If you’ve spent any time running co-op Void Intercept Battles or farming rare gear in The First Descendant, you’ve probably seen other players running around with bright, uniquely colored characters and weapons that make them instantly stand out from the default skins. You don’t need to spend real money on premium cosmetics to get that same custom look, either. Learning how to change color the first descendant for your characters, weapon skins, and even accessory gear is far simpler than most new players realize, and you can do most of it with in-game resources you already earn from regular missions. I’ve messed around with every customization option in the game across 120+ hours of play, so I’m breaking down exactly what you need to know to get the exact look you want without wasting resources.
How to Change Color the First Descendant: Base Character Skin Steps
First, you need to be in the main hub of Albion to access all customization options – you can’t tweak your colors mid-mission, so make sure you wrap up any active runs first. Head to the Customization Terminal near the central mission board, or simply open your character menu and select the “Appearance” tab to pull up the editing screen. From there, select the character you want to edit from the dropdown in the top left corner, then navigate to the “Color Palette” option right below the skin selection box.
You don’t need to own a premium skin to change base colors – even the default character skin has multiple adjustable color slots for different parts of their outfit, like armor plates, fabric accents, and visor details. Most new players miss that you can adjust each slot individually instead of using the pre-made color presets, which is how you get those super unique, one-of-a-kind looks. If you want to test colors before committing, you can rotate the character model 360 degrees to see how the shade looks in different lighting, which is helpful for colors that look great in the menu but wash out in bright mission zones like the Sandy Barrens.
You can also adjust the brightness and saturation of each shade, so you don’t have to settle for the pre-set tones in the palette. I usually turn the saturation down 10-15% for most of my character schemes, as the default palette shades tend to look overly bright and cartoonish in actual mission gameplay. Play around with these sliders to get the exact tone you’re going for.
Unlocking New Color Palettes Without Premium Currency
A lot of new players assume all custom colors are locked behind paid Nexon Coins, but that’s not the case at all. You can earn dozens of unique color palettes, including metallic, neon, and matte finishes, just by playing regular game modes and completing specific challenges. I’ve only bought one premium palette in all my time playing, and the rest of my collection came from free in-game rewards:
- Void Intercept Battle clear rewards: Higher difficulty runs have a chance to drop limited-edition neon and metallic color palettes that aren’t available in the in-game store, so these are worth grinding for if you want rare shades.
- Weekly challenge completions: Every week, you can earn 2-3 standard color palettes just by finishing 8 weekly missions, no extra effort required. These palettes include all basic primary and secondary shades, plus a few fun accent tones.
- Character proficiency rank rewards: When you hit rank 10 with any playable Descendant, you unlock a special character-exclusive color palette tied to their backstory, like the frost blue palette for Freyna or the fiery red palette for Blaze.
I’ve found that the weekly challenge palettes are more than enough for most casual players, as they cover almost every shade you could possibly want for a custom look. If you do decide to buy palettes from the in-game store, stick to the ones that use in-game Gold instead of premium currency first – those are usually just as high quality as the paid options, and you won’t have to spend real money to get them. Just make sure you don’t waste Gold on palettes you’ll never use; test the preview shades on your main character first before making a purchase.
You can also earn limited-time palettes from seasonal events, so make sure you check the event tab regularly when a new season drops. Last season’s summer event had a set of pastel neon palettes that are still some of my most used options, and I only had to run 3 event missions to unlock all of them.
Changing Weapon and Gear Color to Match Your Character
Your character’s look isn’t complete without a matching weapon, and the good news is you can change the color of every weapon and accessory gear piece you own using the same color palettes you use for your character. To adjust weapon colors, head to the same Appearance tab in your character menu, then select the “Weapons” option on the side menu. Pick the weapon you want to edit, then you’ll see color slots for different parts of the gun, like the barrel, grip, and scope.
Color changes apply to all instances of that weapon skin, so if you have multiple copies of the same assault rifle for different builds, you only need to edit the color once to have it apply to all of them. That saves a lot of time if you swap between different weapon builds for different mission types. You can also change the color of your backpack, grappling hook, and other accessory gear from the same menu, so you can make your entire loadout cohesive.
One mistake I see a lot of new players make is picking super bright weapon colors that make them easier for enemies to spot in PvP or stealth missions. If you play a lot of stealth or competitive content, stick to muted, dark shades for your weapons so you don’t give away your position. If you only play co-op PvE, you can go as bright and flashy as you want, no downsides. I have a hot pink rocket launcher that I only use for public co-op lobbies, and it always gets compliments from other players.
Common Customization Mistakes to Avoid
Even though changing colors is pretty straightforward, there are a few common missteps that can waste your resources or leave you unhappy with your final look. First, don’t forget to save your changes before exiting the menu – I can’t tell you how many times I spent 10 minutes tweaking a color scheme only to hit back and lose all my edits because I forgot to click the save button in the bottom right corner. The menu doesn’t prompt you to save unsaved changes, so make it a habit to click that button before you navigate away.
You can only save 5 custom appearance presets per account, so make sure you only save the looks you actually plan to use regularly. If you want to test out a temporary look, you don’t have to save it to the preset slots; just apply it and leave it, it will stay until you edit it again. I usually keep 2 presets for my main character: one tactical dark look for stealth and PvP, and one bright fun look for casual co-op runs.
Another mistake is using too many clashing colors in one scheme. A good rule of thumb is to pick 1 main color, 1 accent color, and 1 neutral shade for your character and weapons, so the look is cohesive instead of messy. Some character parts have fixed color accents that you can’t change, so make sure you account for those when picking your palette. For example, Viessa has permanent ice blue accents on her armor, so you’ll want to pick colors that complement that shade instead of clashing with it. I tried to make a fully red Viessa build once and it looked terrible, because the blue accents stuck out like a sore thumb.
Finally, don’t waste rare limited-edition palettes on characters you barely play. Save those unique metallic or neon shades for your main character that you use for most of your runs, so you actually get to show them off. You can always use basic palettes for your side characters that you only pull out for specific mission requirements.
At the end of the day, customizing your character’s look is one of the most fun parts of playing The First Descendant, and you don’t have to be a pro to get a look you love. Whether you want a subtle, tactical look for stealth missions or a bright neon scheme that makes you the center of attention in co-op lobbies, learning how to change color the first descendant for your characters and gear is a quick, easy process that doesn’t require a huge time or money investment. Play around with different palettes, test how they look in different lighting, and don’t be afraid to experiment – you can always change it back later if you don’t like the final result.