If you’ve spent any amount of time playing The First Descendant, you’ve probably seen random mentions of Grand Square pop up in global chat or loading screen tips, with zero context on how to actually access the area. I wasted almost three hours wandering around the central hub and running random side missions before I stumbled across the exact unlock requirements, so I put together this walkthrough to save you the same frustration. If you’re wondering how to get to Grand Square the first descendant, this guide covers every prerequisite, hidden trigger, and post-unlock perk you need to know to make the most of the endgame hub.
Prerequisites You Need to Meet Before You Can Get to Grand Square The First Descendant
You can’t just walk up to the Grand Square entrance as a new player, there are a few hard requirements you have to hit first, and the game never spells them out clearly for you. I’ve tested these prerequisites across three different accounts to confirm they’re non-negotiable, so don’t waste time trying to skip any of them.
First, you need to complete the 8th main story quest, “The Crossroads of Vylia”, and reach player rank 17. The rank requirement is soft capped to match the story progression, so you’ll almost certainly hit rank 17 right as you finish that quest if you don’t skip too much side content. You don’t need any specific descendant or weapon to unlock the area, I tested it with both the base starter Lepic and endgame Viessa, and the unlock trigger works exactly the same for both.
Second, you need to clear 3 side missions in the Northern Outpost zone. Any 3 side missions work, but I recommend the supply run missions, they only take 3-4 minutes each and reward extra credits on top of counting towards the requirement. Third, you need to have at least 5,000 credits in your inventory. You won’t spend the credits to unlock the area, but the entrance gate won’t activate if your balance is lower than that threshold.
Step-by-Step Walkthrough to Reach Grand Square
Once you meet all the prerequisites, getting to Grand Square only takes 10 minutes tops, no complicated puzzles or hard boss fights required. Start by spawning at the main Central Hub spawn point, the one right next to the primary mission board. Turn right, and walk towards the maintenance tunnel entrance that’s usually blocked by a glowing blue force field.
If you hit all the prereqs, the force field will be gone, and an NPC named Kael will be standing right outside the tunnel entrance. Talk to Kael, and he’ll give you a short escort mission to clear small Void fragments out of the tunnel. The escort mission has no fail state, so you don’t have to worry about Kael dying even if you run ahead to clear mobs fast. I ran through the whole tunnel in 2 minutes without looking back, and Kael was right behind me when I got to the end.
Once you clear the tunnel, you’ll be standing right in front of the Grand Square gate. Interact with the control panel next to the gate to open it, and you’ll get a pop-up confirming you’ve unlocked the area permanently. From that point on, you can fast travel directly to Grand Square any time from your map menu, no need to go through the tunnel again.
Common Mistakes That Block Access to Grand Square
Most players who can’t get to Grand Square are missing one small, easy to overlook detail, based on hundreds of questions I’ve seen posted in the official The First Descendant Discord server over the past few months. The most frequent issues that stop players from accessing the area are:
If you’ve checked all three of these and still can’t access the tunnel, try fast traveling to a different zone and back to the Central Hub. Sometimes the spawn trigger for Kael glitches if you’ve been in the hub for a long time without logging out, and a quick fast travel reset fixes it instantly.
Perks You Unlock When You Reach Grand Square
Grand Square isn’t just a random empty hub area, it’s packed with exclusive content that makes it well worth the 10 minutes it takes to unlock. First, there are three exclusive vendors in the square that sell items you can’t get anywhere else in the game. The mod vendor sells rare meta mod blueprints for all descendants, including the highly sought-after cooldown reduction mods for endgame builds. The vendor restocks every 24 hours, so it’s worth checking back daily if you’re looking for a specific mod to finish your build.
There’s also a daily mission board in the center of the square that gives twice as many credits and Void energy rewards as the regular Central Hub mission board. If you grind daily missions to level up your descendants or craft endgame weapons, switching to the Grand Square board will cut your grind time almost in half. The square is also the only hub location where you can join 8-player co-op raid queues without grouping up with friends first, which makes it way easier to find random teams for hard endgame raids.
One of the most underrated perks of Grand Square is the personal storage locker you can unlock for free right by the entrance. The locker has 50 extra item slots, which is a game-changer if you’ve been struggling with limited inventory space while grinding for materials. You can also find a hidden lore room in the back left corner of the square, with audio logs that reveal more about the fall of the old human civilization and the origin of the Void, if you’re a fan of the game’s story.
Figuring out how to get to Grand Square the first descendant is way simpler than most random online guides make it sound, as long as you meet the clear prerequisites and avoid the common mistakes I listed above. It’s one of the most useful unlocks in the endgame, so it’s worth taking 10 minutes to knock out the requirements as soon as you hit rank 17. If you run into any snags that aren’t covered here, drop a comment below and I’ll help you troubleshoot.