Quick Links
The First Descendantis a free-to-play MMO looter shooter that pits you against the invading aliens Vulgus. Set in the fictional world of Ingris, TFD features an expansive map to explore and numerous combat mechanics to master as you progress through the game.
Withseasonal content regularly being addedto TFD, this is a title that’s constantly evolving, expanding, and always worth trying out. If you are new to the world of TFD, these tips and tricks will allow you to ease into the game and help flatten the learning curve at the beginning of your playthrough.
Choose The Right Character
TFD currently hasa total of 20 playable charactersto unlockif you include those added in seasons 1 and 2. However, when you first start TFD,there will only be three availableto you. While there’s no “wrong” choice here, it’s important to understand which will be best to start out with for your style of play.
The trio ofcharacters available from the start of your playthrough are Viessa, Lepic, and Ajax, with all three having different focuses when it comes to dealing damage and defending.Lepic’s special ability focuses on throwing grenades, which cause huge damage to enemies, while on the defensive side, his passive abilityhelps you to survive tricky combat situationswhen your health is low.
Ajax is a mix of both defence and attack,being able to create barriersto help soak up bullets and also knock-back and stun enemies, depending on what approach you want to utilise. Finally,Viessa can deal area of effect damagethrough her various abilities, but also weaken enemies thanks todebuffing moves.
In general,Ajax and Lepicare the better characters to choose, unless you’re playing together in a clan of friends. In that case, Viessa’s debuffing abilities can make combat much easier.
As you progress through the game,you can unlock more charactersby either purchasing in-game currency or acquiring enough materials and credits to research them by speaking to Anais in Albion.
Understanding The HUD
There’s a lot going on in the Heads-up Display in TFD, so there’s plenty to get your head around when first starting out.
In the top left side of the screen is themini-mapand yourcurrent mission objective. When facing an enemy, thered barshown is theirhealth indicatorand theirshield defence is shownin white. Scanning an enemy will also show what weaknesses it has, so utilise those types of attacks to deal the most damage possible.
Turning our attention to the bottom of the HUD. Your fourmain attributesare shown in the middle, with which buttons needed to use them displayed above. Underneath, there’s thespecial resource bar. Finally, your current weapons are shown in the bottom-right, with the one you’re using being highlighted.
Make Use Of Mods
Applying mods to your weaponsis something that’s often overlooked by inexperienced players of TFD, but these canmake a huge differenceto combat situations.
You can have three weapons selected at a time, and going into the mod menu for each weapon shows which are available to equip. If you’re unsure which to apply to your weapon,the game can equipwhich are recommendedby choosing the option that says so on the right of the screen.
When you’re first starting out in TFD, focus onmaximising your weapons' DPS(damage per second) to ensure that your weapons are dealing as much damage as possible per bullet and per magazine. As you go further into the game, take note of the enemies you’re finding difficult to defeat, i.e., enemies with a particular elemental weakness, and apply mods to one or more weapons to compensate for this.
If you’re using weapons that are unmodified, you’re effectively leaving damage on the table and not making the most of your characters' potential.
Upgrade Your Armour
TFD’sarmour is comprised of Reactors and Components. Understanding these is key to making sense of the armour system in TFD.Reactors improveyour character’sabilities and status effects, while components improve your non-Descendent mod stats.
Reactors have something called"optimal condition,“which can be met by having a primary weapon of a specific type equipped. While you don’t need to do this,utilising this ability gains you a massive damage bonus. This is something you should always look out for when choosing your armour and weapon loadout, so we’d highly recommend choosing reactors that enable optimal condition.
As for Components, these generally boost your defensive stats.You should opt for Components that work best with the Descendant you’re playing as. For example, if you’re playing as a Descendant with shield abilities such as Ajax, a shield boosting Component will make a big difference to how effective your defensive shields are during combat.
Upskilling
Upgrading your weapons and armour is important, but so is your Descendant’s skills.As you gain experienceby playing through TFD’s story and defeating enemies,your Mastery Level increases. A higher Mastery Level opens more doors when it comes towhich skills you have available.
you may view your Descendant’s Active and Passive skills in the Descendant tab. You can also see which skills you’re yet to unlock for your Descendant and plan ahead accordingly before you level up.
Much like choosing your starting Descendant,which skills you should unlock depends on your playstyle and where you’re struggling in combat.
For example, if you’re finding it difficult to defeat enemies with a certain weakness, choose a Skill that amplifies that type of attack. Conversely, if you’re needing to be revived by other players on a regular basis, anything that improves your health or defense will make a big improvement to your chances of survival.
It’s vital you have the best skills activated as you progress in TFD, as these make a massive difference to the ease of combat, particularly later in the game.
Gathering Resources
While upgrading your armour and weapons is important, you’ll have to ensure that you have enough resources to be able to do so. That is wheredismantling equipmentcomes in.This will let youget better gear. While you can sell items, dismantling is the best option when it comes to offloading items, asthis gains you raw materials that are required to craft upgrades, and coins are easy to come by as you naturally progress through the game.
Dismantling your weapons can be carried out in the Inventorytab of the pause menu, and you’re able to use the resources you’ve gathered to craft weapons byheading to Magister Anais in Albion.
You can prevent yourself from accidentally dismantling your best items by favouriting them in the menu.
Make sure tonever dismantle or sell your Ultimate weaponsthough, even if they’re not good enough to get in your current loadout. This is because they really come in handy towards the end of the game’s story
Make Use Of The Library
Like any other looter shooter, getting the best armour and weapons takes time in TFD. However, if you don’t know which materials you need to unlock what you’re looking for, this process becomes a lot more difficult. Thankfully, though, TFD’s Library tab really comes in handy with your search.The Library is essentially a complete databasefor all of the gear in TFD and what you’ll require to obtain them.
Not only that, but if you’re needing one or a few specific items,the Library will inform you which missions you’ll need to completeto find them. You have to go to Acquisition Info when highlighting a specific item.
Albion Walkthrough
After completing the tutorial mission,you’ll be transported to Albion, one of humanity’s last surviving citieson the continent of Ingris. You’re not given a complete tour of the game’s hub upon arrival, and with all of the other online players running around, it can be tough to get your bearings in Albion. Furthermore, it’s easy to miss some of the facilities around the base, sowe’ll quickly run you through what’s available here.
Storage box
Special ops terminal
Infiltration ops terminal
Prime hands
