If you’ve spent any time grinding endgame content in The First Descendant, you’ve almost certainly seen teams dominate Void Intercept Battles with Hailey leading the charge. This frost-powered support character brings unmatched crowd control, team-wide damage buffs, and survivability perks that make her a top pick for both solo and co-op play. I spent three days chasing the wrong quests and missing rare materials before I figured out how to get Hailey the First Descendant, so I put together this guide to save you the same frustration. She’s fully unlockable for free, no premium currency required, as long as you meet a few basic requirements and follow the quest line correctly.
Pre-requisites You Need to Meet Before You Can Get Hailey the First Descendant
You can’t jump straight into Hailey’s unlock quest the second you start the game, so first make sure you check off all these base requirements. First, your player account needs to be at least level 35. This might feel like a high bar, but if you’ve been completing daily missions and working through the main story, you’ll hit this level naturally without extra grinding. You also need to finish the “Frost Wastes Incursion” main story arc, which unlocks the frozen northern Vespers region of the open world. You don't need to spend any real money to unlock Hailey, all materials and quest access are earnable through regular gameplay.
Next, you’ll need three Rare-rarity Void Crystals, which drop from tier 2 Void missions. If you’ve been doing your daily bounties, you probably already have a stack of these sitting in your inventory. Finally, make sure you have at least one empty character slot in your roster. If all your slots are full, you won’t be able to claim Hailey even after you finish every step of the unlock quest, so swap out an unused alt or buy an extra slot with in-game gold if you need to.
Step-by-Step Walkthrough to Unlock Hailey
Once you meet all pre-requisites, head to the Central Hub in Aster City and look for NPC Elara, who stands right next to the Void Mission terminal. She’ll have a purple exclamation mark over her head marking the “Frostbound Legacy” quest, which is Hailey’s exclusive unlock line. Accept that quest, and you’ll be given three core objectives to complete. If you follow these steps exactly, you won't run into any of the common bugs that stop players from being able to get Hailey the First Descendant even after they finish all quest requirements.
First, you’ll need to collect 15 Frost Shards from ice-type mobs in the Frost Wastes open world area. These shards only drop from level 30+ ice enemies, so stick to the northern edge of the map where their spawn rate is highest. Equip a fire damage weapon to take down these ice mobs 30% faster, it cuts the total farm time down from an hour to less than 20 minutes for most players.
Second, you’ll need to complete the Void Intercept Battle: Frost Wyrm on Normal difficulty or higher. This is the only real combat challenge in the unlock line, and we cover specific tips for this fight in the next section. Third, return to Elara in the Central Hub, turn in all your collected materials, and watch the short character introduction cutscene to add Hailey to your roster.
You can track your quest progress at any time from the "Character Unlocks" tab in your menu, so you don’t have to run back to Elara every time you want to check how many Frost Shards you’ve collected or if you meet the boss fight gear requirements.
Frost Wyrm Boss Fight Tips to Speed Up Your Unlock
The Frost Wyrm is the roadblock that stops 70% of players from unlocking Hailey on their first try, but it’s far easier to beat once you know its attack patterns. First, the Wyrm’s weak points are the glowing blue patches on its underbelly and the tip of its tail. Aim for those spots whenever it lands, and you’ll deal 2x extra damage, cutting the fight length in half.
It has two high-damage AOE attacks you need to watch for at all times. The first is a full-arena ice blast that freezes anyone not behind cover, so when you see it rear back and start glowing bright blue, run immediately to the stone pillars around the edge of the fight arena. The second is a wide tail swipe that hits anyone standing in front of the Wyrm, so stay to its sides whenever it’s on the ground to avoid taking unnecessary damage.
Bring at least two health potions with you to this fight, you won’t have time to run and pick up random health drops during the Wyrm’s fast attack sequences. If you’re playing co-op, assign one player to focus on stunning the Wyrm when it starts charging its AOE blast, that gives the rest of the team extra time to get to cover. I tried this fight three times solo with an ice damage weapon before I swapped to fire, and I beat it on my first try after that swap, so that small gear adjustment makes a massive difference.
First Things to Do After Unlocking Hailey
Once you have Hailey in your roster, don’t jump straight into high-tier endgame content right away. First, level her up to at least level 30 using character XP boosters you earn from daily quests. This unlocks all her base abilities, including her signature Frost Barrier that blocks all incoming damage for your team and slows enemies that get too close.
Prioritize upgrading her skill cooldown reduction stats first, so you can use her Frost Barrier and crowd control abilities more often during fights. If you main support in co-op teams, pair her with high-damage DPS characters like Viessa or Ajax to maximize your team’s output, her passive buff increases ally damage by 25% when they’re standing inside her Frost Barrier. If you prefer solo play, focus on building her ice damage stats alongside her support perks, her projectile ice attacks deal massive AoE damage to grouped mobs, so you can clear open world bounties faster than with most other characters.
Don’t forget to complete her short personal side quest, which unlocks her exclusive rare skin and a permanent passive buff that gives her 10% extra damage when she’s at full health. This buff works for both solo and co-op play, so it’s well worth the 15 minutes it takes to finish the side quest. You can pick up this quest directly from Hailey in your character roster menu as soon as you unlock her.
At the end of the day, figuring out how to get Hailey the First Descendant is way simpler than most players make it out to be, as long as you follow the quest line and come prepared for the Frost Wyrm fight. She’s easily one of the most versatile characters in the game right now, and she fits into almost every team comp for endgame Void battles and open world content, so the few hours you spend unlocking her are 100% worth it. If you run into any snags during the process, don’t be afraid to ask for help in public co-op lobbies, most players are happy to join the Frost Wyrm fight to help other players unlock new characters.