If you’ve spent any time upgrading your descendant’s core skills or crafting endgame mods, you’ve almost certainly run into the same roadblock I did last month: not enough Energy Activators. These rare, glowing materials are one of the most sought-after resources in the game, and bad farming advice online made me waste 8 hours running pointless routes before I figured out what actually works. This guide breaks down exactly how to get energy activators the first descendant, with all the tested tricks I use to farm 10+ per hour without burning out.
How to Get Energy Activators in The First Descendant: Core Drop Sources
Not all in-game activities have a chance to drop Energy Activators, so you can cut out most of the grind right away by only targeting the sources that actually work. I tested every possible activity in the game over three days to track drop rates, and only three sources give consistent, reliable returns. You don’t have to waste time opening random chests or killing low-level mobs if you stick to these:
Elite enemies have a 12% drop rate per kill, which is the highest consistent rate you’ll find for repeatable farming. Void Intercept runs give 2-4 activators per clear if you finish under 10 minutes, which is a great option if you prefer playing with a squad instead of solo farming. Weekly supply missions give 5 guaranteed activators if you complete all 3 tiers, so mark these on your calendar to do every reset before you start grinding for extra drops.
Optimal Farming Route for Fast Energy Activator Drops
Once you know the core drop sources, you can string them together into a loop that cuts down on travel time and maximizes how many activators you earn per hour. This is the exact route I use when I need to stock up fast, and it works for both solo and duo play sessions. Start by spawning at the Scrapyard East fast travel point, which drops you right in the middle of the highest concentration of elite Vulture spawns in the game.
Run through the lower industrial zone first, there are 7 elite Vulture spawns that respawn every 8 minutes. Clear them one by one, ignoring all regular mobs along the way—they only have a 0.8% drop rate, so stopping to kill them will just slow you down. If you clear all 7 elites in under 6 minutes, you can trigger a bonus elite spawn that has a 30% drop rate, so try to move fast without stopping to loot extra junk you don’t need.
After you clear the Scrapyard elites, fast travel to Dry Reef North and take out the 5 Hyena elites that spawn along the coastal ridge. Once those are down, queue for a Void Intercept Battle on difficulty 3 while you wait for the Scrapyard elites to respawn. You’ll get 1-2 activators from the run, and by the time you’re done, the Scrapyard spawns will be back and ready to clear again. I consistently get 8-12 activators per hour with this route, which is 3x faster than random open-world wandering.
Smart Ways to Use Your Energy Activators
Most new players burn through their first stack of Energy Activators on basic core upgrades, but there are far more valuable uses you should prioritize first. I made this mistake when I first started playing, and I had to re-farm 20 activators when I found out I wasted them on low-tier upgrades that I could have gotten for free from mission rewards. Plan your spending ahead so you don’t end up in the same spot.
You can trade 10 Energy Activators for a legendary mod selector at the central hub's black market vendor, which is the best use for your first 10 activators if you’re still running rare or uncommon mods. The selector lets you pick any legendary mod that fits your main descendant’s playstyle, which will make your farming runs even faster down the line. You can also use activators to unlock the special passive slot for each descendant, which costs 15 activators per character.
If you main multiple descendants, save at least 20 activators before you start upgrading a new one, so you don’t get stuck halfway through unlocking their core skills. You don’t need to upgrade every low-tier skill for new characters either—focus on their signature ability first, and only use activators on upgrades that boost that specific skill’s damage or cooldown.
Common Mistakes to Avoid When Farming Activators
There are a lot of small mistakes that can cut your drop rate in half without you even noticing, and most new players make at least two of them every time they farm. I picked up on these after hours of testing different variables, so avoiding these will save you a ton of time and frustration. The first and biggest mistake is playing on too low of a difficulty level.
Always play on at least difficulty 3 for activator farms. If you’re on difficulty 1 or 2, elite drop rates drop to 3% and 7% respectively, and Void Intercept runs won’t drop any activators at all. Another common mistake is leaving Void Intercept runs right after killing the boss. The end-of-mission reward chest has a 40% chance to give extra activators, so stick around for 10 extra seconds to open it before you leave.
Don’t ignore limited-time event missions either. Most events have activators as bonus rewards, sometimes even 10 per event challenge, so check the event tab every time you log in to see if there are any easy challenges you can complete for free activators. And remember, you can’t trade activators, so don’t fall for any scams in the global chat offering to sell them for in-game currency—those players are just trying to steal from new users.
At the end of the day, figuring out how to get energy activators the first descendant doesn’t have to take over your play sessions. Stick to the routes and tips we covered, and you’ll have enough of these materials to max out your main descendant and save spares for future updates before you know it. If you find a route that works even better for your playstyle, don’t be afraid to tweak it—there’s no one right way to farm, as long as you’re avoiding the common mistakes we called out earlier. Next time you log in, try running the 8-minute loop we shared, and you’ll see just how fast you can build up your stock of activators.