If you’ve jumped into The First Descendant’s massive 2026 content update, you’ve probably seen other players showing off silly dance moves, celebratory waves, and exclusive faction emotes in lobbies and post-boss win screens. A lot of new and returning players are searching how to emote the first descendant right now, since the latest patch changed a few control settings and added dozens of new collectible emotes to the game. I’ve logged over 120 hours in the 2026 update so far, unlocked 31 of the 47 currently available emotes, and made every possible mistake when it comes to using them, so these tips will help you skip the frustration and start showing off your style fast.
How to Emote in The First Descendant: Basic Controls for 2026
The first thing you need to know is that the default emote controls changed slightly in the 2026 winter patch, so if you haven’t played in a few months, your old binds might not work anymore. For PC players, the default bind to pull up the emote wheel is the “V” key, and you can select the emote you want by moving your mouse over it before releasing the key. For console players, hold down the down button on your D-pad to bring up the wheel, then use the right stick to select your emote of choice. Make sure to save your control changes after adjusting emote binds, since the game doesn’t auto-save custom control settings by default in the 2026 build. You can also set up quick-access emote binds for your 4 favorite emotes, so you don’t have to open the wheel every time you want to use one. Keep in mind that you can’t use emotes mid-combat when your health is below 30% or when you’re actively engaged with a boss enemy, a change the devs added to stop players from trolling their teammates during high-stakes fights.
Unlock Rare and Limited-Edition Emotes for 2026
The base game comes with 10 default emotes for all players, but the fun ones are the rare, limited, and faction-exclusive emotes that you have to earn or purchase. The 2026 update added three new ways to unlock emotes that weren’t available in previous builds, so you have more options than ever to customize your descendant’s look and personality. The most common ways to get new emotes in 2026 are:
Limited-time event emotes won’t return to the shop after their event ends, so if you see one you love, grab it before the rotation changes. I learned this the hard way when I missed out on the 2026 Lunar New Year rabbit dance emote because I waited to see if it would go on sale, and it hasn’t shown up in the shop since. You don’t have to spend real money to get great emotes either; around 60% of the emotes currently available in 2026 can be earned for free by completing challenges and leveling up your factions. Faction emotes are account-bound, so you can use them on every descendant you own, which makes them a great investment if you like switching between different characters regularly.
Best Times to Use Emotes in Multiplayer Matches
Emotes are a ton of fun, but there’s a time and a place for them, and using them wrong can annoy your teammates or even get you reported for toxic behavior. The best times to use emotes are when you’re waiting in a pre-game lobby, after you revive a downed teammate, or right after you beat a difficult boss to celebrate with your team. It’s also a nice touch to use a thank you emote when a teammate gives you a rare item drop or covers you during a heavy enemy attack. Using a positive emote after a teammate pulls off a great play can boost your team’s morale for the rest of the run, and I’ve noticed that teams that celebrate small wins together are way more likely to beat hard raid bosses than teams that don’t interact at all.
That said, there are a few times you should avoid using emotes entirely. Don’t spam emotes when your teammate is down and waiting for a revive, and never use a laugh or mock emote when a teammate makes a mistake or dies. The 2026 update added a new report category for toxic emote spamming, and enough reports can get you a temporary chat and emote ban. If someone is spamming annoying emotes at you, you can mute their emotes individually by opening their player profile and selecting the “mute emotes” option, so you don’t have to see them for the rest of the match.
Fix Common Emote Issues in 2026
Even with the 2026 patch’s quality of life updates, a lot of players still run into common emote issues that stop them from using their unlocked items. The most common issue is the emote wheel not loading when you press the bind, which usually happens if you have too many custom cosmetics equipped or if your game cache is corrupted. The fix for this is simple: close the game, clear your cache folder, and restart, and the wheel should load normally next time you play. Another common issue is emotes you unlocked not showing up in your wheel, which almost always happens because you forgot to claim them from your in-game mail. All reward emotes are sent to your mail first, so make sure to check it regularly after completing challenges or events.
You also might notice that you can’t use emotes in certain areas, like raid entry lobbies or ranked match waiting rooms. This is not a glitch; the devs added this restriction in 2026 to stop players from spamming emotes and blocking other players’ views of the match start button. If you’re facing a persistent glitch where emotes you paid for are missing from your collection, don’t panic. If you’re facing persistent emote glitches, submit a ticket to the support team with a screenshot of your unlocked emote collection and your purchase receipt if you bought the emote, and they’ll usually resolve the issue within 24 hours. You can also check the official The First Descendant Discord server for updates on known emote glitches, as the devs post patch notes for small bug fixes there regularly.
Whether you want to show off a rare limited-edition emote to your friends or just do a silly dance after a tough win, learning how to emote the first descendant is a small but fun part of making the game feel more personal. Take some time to test out different control binds, earn free emotes through challenges and faction ranks, and be mindful of your teammates when using emotes in multiplayer matches. The 2026 summer update is set to add 12 more new emotes, including a bunch of collaboration emotes with popular anime franchises, so keep an eye on the official patch notes to make sure you don’t miss out on your next favorite emote.