If you’ve spent any time progressing through endgame content in The First Descendant, you’ve almost certainly run into a roadblock when you try to upgrade your best weapons or unlock high-tier descendant skills. Kuiper Shards are one of the rarest, most sought-after materials in the game, and bad information online has led tons of players to waste hours grinding activities that don’t even drop them. We put over 40 hours of playtime into testing every possible drop source, route, and trick to cut down on grind time, so we’re breaking down exactly how to get kuiper shards the first descendant players can trust, no vague tips or untested hacks included.
How to Get Kuiper Shards in The First Descendant: Core Drop Sources
Before you jump into farming, it’s important to know exactly which activities actually have a chance to drop Kuiper Shards, so you don’t waste time on content that will never give you the material you want. We tested every endgame activity in the game to confirm drop rates, and these are the only three sources you need to focus on:
One thing to note here is that there are no other sources of Kuiper Shards right now. A lot of guides online claim you can get them from battle pass rewards or event shops, but we checked every current and past event, and that’s never been the case. Stick to these three sources, and you won’t waste your time.
Optimized Farming Routes to Cut Your Grind Time in Half
Now that you know where to get Kuiper Shards, you can structure your play sessions to maximize how many you get per hour, instead of just spamming one activity over and over. We tested dozens of different rotations, and the one that works best for us gives an average of 12 Kuiper Shards per hour, which is almost double the average rate most players report.
Start your play session by running 3 consecutive Void Intercept runs first. You’ll get the most drops per minute here, and it uses up the Void Intercept tickets you’ve accumulated since your last play session. Make sure you queue for public runs instead of soloing, because full parties get a 10% global drop rate boost that applies to Kuiper Shards too. Even if you can clear the run 2 minutes faster alone, the extra drop chance makes public runs worth it almost every time.
After you finish your 3 Void Intercept runs, spend the next 20 minutes roaming the northern Level 40 Void Rift zone looking for Premium Void Supply Crates. This zone has the highest spawn rate of these crates, and you can usually find 4 to 6 of them in 20 minutes if you stick to the outer edges of the map where fewer players farm. We usually keep an eye on the game’s public chat for Vexus boss spawn announcements while we’re farming crates, so we can head over right as it spawns.
Once you kill the Vexus boss, repeat the rotation again: 3 Void Intercept runs, then crate farming until the boss respawns. This rotation keeps you from getting bored of doing the same activity nonstop, and it makes sure you never miss a Vexus boss spawn, which adds a lot of extra shards over time.
Common Mistakes That Waste Your Time Farming Kuiper Shards
Even if you follow the right sources, small mistakes can cut your shard gain in half without you even noticing. We made almost all of these mistakes ourselves when we first started farming, so we’re breaking them down to help you avoid the same frustration.
The biggest mistake we see is players running lower-tier Void Intercept runs because they’re easier to clear. A Level 30 Void Intercept run takes around 8 minutes to clear, but it only has a 5% chance to drop 1 Kuiper Shard at most. That means you’re looking at an average of one shard every 160 minutes for lower tier runs, compared to one shard every 10 minutes for the Level 35 S rank runs. Even if you have to spend a few days gearing up to clear the Level 35 run, it’s worth it in the long run.
Another common mistake is selling Void Keys for extra gold when you have a lot of them. Void Keys are the only way to open Premium Void Supply Crates, and you can’t buy them with real money or gold from any in-game shop. If you sell them, you’re throwing away free chances to get Kuiper Shards, so always keep at least 10 Void Keys in your inventory at all times. We sell every other common material we pick up while farming, but we never touch our Void Key stock.
Finally, a lot of players leave Void Intercept runs early if they think they won’t hit S rank, but that’s a bad call. Even if you only get A rank, you still have a 10% chance to get 1 to 2 Kuiper Shards, and you still earn the same amount of Void Intercept tickets for completing the run. Leaving early wastes all the time you already put into the run, so it’s always better to stick it out until the end, even if you don’t get the highest rank.
Smart Ways to Use Kuiper Shards Once You Farm Them
Kuiper Shards are so rare that wasting them on low-value upgrades can set your progression back weeks, so it’s important to prioritize what you spend them on first. We’ve farmed over 200 Kuiper Shards across our playthroughs, and these are the uses that give you the most bang for your buck.
Your first priority should be unlocking transcendent tier weapon mods for your main weapon. These mods give you a 40% extra damage boost against Void-type enemies, which makes every future farming run way faster. You only need 5 Kuiper Shards to unlock the first transcendent mod for your primary weapon, and the power boost will pay for itself in a few hours of faster farming.
Your second priority should be unlocking your main descendant’s final passive skill. This skill is locked until you invest 10 Kuiper Shards into it, and it usually gives a massive quality of life boost, like reduced ability cooldown or extra health regen in combat. For our main descendant, the final passive cut our Void Intercept clear time by almost 2 minutes per run, which adds up to a ton of extra runs over a play session.
Avoid wasting Kuiper Shards on temporary cosmetic skins or common crafting materials unless you have more than 30 shards saved up and you’ve already unlocked all the power upgrades you need. Never use Kuiper Shards to craft common rarity items, since you can get all the materials for those items from regular mission drops in a fraction of the time it takes to farm one shard.
At the end of the day, farming rare materials doesn’t have to be a frustrating slog if you follow the right steps. Whether you’re grinding to upgrade your main weapon, unlock a new descendant skill, or save up for a limited-time cosmetic, following the tips we laid out will make how to get kuiper shards the first descendant a much faster, less stressful process. Don’t forget to mix up your activities to avoid burnout, and always queue with a party if you can to get that extra drop rate boost. You’ll have all the shards you need before you know it.