I’ve put over 120 hours into The First Descendant across PC and console since launch, playing almost exclusively as a free-to-play user while testing out paid content on a secondary account to compare progression speeds. A question I see pop up in every Discord server and Reddit thread for the looter shooter is how pay to win is The First Descendant, and whether new players can enjoy the full endgame without dropping cash on microtransactions. It’s not a simple yes or no answer, because the game’s monetization system has layers that affect casual and hardcore players very differently. Some paid items give clear advantages for endgame content, while others are purely cosmetic and don’t impact performance at all.
How Pay to Win Is The First Descendant: Core Paid Advantage Breakdown
The biggest advantages for paying players tie directly to endgame power and progression speed, not just cosmetic flair. Paid battle pass exclusive descendants are the most notable example: each season adds one new playable character to the paid battle pass track first, with unique abilities that are often meta for endgame void battles and raids. For example, the season 3 descendant had a 30% team-wide damage buff that made even the hardest raid difficulty 50% easier to clear.
Another key advantage is premium loot box exclusive modules. These S-tier combat modules boost weapon and ability damage by up to 25%, and they drop exclusively in paid crates for the first 6 weeks of each season before being added to the free loot pool. Paid users also get access to fast track progression bundles that give all the materials needed to max out a new descendant instantly, skipping 20+ hours of grinding for ascension items. None of these advantages make you completely unbeatable, but they cut down progression time drastically and give a clear edge in endgame content for the first half of each season.
Free-to-Play Progression Limits You Need to Know
Free players can eventually unlock every playable character, module, and weapon in the game, but they face significant limitations that slow down progress compared to paying users. These limitations are what make people question how pay to win is The First Descendant, and for good reason: the gap between paid and free progression speeds is hard to ignore if you play multiple times a week.
- Meta playable characters are locked for 90 days behind paid battle passes before entering the free unlock pool
- S-tier combat modules have 25x lower drop rates from free loot sources compared to paid premium crates
- Free players can only hold 30 void battle entries per week, while paid battle pass holders get unlimited entries
- Ascension materials for maxing out descendants cost 40% more in-game currency for free users who don't buy the monthly resource pass
On top of these limits, free players only get half the amount of seasonal event currency per challenge compared to paid battle pass holders. That means free users take twice as long to unlock limited-time event rewards like exclusive modules and weapon skins. I ran a test last season where I completed the same daily and weekly challenges on both my free and paid accounts, and my paid account had 12 S-tier modules by the end of the season while my free account only had 2.
Do Paid Purchases Let You Skip Entire Endgame Grind?
You can pay to skip a lot of the grind, but you can’t buy a win for the hardest content outright. You can pay to skip character leveling and ascension with $15 bundles that give you all the materials to take a new descendant from level 1 to max 100 instantly, plus 3 pre-selected S-tier modules. That saves roughly 25 hours of grinding story and side missions for materials, and lets you jump straight into endgame content with a meta build the day a new descendant launches.
But you still need skill to clear the hardest endgame raids even with a fully maxed paid character and best-in-slot modules. I’ve seen players who spent over $100 on the game get carried by free players who knew the boss attack patterns and team coordination mechanics better. If you don’t know when to dodge a one-shot attack or how to coordinate buffs with your squad, even the strongest paid build won’t keep you from wiping over and over. It’s also worth noting that 70% of the cash shop’s offerings are purely cosmetic, so if you only buy skins, you won’t get any gameplay advantage over free players at all.
Tips for Free-to-Play Players to Compete With Spenders
You don’t have to spend money to keep up with paid players or clear all endgame content, you just have to be smart about how you use your resources. Prioritize saving in-game gold for meta descendant unlocks first, don’t waste it on random cosmetic crates or low-tier modules that you’ll replace in a few hours. Plan your saves around the upcoming free character unlocks so you can pick up the meta descendant as soon as it hits the free shop.
Run void battles with a consistent squad whenever possible. You get 2x more module drops when you run with the same 3 players 3+ times a week, which closes the drop rate gap between free and paid users significantly. Claim all daily and weekly event rewards too, because limited time events often give S-tier modules and ascension materials for free if you complete simple challenges. I’ve gotten 4 S-tier modules from events in the last 2 months without spending a cent, which is more than I got from 3 months of regular endgame grind. If you do decide to spend money down the line, the only purchase that’s worth the cost is the $10 battle pass, which gives you 10x more value than individual crates or bundles.
At the end of the day, how pay to win is The First Descendant depends entirely on what type of content you want to play. If you only care about the story and casual co-op missions, you won’t run into any paywalls at all, and you can enjoy 100% of that content without spending a dollar. If you’re a hardcore player who wants to clear the hardest endgame raids on the highest difficulty as soon as they launch, you will be at a noticeable disadvantage compared to players who spend a small amount each month on the battle pass. The good news is that there are no permanently pay-locked items, so if you’re willing to put in the time, you can eventually get every character, module, and weapon that paid players have access to. You don’t have to spend money to have fun with the game, and the community is generally very welcoming to free-to-play players even in endgame squads.