If you’ve spent hours grinding missions in The First Descendant and are tired of looking identical to every other player running the same Void Chasm run, you’re not alone. Customizing your character’s look is one of the easiest ways to make your playthrough feel personal, and one of the most popular adjustments is learning how to change armor color in The First Descendant. You don’t have to stick to the default boring grey or muted blue sets you unlock early on, and you don’t need to spend real money to unlock most color options either. This guide breaks down every step you need to follow, plus hidden tips to get rare color palettes you won’t find in the basic customization menu.
Prerequisites You Need to Meet Before Customizing Armor Color
You can’t access armor customization right when you start the game, and many new players get frustrated when they can’t find the option in the first 30 minutes of play. That’s because the customization menu unlocks after you complete the first two main story missions and gain access to the main hub area, Albion. Once you spawn in Albion for the first time, you’ll get a pop-up tutorial introducing basic character customization, but armor color options are tucked away in a separate menu many players skip over.
You also need to have at least one armor piece unlocked beyond the default starter set to change its color, though you can edit the starter set’s color if you want, as long as you’ve reached the hub. Keep in mind that color changes are tied to individual armor pieces, not your entire set, so you can mix and match colors for a more unique look if you prefer. If you’re playing co-op with friends, any color changes you make will be visible to everyone in your lobby immediately, no need to restart the game for changes to apply.
Step-by-Step: How to Change Armor Color in The First Descendant
Once you’ve unlocked Albion and have at least one armor piece to customize, the process is straightforward, even if it’s not clearly marked in the in-game menu. Follow these steps to adjust your armor color in less than two minutes:
- Head to the Customization Terminal in the northwest corner of Albion, right next to the weapon upgrade station. You can also access this menu by opening your character page and selecting the “Customize” tab in the top right corner of the screen.
- Select the armor piece you want to edit from the left-hand menu. You can adjust head, chest, arm, leg, and back armor pieces individually, or select “Sync All” to apply the same color to your entire set at once.
- Choose the “Color” tab from the menu that pops up, then pick from your unlocked base color palettes, or navigate to the “Special” tab to use gradient, metallic, or glow-in-the-dark color options you’ve earned from missions.
- Adjust the brightness, saturation, and tint sliders at the bottom of the screen to get your exact desired shade, then hit “Save” to apply the changes permanently to that armor piece.
You can edit the same armor piece as many times as you want for free, there’s no in-game currency cost to change colors once you’ve unlocked the palette you want to use. If you swap to a new armor piece later, you’ll have to reapply your preferred color to the new piece, but all your unlocked palettes will stay available across every armor set you own. That means you don’t have to re-grind for colors if you swap to a higher-stat armor set after a difficult boss run.
How to Unlock Rare and Limited-Edition Armor Color Palettes
Most of the basic 20 color palettes are available for free as soon as you unlock the customization menu, but the most eye-catching options are hidden behind in-game challenges, event rewards, and battle pass tiers. You don’t have to spend real money to get almost all of these rare palettes, though a small handful are exclusive to the premium battle pass each season. Metallic and neon color palettes are the most sought-after options right now, and you can unlock most of them by completing weekly Void Intercept missions on hard difficulty. Each clear of a hard mode Void Intercept gives you a 30% chance to earn a rare color palette reward, and you can run the mission as many times as you want each week to try and get the shade you want.
If you’re someone who changes armor color in The First Descendant often, it’s worth running a few extra Void Intercept runs each week to build up a library of rare palettes. Limited-time event palettes, like the recent iridescent pearl palette from the summer event, are only available for a few weeks at a time, so make sure you complete event challenges before they expire if you see a color you like. The only palettes you can’t earn for free are the collaborative crossover palettes tied to external media promotions, but these are mostly cosmetic and don’t give any in-game advantage, so you don’t have to worry about missing out on power if you skip them.
Common Mistakes to Avoid When Customizing Your Armor Color
After customizing armor for 12 different Descendants across 300+ hours of play, I’ve run into almost every possible mistake you can make when adjusting armor colors, and most of them are easy to avoid if you know what to look for. First, don’t forget to check how your color choice looks in both bright and dark in-game environments. A shade that looks perfect in the sunlit streets of Albion might be almost invisible in the dark corridors of the Void Chasm, which can make it hard for your co-op teammates to spot you during intense boss fights. Always test your color scheme in a quick practice mission before you lock it in, just to make sure it’s visible enough for group play if you run co-op often.
Another common mistake is wasting event currency on color palettes you’ll never use. Most event shops have 5+ color palettes available, but you can only earn enough currency to buy 2 or 3 if you complete every event challenge, so pick the shades you actually want first instead of buying random ones you’ll never apply. You also don’t have to sync all your armor pieces to the same color if you don’t want to. Many players assume they have to make their entire set match, but mixing contrasting colors can make your character stand out even more, and it’s a fun way to show off your personal style.
Customizing your character’s look doesn’t make your build stronger, but it’s one of the small quality of life touches that makes playing The First Descendant feel so personal. Now that you know how to change armor color in The First Descendant, you can tweak your look as often as you want, unlock rare palettes to show off your mission progress, and make sure you never mix up your character with another player’s during chaotic co-op runs. Don’t be afraid to experiment with weird color combinations too, some of the most popular looks in the community right now are messy, contrasting sets that show off the player’s unique taste. If you find a rare palette you love, make sure to share it with your friends the next time you group up for a Void run.