If you’ve spent any time grinding missions in The First Descendant, you’ve probably seen Caliber pop up as a required material for high-tier upgrades, and asked the same question thousands of new players do: can you earn Caliber in The First Descendant without paying for premium currency? Caliber is one of the most sought-after resources in the game, used for everything from unlocking new descendant skills to upgrading top-tier weapons and endgame modules. A lot of new players assume it’s locked behind premium purchases, but that’s not the case at all. I’ve put over 120 hours into the game across three seasons, tested every possible farming route, and I’m breaking down exactly how to earn it, what to spend it on, and mistakes to avoid wasting your hard-earned stock.
Can You Earn Caliber in The First Descendant for Free? Yes, Here’s How
The short answer is yes, you absolutely can earn Caliber without spending a single dollar of real money. Nexon intentionally made the resource farmable for free-to-play players, though it does drop less frequently than common materials like metal or energy cells, and you won’t unlock access to Caliber drops until you hit certain progression milestones. You won’t get Caliber from low-level story missions or normal difficulty open-world activities, so you’ll need to hit player rank 30 and unlock endgame co-op content first to start earning it consistently.
I earned my first batch of 300 Caliber from completing the summer Void Rift event just a few weeks after I hit rank 30, with no premium purchases or linked payment method on my account. You don’t need to link any external payment method to earn free Caliber – all rewards are granted directly to your in-game mailbox once you complete the required objectives, no strings attached. The only difference between paid and free Caliber is that paid players can get larger quantities faster by buying premium packs, but free players can still earn enough to cover all core progression needs.
Top Proven Methods to Farm Caliber Consistently
Random event drops are nice for occasional Caliber bonuses, but if you want a steady, predictable supply each month, you need to stick to optimized farming routes that guarantee rewards. I’ve tested every possible source of free Caliber over three seasons, and these four methods are the only ones worth spending your time on:
- Void Abyss Hard Mode clears: Run the 4-player co-op Void Abyss on hard difficulty 3 times a week, and you’ll earn 50-120 Caliber per clear, plus bonus Caliber for completing weekly challenge missions tied to the mode.
- Event pass free track rewards: Every seasonal event pass has 8-12 Caliber rewards on the free track, with total payouts ranging from 400 to 700 Caliber per pass if you hit max rank before the season ends.
- Developer login bonuses: During maintenance windows, launch anniversaries, and major update releases, Nexon regularly gives out 100-300 free Caliber to all active players as a thank-you gift.
- Guild weekly challenge rewards: Join an active guild that completes all 5 weekly guild challenges, and you’ll get a shared reward chest that includes 30-80 Caliber per week, no extra work required.
The most reliable combo I’ve found is running Void Abyss hard 3 times a week plus grinding the event pass free track, which gives me around 600 Caliber per month on average. That’s enough for all my core upgrades without buying any premium packs. But if you only play a few hours a week, focusing on the event pass free track and login bonuses will still net you 200-300 Caliber a month, which is enough for occasional upgrades to keep your progression on track. Never waste your time running low or normal difficulty Void Abyss for Caliber – those modes don’t drop it at all, even if you get a S+ rank clear.
The Best Ways to Spend Your Hard-Earned Caliber
Earning Caliber is only half the battle – wasting it on low-value upgrades will set your progression back weeks, so you need to prioritize carefully to get the most out of every unit you earn. Most F2P players earn enough Caliber each month to unlock one permanent upgrade and fully upgrade one legendary weapon, which is all you need to clear all endgame content.
The first thing you should spend Caliber on is unlocking the extra module slot for your main descendant. That extra slot lets you add a 10% damage boost or 15% cooldown reduction mod that will make every mission you run faster, which lets you earn more resources faster in the long run. It’s the only upgrade that gives you a permanent, universal boost to all your activities, so it’s far and away the best value for your Caliber.
Next, save Caliber for upgrading legendary weapons to level 50. Rare and epic weapons get outclassed quickly, so spending Caliber on them is almost always a waste. If you’re a F2P player, avoid spending Caliber on cosmetic skins unless you have extra left over after covering all your progression needs. I made that mistake early on, spending 250 Caliber on a character skin, and then had to wait three weeks to earn enough to unlock my module slot, which slowed my progression way down. Don’t spend Caliber on temporary buffs from the in-game shop – those buffs only last 24 hours, and you can get identical buffs for free from event rewards or guild chests.
Common Caliber Farming Mistakes to Avoid
Even if you follow the farming routes I listed, small mistakes can cut your Caliber earnings by 50% or more, so it’s worth knowing what to watch out for to maximize your income. Most of these mistakes are made by new players who don’t know how the reward system works, so you can skip a lot of frustration by avoiding them from the start.
First, don’t skip weekly challenge objectives for Void Abyss. A lot of players just run the mission as fast as possible to get it over with, but completing the bonus objectives (like getting no team deaths, or clearing the mission in under 10 minutes) gives you an extra 30 Caliber per clear, which adds up to almost 400 extra Caliber a year. Second, don’t let your event pass rank expire. Each season’s event pass only lasts 8 weeks, so if you don’t claim your free Caliber rewards before the season ends, you lose them forever. Set a reminder on your phone to log in a few days before the season ends to claim all uncollected rewards.
Third, don’t join inactive guilds. If your guild only completes 1 or 2 weekly challenges, you’re missing out on 50+ Caliber a week for no reason. Switch to a guild that requires at least 3 weekly mission clears per member, and you’ll get the full Caliber reward every week without extra effort. Never fall for third-party sites claiming to sell free or discounted Caliber – these are all scams that will steal your account information, and Nexon bans any account that receives Caliber from unauthorized sources. It’s not worth the risk just to save a few weeks of farming.
So, to circle back to the original question: can you earn Caliber in The First Descendant without spending real money? The answer is a resounding yes, as long as you focus on the right content and avoid common mistakes. You don’t need to grind 20 hours a week to get enough for core upgrades, either – even casual players can earn enough to keep their progression on track with just a few hours of focused play each week. Try out the farming methods I listed, prioritize your spending on permanent progression upgrades, and you’ll never feel like you have to spend real money to keep up with paying players. I’ve been playing as a F2P player since launch, and I’ve never felt like I was at a disadvantage for not buying Caliber packs, so don’t let anyone tell you you have to spend money to enjoy the endgame content.