If you’ve sunk 10+ hours into grinding missions, upgrading weapons, and unlocking new playable characters in The First Descendant, you’ve almost certainly hit the point where your level gains grind to a halt, and you’re asking can you go past level 40 in The First Descendant. I hit this wall myself last month when I was trying to power up Viessa for endgame void battles, and I wasted three days running low-tier missions before I figured out there’s an entire progression system hidden behind that seemingly hard level cap. This guide breaks down exactly how to unlock the higher level cap, what you get for doing it, and common mistakes to avoid so you don’t waste time like I did.
Can You Go Past Level 40 in The First Descendant? Yes, Here’s How to Unlock It
The short answer is yes, but you have to complete a specific account-wide advancement quest first to lift the initial soft cap. Level 40 is the default cap for all new accounts, and you won’t earn any XP for any of your characters until you finish this quest, so it’s worth prioritizing as soon as you hit the cap on your first character. To unlock the quest, you first need to reach level 40 with at least one Descendant, and complete the main story quest up to the “Void Rift Stabilization” mission in the Vespers region. You’ll then get a pop-up quest from NPC Albion that asks you to collect Advanced Stabilizer Cores from hard mode void intercept missions, plus 10,000 credits and 200 quantum cells. You only need 5 cores total, and each hard mode void intercept run drops at least one, so you can finish this quest in about 2 hours if you’re running with a coordinated group. Once you turn the quest in, the level cap for all your Descendants unlocks to 60 permanently, no extra steps required for other characters.
Key Benefits of Advancing Past Level 40
If you’re still on the fence about putting in the work to go past level 40 in The First Descendant, these perks should make the choice easy. I noticed a 30% jump in my overall damage output within 2 levels of unlocking the cap, just from the passive stat gains alone. The bonuses get even better as you climb toward level 60, and many endgame activities are completely inaccessible until you pass the initial level 40 threshold.
- Higher base stat scaling: Every level past 40 gives you 2% extra attack, 1.5% extra max health, and 1% extra skill cooldown reduction for that specific Descendant, stacking all the way to level 60. That adds up to a 40% attack boost and 20% cooldown reduction at max level, which is a massive power spike.
- Additional skill mod slots: You unlock a third ultimate skill mod slot at level 45, and a fourth passive mod slot at level 55, letting you customize your build far more than the base level 40 cap allows. I was able to fit a 25% frost damage boost on my Viessa build once I hit level 45, which made her ultimate ability clear entire waves of enemies in one cast.
- Access to exclusive endgame missions: Level 42+ is the minimum requirement for legendary void battle missions, which drop the highest tier of weapons and mods in the game right now. These missions are the only way to get the six-star legendary weapons that can carry you through the hardest raid content.
- Higher mod upgrade limits: Once you pass level 40, you can upgrade your rare and epic mods to level 15, up from the previous cap of 10, for even bigger stat boosts. A level 15 damage mod gives twice the bonus of a level 10 mod, so this alone makes the grind worth it.
That means if you’re planning to take on the hardest raid content or climb the ranked PvP leaderboards, you won’t be able to compete if you’re stuck at level 40. I tried running a legendary void battle at level 40 with a fully upgraded legendary weapon, and my team got wiped in the first phase almost instantly. After I hit level 48, I was able to clear that same mission with a random pickup group without any issues.
Fastest Ways to Level Up Past 40
Once you’ve unlocked the ability to go past level 40 in The First Descendant, you’ll want to level up as fast as possible to get the most out of the new content. Don’t waste time running low-tier story missions, they give barely any XP once you’re past 40, and you’ll spend 20 minutes per mission for less than 5% of a level. The fastest method I found is running hard mode supply run missions in the Krynn region, which take 8-12 minutes each and give 3x more XP per minute than any other mission type. If you have a group of 3-4 players, you can cut that run time down to 5 minutes per mission, and you’ll also get extra supply crates that drop mod materials and credits.
Another good tip is to stack XP boost consumables before you start your grind. You can get 1-hour 50% XP boosts from the weekly shop for just 500 quantum cells, which is a tiny investment for the extra level gains you’ll get. I used two of these boosts over a weekend and got my main from level 40 to 55 in just 6 hours of playtime. Don’t forget to do your daily challenge missions too, each one gives a huge chunk of XP that’s equal to about half a level when you’re in the 40-50 range. XP is shared across your entire squad, so even if you’re playing a support character that doesn’t get a lot of kills, you’ll still get the same amount of XP as the damage dealers.
Common Mistakes to Avoid When Grinding Past Level 40
A lot of players make avoidable mistakes when they first unlock the higher level cap, and these can cost you hours of wasted grind. The biggest mistake I see is players spreading their XP across too many different characters at once. You’ll get way more value out of getting one main character to level 60 first, than you will from getting three different characters to level 45. Once your main is maxed, you can use the better gear and higher clear speed to level up your alts much faster.
Another common mistake is wasting XP boosts on alts you don’t plan to use regularly. I made this mistake when I unlocked the cap, I used a 2-hour XP boost on a random alt I was testing, and I ended up not playing that character at all, so I wasted the entire boost. Save your XP boosts for your main Descendant first, so you can get them to 60 as fast as possible to access all the endgame content.
You also don’t want to run missions that are more than 3 levels below your current level. If you’re level 45, running a level 40 mission will give you less than 10% of the XP you’d get from a level 44 or 45 mission, so it’s just a waste of time. Always pick missions that are within 1 level of your current character level for the best XP gains. And don’t ignore mod upgrades while you level, a lot of players put all their resources into leveling up, but your mod upgrades give you way more power in the short term than a single level gain. Make sure you’re upgrading your core damage and survivability mods every 2-3 levels, so you can clear missions faster and get more XP per hour.
At the end of the day, asking can you go past level 40 in The First Descendant is just the first step to unlocking the full potential of the game’s endgame content. The unlock process is far simpler than a lot of players make it out to be, and the rewards you get for advancing past the soft cap are well worth the few hours of grind it takes to complete the advancement quest. Take it slow, focus on your main character first, and you’ll be clearing the hardest endgame missions before you know it. If you have any other tips for grinding past level 40, drop them in the comments below!