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With so many characters available to try inThe First Descendant, players will want to know which characters reign supreme above others, and which ones aren’t worth investing in. While all characters do have some unique abilities and utility, there are some that players should consider building up early, to save time later and bring them to their best potential.
Every character inThe First Descendantbelow has been ranked in a tier list,ranging from D, the worst, to S, the best of the best. Their placement is not only based on their abilities and effectiveness against enemies and bosses, but also how they can support teammates, and how easy they are to utilize in battle.
The First Descendant: How To Beat The Dead Bride (Boss Guide)
To beat the Dead Bride boss in The First Descendant, utilize long-ranged weapons and Fire-based damage, carefully evading her Cold-based AOE attacks.
D Tier Descendants
Outclassed Character Picks
Characters in the D Tier are considered outclassed, without any utility worth bringing to the battlefield. These characters have no place in the current meta.
Yujin
Yujin is the only D-tier character, the game’s primary healer. While a healer is integral whenplaying with friends inThe First Descendant, his abilities rely on Skill Power to have a meaningful effect. Agood healer should not need this much investmentto provide support, and so Yujin is practically useless.
Lowest damage output, relying on allies.
Buffs
Buffs most aspects of teams, like DEF, ATK, damage reduction etc.
Difficult to level; not ideal as a solo character.
Group Play
Supportive skills shine in Hard Mode, making him a useful ally within a party.
C Tier Descendants
Niche Character Picks
C-tier characters are slightly better than D-tier, excelling in some rare instances. However, they’re still considered outclassed, and cannot be improved much by skills or build customization.
Sharen
Sharen is a good character forfarming inThe First Descendant, due to her unique ability to infiltrate outposts. She has a strong one-shot build in combat, with Active Camouflage and snipers. These areuseful stealth mechanics, making her a rogue-style build. When directly confronted in battle, she is far too limited in skills and cannot survive against tough enemies and bosses.
Explanation
Burst
Glass cannon character due to Ultimate knife throw and burst from stealth.
Weaker Skills
Limited damage output and skills aren’t as powerful as other characters'.
Consistent crowd control and stun capabilities with Impact Rounds.
Ultimate ability is less effective against bosses.
Debuff
Cut-off beam debuffs enemies with Electric status-effect. Pairs well with Bunny as an ally.
Requires Melee Combat and Passive Reliance
Relies upon close-quarter combat to deal optimal damage. Passive abilities are challenging and risky to use close-up.
Kyle
Kyle is a durable character who has a useful Ultimate that can deal huge amounts of damage, and he has a great kit with useful abilities. However, they areincredibly inconsistent and often bug out. Theoretically, he should be a strong character, but without the means to properly activate his skills, he becomes nearly useless in battle.
Stuns
Rulpulsion Dash charges and stuns enemies, offering good control with low cooldown.
Shield recharges through skills and soaks up damage.
Mostly tank-based, lacking versatility, and doesn’t suit everyone’s playstyle.
Mobility
Ultimate skill allows you to fly and crash down, landing huge damage.
Weak Bosses Fights
Skill kit doesn’t excel against boss fights compared to other characters.
Esiemo
Esiemo and his Ultimate are difficult to control, and his kit lacks survival and utility skills. He is agreat explosive damage dealer, but this is a fairly niche use and has limitations depending on your combat scenario.
Simplistic build with lots of AOE-based damage and explosive options.
Weaker Passive
If you drop your shield, you also drop a bomb that explodes.
Sticky Explosives
Ability to throw grenades and place mines gives you good control over explosives.
Lacks Survival Skills
Few survival skills in his kit, relying on support from allies.
Charging in with melee Ultimate doesn’t apply to bosses.
Blair
Blair has great damage potential,as long as players scale Skill Power, and critical stats. His Ultimate can also deal tonnes of damage in a single hit, but he’s also clunky to play, and his flamethrower skill greatly limits mobility.
For Blair to have utility, a maxed-out build with Truly Deadly Cuisine is required, otherwise he would be placed in the D-tier.
B Tier Descendants
Good Character Picks
B-tier characters have good potential and can be improved with certain player skills, making them great to customize. Their ranking can move depending on how you build them.
Enzo
Enzo is a greatdamage dealer-support hybrid characterwho can make any weapon land critical hits. Arguably a necessary addition to squads, he’s also excellent at vaultfarming inThe First Descendant. Overall, he isn’t recommended for solo activities.
Drops ammo for allies and boosts max ammo capacity.
Skills and passives don’t boost his damage, lacking substantial output.
Great supportive character due to drops, drop-ships, and healing.
Not Solo Friendly
Avoid as a solo player, as his skills only benefit allies.
Enhanced combat skill recovers energy; can survive against tough bosses
Low Mobility
Skills and passives don’t boost speed, and he feels clunky to play.
Viessa
Viessa issolely a caster of debuffsonce players invest in her, giving her high DPS against bosses. She can even do withoutweapons inThe First Descendantif you build her effectively. While she is an incredible damage dealer, she lacks the survival skills and mechanics that other characters possess.
Excellent Crowd Control
Has good control on the battlefield, with abilities to freeze and slow enemies, supporting allies.
Lacks healing and defense, compared to other characters.
Ultimate ability enhances crowd control and overall damage/combat capabilities.
Mostly relies on her Ice Shackle debuff, which is limiting.
Jayber
Jayber’s notable feature is his turrets, which deal high damage with some investment. Aside from Farming, he’s one of thebest characters for defense missions. However, his turrets have a long cooldown and don’t last long, and players must support the turrets for them to have a meaningful impact.
To make him effective in the end-game, augment him with Catalysts and the Attacking Compulsion.
Turrets make up for his lack of mobility, enhancing survival.
Dependent on Turrets
If turrets are destroyed or under cooldown, his effectiveness in combat is limited.
Performs well in boss fights and under AOE situations.
Doesn’t have great damage output compared to other characters.
Ajax
Ajax inThe First Descendantis one of the tankiest characters, who cansupport squads with a few key abilities. While he possesses many survival skills, his performance towards the end-game is inconsistent, and he relies on specific Modules.
High Survivability
Durable character built to withstand damage, allowing him to survive prolonged battles.
Useful Utility and Crowd Control
Creates frontal shield, helpful in solo and group endeavors.
Must cast abilities to survive and produce damage.
The First Descendant: How To Beat Swamp Walker (Boss Guide)
To defeat the Swamp Walker in The First Descendants, utilize Bunny for her Electric-based abilities, and target the canisters on all six of his legs.
A Tier Descendants
Excellent Character Picks
These characters rival S-tier performingplayable characters inThe First Descendant. They are considered to be powerful options that are worth investing in and playing with.
Valby
Valby offers flexibility withexcellent AOE damage and mobility. She’s also great for crowd control, making her a useful addition to groups. Valby is just shy of S-tier due to her slightly weaker damage output.
Can easily dodge and move swiftly around the battlefield.
Can consistently stun enemies, boosting combat advantage.
Relies on Puddles and Water
Depends on water-based abilities, which are limiting and require careful control.
Survivability
More tanky than other speed-based characters, with lower damage output, but better stuns.
Other characters surpass her AOE damage output.
Freyna
Freyna is incredibly close to S-tier, especially due to her effectivedebuffs andDPS against particular bosses. However, she doesn’t quite measure up to higher-level bosses, and requires very high investment to perform optimally.
Versatile skills enhance damage output and survivability.
Lacks mobility skills, relying on protection from allies.
Effective AoE Damage
Able to deal with hoards of enemies with Toxin AOE attacks.
Status Effects
Can use Toxin against multiple enemies but is weaker when attacking bosses.
Lepic
Lepic is one of the best boss fighters who hashigh DPS, which rivals some of the best Descendants. He requires advanced components andModules inThe First Descendantand has limited mobility. These downsides put him below S-Tier characters, but he is still considered the best damage dealer.
Players activate a buff and throw grenades to kill enemies.
Feels clunky to use and has no skills to boost speed.
Can use Ultimate frequently, providing high-damage output.
Module Dependent
Relies heavily on Modules, making him less versatile compared to other characters.
Boss Slaye
Can destroy bosses inHard Mode inThe First Descendantextremely quickly, in very few hits.
Passives don’t boost damage and survival compared to other builds.
S Tier Descendants
Best Character Picks
S-Tier characters are easy to play and deal the best damage, offering an unparalleled, efficient playstyle. These characters are considered overpowered and don’t require too much investment in building up.
Bunny
Bunny inThe First Descendantis one of the best characters in the game,balancing speed and damage. She can deal damage against enemy hoards while sprinting, making her excellent for farming. While slightly weaker against bosses due to her lower health and defense, she has amazing AOE skills, mitigating this slight drawback.
Speed of Light highly increases mobility in combat.
Lower Survivability
Lower health and defensive stats despite high damage; vulnerable in combat.
Most of her kit deals large AOE damage
Weak Against Bosses
Skills are less effective in boss battles aside from Add Clear.
Easy and effective at leveling, especially for beginner content.
Requires Melee Combat
Optimal damage relies on close-quarter combat, which can be risky considering her low durability.
Gley
Gley is the best character for weapon builds, with herability to buff all weapon damage. She can give her guns unlimited ammo, and can one-shot bosses using her Massacre augment, making her well-deserving of the S-tier title. While she increases her damage output, she decreases her HP recovery. This presents her as a high-risk, high-rewardcharacter inThe First Descendant, as the ultimate boss-melter.
Abilities synergize well together, allowing for good skill combinations.
High Risk, High Reward Mechanics
Requires balancing her health and damage, which is rewarding but also risky.
Lacks high mobility and skills that enhance movement.
