If you’ve spent even an hour running missions in The First Descendant, you’ve probably noticed that no two top players’ characters look or play the same. That’s the magic of the game’s deep customization system, which lets you tweak everything from your character’s hair color to their core combat stats to match exactly how you want to play. If you’re feeling overwhelmed by the number of menus and options available, you’re not alone. I spent my first three days fumbling through customization screens before I figured out which changes actually make a difference, and which are just for show. This guide breaks down exactly how to customize your character in the first descendant, with actionable tips that work for both brand new players and folks who’ve been grinding for weeks.
How to Customize Your Character in The First Descendant: Core Cosmetic Adjustments First
When you first learn how to customize your character in The First Descendant, cosmetic changes are usually the most fun to play around with first. You can access the full appearance customization menu by heading to the character terminal right next to the main mission board in the central hub, no mission completion required to unlock the base options. You can tweak everything from face shape and skin tone to hair texture, tattoo placement, and even the color of your character’s ability effects to match your personal style.
You don’t have to spend premium currency for most cosmetic unlocks – most common hairstyles, color palettes, and basic accessories are earned by completing daily missions and side quests, not just bought from the in-game store. I made the mistake of dropping 500 premium crystals on a neon pink hairstyle during my first week playing, only to unlock the exact same one two days later from a level 10 reward crate. Don’t waste your currency like I did.
Cosmetic changes don’t impact your combat stats at all, so feel free to mess around as much as you want without worrying about nerfing your build. You can change your appearance as many times as you want for free, so don’t stress about picking the perfect look on your first try.
Optimize Your Core Skill and Stat Loadout for Your Playstyle
Once you’re happy with how your character looks, it’s time to move on to the gameplay-focused customization that will make missions way easier to complete. Every Descendant comes with three unique base skills, but you can swap out skill modifiers to completely change how those skills work. For example, if you main Viessa, you can swap her ice blast modifier from “area freeze” to “slow + damage over time” if you prefer to run solo instead of supporting a team.
Always match your stat allocation to your primary weapon type – if you run a sniper build, put most of your stat points into critical hit chance and range, not close-quarters damage. You can reset your stat points for free up to level 30, so don’t stress about making perfect choices when you’re just starting out. After level 30, reset costs a small amount of in-game credits, which are easy to earn from repeat low-difficulty missions.
If you’re not sure where to start with stat allocation, here’s a quick breakdown of the most useful prioritizations for common playstyles:
- Solo DPS: Critical hit chance, weapon damage, skill cooldown reduction
- Team Support: Max health, healing efficiency, skill range
- Close-quarters brawler: Damage resistance, movement speed, reload speed
- Long-range sniper: Critical hit damage, range, recoil control
I usually run solo DPS for most open world farming missions, but I swap to support when I’m running high-difficulty raids with my friends, so I keep two separate loadouts saved to avoid re-adjusting every time.
Unlock and Equip Custom Modules for Unique Build Perks
Modules are one of the most underrated parts of learning how to customize your character in The First Descendant, since they let you add perks no base character has access to. These equippable items drop from mission chests, boss kills, and event rewards, and they give you all kinds of unique bonuses. Some modules give you extra loot drop chance, others let you regenerate health when you get a kill, some even let you double jump higher for easier map traversal.
You can equip up to 8 active modules at once once you hit max level, so you can mix and match perks to create a truly unique build. Module rarity ranges from common to legendary, and legendary modules can completely change how your character plays. For example, the legendary “Berserker Rage” module gives you 50% extra damage for 10 seconds every time your health drops below 20%, which turns even support characters into viable solo fighters if you build around it.
A lot of new players make the mistake of equipping the highest rarity modules they find without checking if they fit their playstyle. I once equipped a legendary module that boosted shotgun damage by 30%, even though I only ever use snipers, and wondered why my build felt so weak for three whole missions. Always read the fine print before you equip a new module, and don’t be afraid to swap out a higher rarity module for a lower one that fits your build better.
Save and Switch Between Custom Loadouts for Different Mission Types
Once you’ve got a few builds you like, you don’t have to rebuild them every time you switch between mission types. The game lets you save up to 5 separate custom loadouts, including cosmetic settings, skill modifiers, stat allocations, and module setups, for free. You don’t have to unlock this feature either – it’s available from level 1, even if you haven’t unlocked all the customization slots yet.
You can switch between saved loadouts at any time in the main hub, no cooldowns or costs involved. I have one loadout saved for open world farming, with extra loot drop chance and movement speed modules, one for raids with support-focused stats, and one for PvP matches with high damage resistance and crowd control immunity. That cuts down my pre-mission prep time from 10 minutes to 10 seconds.
If you’re still experimenting with builds, name your loadouts clearly (like “Solo Sniper” or “Raid Support”) so you don’t mix them up when you’re in a hurry to join a friend’s mission. I used to have all my loadouts named “Build 1”, “Build 2”, etc, and I once joined a raid with my open world farming build by accident, which did not go over well with my team. It’s a silly mistake that’s super easy to avoid with just a few seconds of naming.
Customization is one of the biggest things that makes The First Descendant feel more personal than most other looter shooters on the market right now. You don’t have to stick to the default builds or appearance the game gives you, and small tweaks can make a huge difference in how much you enjoy every mission. Whether you’re only here to make a character that looks exactly like your favorite OC, or you want to build a hyper-optimized setup that can clear the hardest raids in the game, taking the time to learn how to customize your character in the first descendant is well worth the effort. Next time you’re in the main hub, take 10 minutes to mess around with the menus – you might be surprised at what you can create.