If you’ve spent any time running Void Intercept Battles or grinding resource missions in The First Descendant, you’ve probably spotted other players rocking flashy, unique skins for their favorite characters and wondered how to get skins in The First Descendant for yourself. Cosmetics don’t give any in-game stat boosts, but they’re a fun way to stand out in co-op lobbies and make your main descendant feel truly yours. I’ve spent over 120 hours playing the game across open beta and full release, so I’ve tested every possible method to unlock skins, both free and paid, to cut through the confusion for you. This guide covers every reliable way to get the skins you want, no guesswork required.
How to Get Skins in The First Descendant: Free Unlock Methods
You don’t have to spend real money to get great skins for your descendants, weapons, and even your back accessories. Most free skins are tied to regular gameplay activities that you’re probably already doing if you play even a few times a week. I’ve unlocked 17 free skins so far without spending a cent, so these methods definitely work if you’re willing to put in a little time. If you’re on a budget or just prefer not to spend extra money on games, these options should be your first stop when looking for new cosmetics.
The most consistent free skin sources are:
One thing to keep in mind with free skins: many event-exclusive free skins are only available for the duration of the event, so if you see one you want, prioritize earning enough points to claim it before the event ends. You won’t be able to get it again once the event cycles out, unless the devs re-run it at a later date. I missed out on a cool Ajax cyberpunk skin last year because I waited until the last day to grind event points, and I still haven’t seen it come back around.
Premium Skin Options for Fast Unlocks
If you don’t want to wait for event rewards or grind challenges, you can buy skins directly from the in-game store using either paid currency or in-game earned currency that you get from leveling up your account. Premium skins are usually higher detail than most free skins, and often come with custom visual effects for abilities, which is a nice bonus if you want your character to stand out even more during missions. You don’t have to buy premium skins to enjoy the game, but they’re a good option if there’s a specific skin you love and don’t want to wait for it to show up as a free reward.
Calyx is the paid premium currency you can buy with real money, and it’s used to purchase the highest tier skins, including limited edition collaborative skins and the premium seasonal event pass tracks. A standard descendant skin costs around 1,200 Calyx, which is roughly $10, and weapon skins cost half that. If you only buy skins you actually love, it’s a reasonable cost, but I recommend waiting for store sales that run every few weeks to get 20-30% off your purchase. I saved $5 on my favorite Bunny skin last month by waiting for a holiday sale.
You can also buy skins with Kube, the free in-game currency, but the selection is much smaller. The Kube store rotates weekly, and usually has a handful of older common and uncommon skins for descendants and weapons. I’ve bought two decent skins from the Kube store so far, so it’s worth checking every week to see if there’s something you like for your main character. Just make sure you don’t blow all your Kube on upgrade materials before checking the store rotation each week.
One thing to avoid: don’t waste Calyx on random skin loot boxes. The drop rate for rare skins is less than 5%, and you’re far more likely to get duplicate common items you don’t want than the specific skin you’re after. It’s always better to save up and buy the exact skin you want directly when it’s available in the store. I wasted 2,000 Calyx on loot boxes when I first started playing, and I only got two common weapon skins I never used.
Tips to Unlock Skins Faster Without Burnout
Grinding for skins can get boring fast if you’re running the same mission 20 times in a row just to earn enough event points. I’ve made that mistake before, and I ended up taking a two week break from the game because I was so burnt out. After testing a few different methods, I’ve found a few easy hacks to speed up skin unlocks without making the game feel like a chore. If you’re focused on figuring out how to get skins in The First Descendant as fast as possible, these tricks will cut your grind time almost in half.
Stack daily and weekly missions whenever possible to get the most points per run. For example, if you have a daily mission to run 3 Void Intercept battles and an event mission to kill 100 enemies with fire damage, pick a fire damage main and run the Void battles to complete both at the same time. That cuts your grind time almost in half, and you don’t have to run extra missions just to complete separate objectives. I used this trick to finish the last event pass 10 days early, without playing more than an hour a day.
Play with a consistent co-op team if you can. Teams that communicate well beat higher difficulty missions 2x faster than random teams, which means you get challenge rewards and event points way quicker. I run missions with three of my friends every weekend, and we unlocked the entire premium event pass track in half the time it took me to grind the previous season solo. Plus, running missions with friends makes the grind feel way less tedious than playing alone.
Don’t feel like you have to unlock every single skin that comes out. Most skins are for characters you’ll probably never play, so focus only on skins for your one or two main descendants first. That saves you a ton of time and money, and you don’t end up with a bunch of unused skins gathering dust in your inventory. I only grind for skins for my two mains, Viessa and Bunny, and I’ve never felt like I’m missing out by ignoring skins for other characters.
Common Skin Unlock Mistakes to Avoid
I’ve made almost every possible mistake when trying to unlock skins in The First Descendant, so I can save you a lot of frustration by pointing out the most common ones new players make. These mistakes waste your time, your in-game currency, and sometimes even real money, so it’s worth keeping them in mind before you start grinding for a new skin. Even if you’ve been playing for a while, you might be making one of these mistakes without realizing it.
The biggest mistake I see new players make is spending all their Kube on upgrade materials instead of saving a little for the weekly Kube store rotation. Upgrade materials are easy to farm from low level missions, but Kube skins are only available for a week at a time, and you might not see that specific skin again for months. I recommend keeping at least 10,000 Kube in your account at all times so you can grab any skin you want when it pops up in the store. I missed out on a great Gley skin a few months ago because I spent all my Kube on weapon upgrades the day before the store rotated.
Another common mistake is missing event deadlines because you put off earning event points until the last day. Event missions reset daily, so if you wait until the last 24 hours of an event to grind points, you won’t be able to complete enough missions to get the skin you want. I set a small reminder on my phone to do 2-3 event missions a day when there’s a skin I want, and I’ve never missed an event reward since. It only takes 10 minutes a day, and it saves you the frustration of missing a skin you really want.
Never buy skins from third-party sellers, no matter how good the deal seems. Most of these sellers use stolen credit cards to buy Calyx, and if you purchase a skin from them, your account will get banned permanently when the devs detect the fraudulent transaction. It’s not worth risking all your progress just to save a few dollars on a skin. I’ve seen dozens of players post about getting banned for buying skins from third-party sites, so it’s just not worth the risk.
At the end of the day, unlocking skins is just a fun side activity to make your time in The First Descendant feel more personal, so don’t let it take over your enjoyment of the game. Whether you’re grinding free event rewards or saving up for a premium skin you’ve had your eye on, the tips in this guide make it easy to figure out how to get skins in The First Descendant without wasting time or money. Take it slow, prioritize skins for your favorite characters, and you’ll have a collection you love in no time.