The First Descendant can feel quite grindy at times. While the Main Quest does a decent enough job of progressing players, they can still fall behind. Here is the best XP farm in The First Descendant.
What Is the Fastest Way to Get Descendant XP?
Players level up their Descendants by earning Descendant XP, and this is essential, especially as you start tackling harder and harder colossi. Each time a player unlocks a new Descendant (or opts to prestige them), this character will start at Level 1. Each new level includes vital boosts to important stats such as health, shield defense, and more.
The fastest way to earn Descendant EXP is by playing and replaying Special Operations. These missions unlock after clearing the Main Story Missions within that region. In universe, these missions exist as a way for Descendant’s to fight back against Vulgus counterattacks. For players, these are a great way to revisit an area, complete new objectives, and score massive amounts of EXP. While these missions are all fairly lucrative as far as EXP and Gold are concerned, some are far better than others.
The Best XP Farming Strategy in The First Descendant
By far, the best EXP Farm in The First Descendant is the Special Operation in the Sterile Land part of the map. This mission, titled “Block Kuiper mining”, tasks Descendants with fending off waves of Vulgus at camps around drilling sites. This mission has 10 waves total, but at the end of every even numbered wave, players are given some rewards. They are also given the choice to continue the mission or abort it and head back to Albion. This mission also has the chance to drop Amorphous Material 11 and 12, which is fantastic if you’re trying to unlock Gley or Enzo.
With each pair of waves, the enemies get noticeably harder. That being said, players who have high-level weapons will find the first 4 extremely easy. Since weapons aren’t gated by Descendant Level, a level 1 Descendant can use a high level weapon, regardless of how many EXP Levels that character has progressed.
The “Block Kuiper mining” Special Operation has no other objective other than to defeat the waves of Monsters. From Wave 5 onward, enemies have a lot more armor. For the most effective grind, it is best to Abort the Special Operation after Wave 4. This will ensure the most EXP awarded possible in the least amount of time.
That being said, if you feel like your Descendants are leveling fast enough, feel free to take them into a higher level playing field. A Descendant with their level in the teens can easily complete missions up to Echo Swamp but will slowing down once you get to Agna Desert. Public missions are also a great option, as you can grind out some ultra rare modules, like the Electric Transition module which is fantastic for Bunny. Because you have three other teammates with you, you can tackle much harder content and reap the exp even if you’re not killing all the enemies in the encounter. Most of these missions take less than five minutes to complete, as players love farming them, making it a great alternative.
How Effective Is the XP Farm in The First Descendant?
To test the effectiveness of Farming EXP in the Sterile Land, we brought in a Level 1 Freyna to this Special Operation. From Waves 1-4, which take 10 minutes or less on average, this character went to Level 10. This is far faster than progressing through the Main Story.
As an added bonus, completing the 4 Waves of the Block Kuiper Mining Special Operation also nets players lots of Gold and EXP toward their Mastery Rank. Mastery Rank is perhaps the most vital EXP progression in the game, as it unlocks key features necessary to upgrade weapons and more. These are even more reasons why this Special Operation is the best EXP Farm.
The First Descendant is available to play now.
