Complete guide to all 16 playable characters with expert strategies and tier rankings
Introduction to The First Descendant’s Roster
Nexon Games’ acclaimed looter shooter, The First Descendant, presents an extensive lineup of distinct characters, each offering unique tactical advantages for different combat scenarios. Mastering these Descendants is essential for creating powerful builds and excelling in various gameplay modes.
The diverse cast includes 16 playable characters, ranging from agile damage dealers to resilient tanks and strategic support specialists. Each Descendant possesses exclusive abilities, distinct classes, and specialized advantages that make them excel in specific battlefield situations.
Strategic character selection becomes increasingly important as you progress through challenging content. Some Descendants outperform others in particular scenarios, making team composition a critical factor for success in endgame activities.
This comprehensive guide provides detailed analysis of every available character, helping you identify the perfect Descendant to match your preferred playstyle and team requirements.
Complete Descendant Breakdown
Ajax operates as a defensive specialist who harnesses Void Energy through his Raley MK.5 battlesuit. This veteran military exoskeleton has absorbed substantial Void Energy, enabling Ajax to masterfully control it as an impervious shield for protecting allies and deflecting incoming attacks.
While Ajax doesn’t focus on dealing massive damage, he becomes exceptionally valuable when paired with high-damage characters. His protective capabilities allow damage dealers to operate safely while he maintains battlefield control and engages targets strategically.
Check how to unlock Ajax in the game.
Blair’s Arche ability awakened following an encounter with Colossus’ Fire, granting him the power to emit ionized high-temperature Arche gas from his fingertips. Specialized combat gloves ignite this gas, enabling him to execute devastating fire-based assaults.
The former Albion chef specializes in sustained damage and fire manipulation. His arsenal includes creating persistent flame zones, launching massive fireballs, and inflicting Burn status on enemies. While Blair proves invaluable in any team composition, his relatively low durability requires careful positioning.
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Check the best build for Blair in the game.
Bunny utilizes a specialized suit functioning as a Biopower Conversion Device. This technology transforms the electromagnetic force generated by her movements into electrical energy. However, the suit’s conversion mechanism causes immediate energy depletion when Bunny remains stationary.
This Electric-focused Descendant ranks among the top-tier characters due to her unique Arche ability and exceptional mobility that enables rapid elimination of enemy groups. Her constant movement requirement creates a high-skill ceiling but rewards aggressive playstyles.
Check the best build for Bunny in the game.
Enzo’s extraordinary intellect enables him to function as an Executive Officer, while his Arche ability permits him to materialize inorganic matter including unlimited ammunition for squad deployment and bombing-support drone systems.
Though not the most visually exciting character, Enzo proves extremely valuable in Colossi engagements by providing extensive team buffs and preventing ammunition shortages. Additionally, he serves as the optimal choice for accessing Encrypted Vaults due to his resource-generation capabilities.
Check the best build for Enzo in the game.
Known as ‘The Explosives Master,’ Esiemo specializes in detonation techniques and enthusiastically eliminates everything in his path. His protective suit also collects chemical particles capable of generating explosive reactions.
This Burst DPS character attaches explosive devices to enemies, deploys landmines, and inflicts damage through forward-charging attacks. His area denial capabilities make him excellent for controlling battlefield zones.
Check the best build for Esiemo in the game.
This Damage-over-Time specialist delivers continuous damage while manipulating Venom and utilizing toxic substances produced by her body to ensnare enemies in poisonous swamps.
Freyna excels at confronting large enemy groups, as her toxin damage simultaneously reduces multiple health bars. While the damage application can be gradual, she possesses solid base statistics, a reliable Defense Mechanism skill, and respectable damage output.
Check the best build for Freyna in the game.
Gley, previously a medic, acquired her Arche abilities after Vulgus captivity. She functions as a Utility Dealer who gains power through self-sacrifice and can unleash internal rage to rapidly overwhelm opponents.
Optimal Gley gameplay involves trading health for increased damage, then recovering lost HP by draining it from enemies. This high-risk playstyle demands mastery but offers unparalleled potential when executed correctly.
Additionally, she can enhance standard firearms with unlimited ammunition and possesses exceptionally powerful active abilities.
Check how to unlock Gley in the game.
Introduced during Season 1, Hailey operates as a sniper utilizing Chill-infused beams and projectiles to eliminate targets. Her passive abilities enhance long-range lethality, while active skills repel or slow enemies, maintaining optimal engagement distance.
Jayber, recognized as a mechanical engineering genius, possesses an Arche ability enabling electronic signal transmission and reception within range, directly relaying them to his brainwaves with sub-0ms response times.
While not exceptional in group scenarios, Jayber remains a dependable Descendant. As a Utility Dealer, he deploys assault and recovery turrets to handle enemy groups and boss encounters effectively.
Here’s how to unlock Jayber in The First Descendant.
Previously commanding the Construction Corps, Kyle functions as a damage-dealing tank capable of generating and manipulating magnetic fields to create defensive barriers or emit powerful repulsive forces against enemies.
This determined and disciplined Descendant offers remarkable versatility and represents the premier Tank character, capable of redirecting damage with his shields while reflecting it back to attackers. Contrary to expectations, his specialized suit enables rapid mobility when necessary.
Take a look at our best build for Kyle to get the most out of him.
Lepic earned the title The Final Grenadier as the sole survivor of the Dauntless 44th Grenadier Squad, where he also lost an arm. He employs grenades and an extremely powerful prosthetic limb capable of clearing entire battlefields.
His prosthetic arm interfaces with Lepic’s Ecive and Arche systems, enabling him to infuse explosive Arche into ammunition and grenades. Additionally, it permits mental projection of Arche energy. His exceptional strength and diverse explosive arsenal make him particularly effective against boss enemies.
Check the best build for Lepic in the game.
Luna serves as a Support Descendant who provides extensive buffs to allies through musical abilities. Her active skills can enhance Skill Power, reduce cooldowns, restore team MP, and offer various other benefits.
However, rhythm-challenged players should avoid selecting Luna for combat, as all her abilities require maintaining buffs through rhythmic firing. Failure to maintain the beat results in complete loss of bonuses.
Check the best build for Luna in the game.
Sharen utilizes a comprehensive prosthetic system granting extraordinary capabilities. As an assassin-type melee dealer with Electric Arche, she can employ camouflage to bypass enemies undetected and execute ambushes, earning her the moniker ‘The Assassin in the Shadows.’
This Descendant excels at infiltration, intelligence gathering, sabotage operations, and ambushing targets. While capable of delivering significant burst damage, she proves ineffective against large enemy groups.
For acquiring Amorphous Materials, Sharen becomes essential, as she uniquely possesses the Active Camouflage ability required for extracting additional drops from Vulgus Strategic Outposts.
To get the best out of Sharen, you can refer to our best build guide.
Valby represents the most elusive Descendant with her unique capability to transform into water anywhere at any time. However, this ability has limitations regarding sustained duration.
As a durable continuous damage dealer, Valby performs exceptionally against both enemy groups and bosses. She can coat surfaces with liquid using her skills (complementing Electric Descendants effectively) and possesses powerful debuffs for challenging opponents.
Check the best build for Valby in the game.
Viessa, a youthful Descendant, possesses the Arche ability to control cold energy at will. This Debuffer utilizes Chill effects to immobilize enemies, unleashing Cold Snap-style attacks while navigating combat. She can also increase movement speed and uniquely shatter Chill Void Shards.
Her freezing capabilities prove effective against both groups and bosses. Additionally, this character becomes particularly valuable for tracking and engaging Vulgus enemies, as they emit lower temperatures than their environment, detectable by Viessa’s suit thermal sensors.
Check the best build for Viessa in the game.
Yujin, known as The Gruff Medic, serves as Medical Corps Captain. As a healing specialist, Yujin employs drones to sustain teammates while providing buffs. The limitation is that his Arche ability doesn’t affect himself.
Despite his support classification, Yujin delivers substantial Area-of-Effect damage, making him excellent for crowd control. While less effective against Colossi, he remains a valuable team member by sustaining allies while enhancing their Firearm ATK and Skill Power.
Check the best build for Yujin in the game.
Ultimate Descendants Explained
Among the 16 available characters, six possess enhanced Ultimate Descendant variants featuring redesigned appearances, improved base statistics, additional Module Sockets and types. These premium versions also include exclusive skills and access to special Transcendant Modules.
To unlock Ultimate Descendants, consult Anais at the Research Institute in Albion. Acquisition methods include collecting required materials or purchasing them using Caliber currency.
Here’s how to unlock each Ultimate character:
Ultimate Descendants represent significant upgrades over their standard counterparts, offering not only statistical improvements but also expanded customization options through additional module slots. These enhancements make them particularly valuable for endgame content where every advantage matters.
Character Tier List and Rankings
Since the game demands different capabilities from each character, performance varies significantly across activities. For instance, Lepic excels in Void Intercept battles but underperforms in farming missions.
This comprehensive tier list categorizes characters based on their effectiveness across multiple gameplay activities, providing a general overview of relative strengths and weaknesses.
Note that Hailey isn’t on the list yet since she’s still so new. We’ll be sure to update this page and our tier list once we’ve spent more time with her.
As shown in the table above, there are 16 playable characters available in The First Descendant right now, with each being divided into one of 12 different roles based on their specialties. These are:
If you’re keen to try a certain role during matches, use our table above to ensure you’ve chosen the best starter character for the job or aim to unlock a Descendant who fits your desired role.
Top-tier characters typically include Bunny for her unmatched mobility and crowd control, Kyle for his exceptional tanking capabilities, and Viessa for her versatile crowd control and boss utility. Mid-tier options like Blair and Freyna offer solid performance with specific team compositions, while niche characters like Sharen excel in specialized scenarios but struggle in general content.
Advanced Gameplay Strategies
Now that you know about all the characters in The First Descendant, be sure to read up on the best weapons, best Thunder Cage build, how to beat Pyromaniac, and the game’s current server status.
Effective team composition requires balancing damage dealers, tanks, and support characters. Avoid stacking multiple characters with similar roles unless pursuing specific synergistic strategies. For example, pairing Bunny with Valby creates powerful area control through electricity-conducted liquid surfaces.
Common mistakes include neglecting character-specific mechanics like Bunny’s movement requirements or Luna’s rhythm-based buff maintenance. Advanced players should focus on mastering animation canceling, optimal ability rotations, and situational awareness to maximize each Descendant’s potential.
Optimization techniques involve studying enemy patterns to leverage character strengths, customizing modules to complement your playstyle, and practicing advanced movement techniques specific to each Descendant’s mobility options.
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