If you’ve spent any amount of time looting and shooting your way through The First Descendant’s open zones and mission playlists, you’ve probably stumbled across dozens of random weapon drops of varying rarities, each with their own stat lines and perk pools. It’s easy to grab the highest-rarity gun you find, equip it immediately, and move on without paying attention to the small “proficiency level” counter sitting under its name tag. If you’re asking does weapon proficiency matter in The First Descendant, you’re far from the only player to overlook this core system when first starting out. I’ve logged over 120 hours across PC and console versions of the game, testing proficiency gains on every weapon type and character build, and I can say that ignoring this mechanic will leave you missing out on massive, easy-to-unlock power spikes that make even the hardest endgame fights feel far more approachable. This guide breaks down exactly how the system works, when you should invest in it, and when you’re fine skipping it entirely to save time.
How Does Weapon Proficiency Matter in The First Descendant for Core Combat?
Weapon proficiency is a progression system tied to every individual gun you equip, with levels ranging from 1 to 30. You gain proficiency XP for every kill or assist you get while the weapon is equipped, even if you swap to a different gun right before the enemy dies. Each level up gives a tiny boost to base stats like reload speed, magazine size, or base damage, but the real value comes from the milestone unlocks at levels 10, 20, and 30. Level 10 unlocks the weapon's first unique passive perk, which is tailored to the gun’s archetype—think 15% extra damage to shielded enemies for assault rifles, or 20% larger explosion radius for rocket launchers. Level 20 adds a second, more powerful passive, and level 30 gives a permanent 25% base damage boost across all uses of the weapon.
For early story content, these boosts might not feel make-or-break, but they add up faster than you’d think. I ran a test early on with two identical rare-grade SMGs: one at level 1 proficiency, and one I’d grinded to level 30. The level 30 version did 42% more total damage per magazine, and had 30% faster reload speed, just from proficiency unlocks. That difference meant I could clear level 20 story missions in half the time, without swapping to a higher rarity weapon. The perks also stack with your character’s native passives, so you can build entire playstyles around specific weapon proficiency unlocks if you plan ahead. For example, pairing a level 30 shotgun with 20% extra damage to frozen enemies with Viessa’s freeze skills turns you into a close-range nuke that can delete even elite mobs in one shot.
When You Can Skip Leveling Weapon Proficiency
All that said, you don’t need to grind every random weapon you pick up to max level. Wasting time leveling a gun you’re going to discard in an hour will slow down your overall progression, and it’s totally fine to ignore the system for throwaway drops. I made this mistake early on, when I grinded a rare sniper to level 30 right before completing a story quest that gave me a free epic sniper with far better base stats. I lost almost 3 hours of progression time that I could have put toward upgrading my actual permanent loadout. You can safely skip leveling a weapon if any of these apply:
- You’re 100% sure you’re going to swap to a higher rarity version of the same weapon within the next 2 hours of playtime
- The weapon’s base perks don’t align with your character’s build at all (like a fire damage weapon on a frost-focused Viessa)
- You’re only picking up the weapon to complete a one-time collection challenge for profile XP
Rarity always beats proficiency in the long run, so if you find a legendary weapon that fits your build, it’s always worth swapping to it even if your current epic is at level 30. The base stat gap between rarity tiers is large enough that a level 1 legendary will outperform a level 30 rare within a few levels of proficiency gain. That doesn’t mean you have to abandon your leveled epic immediately, but you should shift your grind focus to the legendary as soon as you get it.
Maximizing Weapon Proficiency Benefits for Endgame Content
Where weapon proficiency really shines is in endgame content, where every small stat boost can mean the difference between clearing a void intercept and wiping at the final boss phase. Most endgame builds rely on 2 to 3 core weapons that complement your character’s skills, and maxing out their proficiency will give you a noticeable edge in both solo and group content. Level 30 proficiency unlocks hidden weapon synergy bonuses that don’t show up on the weapon’s stat card, like extra skill cooldown reduction when you get a kill with the weapon, or bonus shield regen for every 10 consecutive hits. These bonuses stack with mod upgrades and character passives, so they can turn a solid build into an unstoppable one.
If you play with a guild or run coordinated raid groups, you’ll also find that most teams have unspoken requirements for loadout investment. Level 30 proficiency is a requirement for most high-level guild raid groups, because it shows you’ve put in the time to optimize your loadout and can pull your weight during long boss fights. I’ve been turned away from a few hard mode void intercept runs early on because my main weapon was only at level 18, and the group leader didn’t want to risk me dealing too little damage to meet the enrage timer. If you plan to tackle the hardest content the game has to offer, maxing out your core weapon proficiency is non-negotiable.
The good news is you don’t have to re-grind proficiency every time you get a better roll of the same weapon. The game has a proficiency transfer feature that lets you move all progress from one copy of a weapon to another of the same type for a small cost of in-game credits. That means if you grind a legendary shotgun to level 30, then find a duplicate with better substats later, you can transfer the proficiency over in 10 seconds and keep all your unlocked perks.
Fastest Ways to Level Up Weapon Proficiency Without Wasting Time
Leveling a weapon to 30 doesn’t have to take days of grind if you use the right methods. I’ve refined my leveling process over dozens of weapon grinds, and I can usually get a new weapon from level 1 to 30 in around 2 hours, no premium currency required. The first trick is to run low-level, high mob density missions like resource collection runs in the Resource Development Area. These missions spawn hundreds of weak mobs in a small space, so you can rack up thousands of kills in a 10-minute run, all while collecting useful crafting materials at the same time. You don’t have to worry about the mission difficulty, because proficiency XP gain doesn’t scale with enemy level—you get the same amount of XP for killing a level 1 mob as you do a level 50 mob.
You can also stack XP boosters from daily login rewards or event shops to cut your grind time in half. These boosters apply to all XP gains, including weapon proficiency, so using a 2x XP booster before you start a grind session will get you to max level twice as fast. If you’re playing with friends, you can split kills between your group to level multiple weapons at once, since assists give full proficiency XP for all equipped weapons. You don't have to use the weapon the entire time to gain XP—just have it equipped when the enemy dies, even if you swapped to another weapon to land the final hit. I use this trick all the time to level secondary weapons while I use my main maxed weapon to clear mobs quickly.
One common mistake to avoid is switching between multiple weapons during a grind session. Pick one weapon you want to level, keep it equipped at all times, and focus on that one until it hits max level. Spreading your XP across 3 different weapons will make each take 3 times as long to level, and you won’t see any of the powerful milestone perks until you commit to one gun at a time.
At the end of the day, does weapon proficiency matter in The First Descendant? The short answer is yes, as long as you’re investing in a weapon you plan to use for more than a few hours, especially if you’re working toward endgame content. It’s not worth grinding every random white or blue drop you pick up, but focusing on 2 to 3 core weapons that fit your build will give you a massive power spike for very little time investment. I still use the first level 30 shotgun I ground for when I’m running low-level missions with new friends, because it’s still more than powerful enough, and the perks fit my playstyle perfectly. If you haven’t been paying attention to weapon proficiency up until now, try leveling your main weapon to 10 the next time you log in—you’ll be shocked at how much of a difference even that small milestone makes.