon on the upper right corner of each gun.
If you are using two or more weapons of the same ammo type, they will draw from the same pool of bullets. Because of this, it is advised to have a varied loadout, or else you’ll find yourself completely empty much more frequently.
Weapon Level Transmission / Dismantling Stuff
As you progress through the early game, you will gain access to the workbench, where you can do various things. Most notably, the weapon level transmission mechanic will let you upgrade your guns.
This is why you should be keeping some of your unwanted stuff if they have a higher level than your preferred weapons. In addition to that, simply dismantle your other unused guns rather than selling them, as you will need the resources for this process.
As a looter shooter, The First Descendant will be drowning you in what are essentially junk weapons. Again, dismantle the ones that you won’t be using to gain more materials, as it is never really worth selling them.
The same logic applies to reactors, which modify your character’s stats and is upgradable through the same workbench as weapons. Carefully study which ones are useful for you and dismantle the ones you don’t need to level up the ones you do.
Modules
On the topic of reactors, modules are another thing that you can use to improve a specific descendant. These are essentially small stat boosts that you can mix and match as long as you have the capacity to equip them.
These will vary wildly depending on your playstyle, the descendant in question, what content you’re doing, and what you currently have in general. Explore your options and check what modules synergize well with whichever character you’re currently using.
To upgrade these, you will need to farm up some Kuiper Shards. There are various ways to gain these, and one option is to dismantle them at the NPC named Silion. You typically only want to do that for dupes though.
Leveling & Mastery
Just like one of our first tips, complete your quests in order to speed through the early levels. Progress through new areas as you unlock them and you should be fine.
There will be harder missions that you can tackle later on with better rewards, but these will require completion of the main questline and other zone activities too.
At higher levels, you’ll also be farming void intercepts, which are tough boss fights that you can do with a group. As a new player, though, focus on grinding zone missions and upgrading your loadouts first.
Mastery System
The game features a mastery system as another form of progression that you’ll have to engage with over time. Basically, as you play through the game, you will eventually be notified if you have a rank up that is available.
Unlike regular levels, your mastery rank must be manually increased back at the main hub area. Specifically, you have to go to the Prime Hands, which is just to the first door to your left once you exit the spawn area.
Whenever you have a rank up available, simply head over there and interact with the terminal. This will trigger a short cutscene and grant you some permanent benefits, such as increased module capacity and more.
Again, if you’ve played Warframe before, this is essentially the same thing that game has. The main difference is that there is no mastery test that you need to complete before ranking up, you just straight up get it.
And those are most of the things that you have to keep in mind as a new player, with many more mechanics that you will be introduced to as you progress even further. While you’re here, check out our guide on how to destroy void fragments in The First Descendant too, as you’ll want to do these eventually.
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