Farming for materials or currency in a game can be monotonous and boring especially if it’s not efficient. That’s why you’ll want to find the most efficient way possible so that you don’t waste your time being suboptimal. In The First Descendant, you’ll need a lot of Kuiper Shards in the game if you want to beat the hardest levels. Farming these shards can be a pain though so you’ll need to know what the best ways are to farm them!
Best Kuiper Shard Farm Guide | The First Descendant Season 2
In this guide, we’ll show you the best Kuiper Shard farm methods in The First Descendant. We’ll try to cover every base, giving you farming methods that are viable at various points throughout the game.
You’ll need to get a lot of Kuiper Shards in the mid and late-game if you want to get the best equipment. That’s why you’ll need to farm for these Shards and there are a couple of missions where you can get thousands of them. Here are all of the best spots to farm these shards in the game!
Kuiper Shard Drop Rate Modifiers
Before you go farming, you’ll want to maximize your gear for the activity. Make sure that you have gear that has the “Kuiper Shard Drop Rate Increase” Modifier. This will help you with getting more Kuiper Shards so make sure to equip as much gear that has that modifier.
The number of shards per minute in our estimates are the base of what you’ll get without any modifiers. So, if you have modifiers on your gear expect to get even more!
400% Infiltration Method
This method is pretty straightforward, you just need to complete 400% Infiltration Operations. There are over a dozen Infiltration Operations in the game, with 2 of them being selected as 400% Infiltration Operations each day.
You can find the current 400% Infiltration Operations in the Infiltration Operations Terminal in Albion. Current 400% Infiltration Operations will have a red warning sign on them, as shown above. Do note, these 400% Infiltrations Operations are a lot tougher than the normal ones. Be prepared for a challenge!
To fit with the higher challenge, enemies also drop more Kuiper Shards than usual. They also drop a lot of Modules. Dismantle all the duplicate and useless Modules you get for even more Kuiper Shards.
Now, the exact amount of Kuiper Shards you get will depend on two factors: which Infiltration Operation you do and how fast you can clear it. In optimal conditions with extremely fast clears, though, you would get anywhere from 6,000 to 9,000 Kuiper Shards per minute. That would require clearing each Infiltration Operation in just a couple minutes, though. Even then, you’ll still get plenty of Kuiper Shards even if you can’t achieve record times!
Encrypted Vaults Method
This method requires you to have Enzo to make most of it. Enzo has a passive effect that increases the rewards from Encrypted Vaults, making him ideal for this.
This is one of the best Kuiper Shard farm methods in The First Descendant due to its simplicity. You can do it at any point in the game and doesn’t require you to have a strong build for farming. Really, the only requirement is that you have Enzo in your party!
All you need for this farming method is to look for Encrypted Vaults, which spawn randomly in every region and look like androids. The image above shows an example of various Encrypted Vault types.
Once you find one of these Encrypted Vaults, use a Code Analyzer or Code Breaker to open it. You can get both of them as random rewards from missions.
Using the Code Analyzer will start a quick time event minigame. Look at the circle in the middle of the screen and press the button shown once the arrow goes over the highlighted section.
For more help with how to find and open these vaults, check out our guide on where to find Encrypted Vaults for the Magister’s Hidden Assets quest. That quest effectively works as a tutorial and introduction for Encrypted Vaults.
As we mentioned before, Encrypted Vaults have random spawn chances. Nonetheless, they have set spawn locations. If you want a recommended location for farming, go to the Agna Desert. The map above shows all potential spawn locations for Encrypted Vaults in the region.
Due to the extreme randomness of Encrypted Vault spawns, there’s no real consistent Kuiper Shard per minute ratio. It will vary a lot! Nonetheless, it’s an easy farming method that barely requires combat and can be done at any time.
Executioner Farm Method
Our last method is potentially the best Kuiper Shard in The First Descendant, but it’s also the hardest. All you need to do is to complete the Void Intercept Battle: Executioner. This becomes available naturally as you progress through the main quests in the game.
Now, you can tackle this in both Normal and Hard difficulties. Just keep in mind that Hard difficulty will give you better rewards, including Kuiper Shards and Modules to dismantle.
What makes us put this method at the bottom of the list is simply the fact that it’s harder to optimize than the previous ones. You’ll need to learn how to quickly defeat the Executioner and also have a powerful build ready. It’s best to reserve this method for endgame farming rather than anything else.
As for yields, players with top-tier builds can clear the Executioner fight in a minute or less. This can result in up to 12,000 Kuiper Shards per minute on Hard difficulty. It’s by far the best Kuiper Shard per minute ratio in the game right now, but it does require a lot of effort to maximize!
That’s the end of our guide on the best Kuiper Shard farm methods in The First Descendant. Now, go out there and try them out yourself! Do you now know how to open Amorphous Materials in the game? Check out our How To Open Amorphous Material Guide to find out how to!
