If you’ve ever faced off against a high-level Void Chaser or endgame boss in The First Descendant only to watch your shots tickle their health bar, you know how critical high weapon damage output is to success. Whether you’re running solo missions or queuing for 4-player co-op raids, learning how to increase weapon DPS in The First Descendant is one of the fastest ways to stop struggling through content and start clearing waves of enemies in seconds. We’ve put together tested, in-game tips from 100+ hours of endgame play to help you max out your damage without wasting rare resources on useless upgrades.
Prioritize Correct Weapon Upgrade Paths First
Many new players dump every spare resource they have into upgrading the first rare weapon they unlock, but that’s one of the biggest mistakes you can make for long-term DPS gains. Not all weapon upgrades give the same return on investment, and focusing on the wrong stats early will leave you lagging behind once you hit level 30 content. Always upgrade the weapon’s base damage first before touching any secondary stats, as this stat multiplies all other damage boosts you apply from mods and character passives.
Next, focus on your weapon’s core fire rate or charge speed stat, depending on the weapon type. For automatic rifles and SMGs, fire rate increases give consistent DPS gains across all target types, while for sniper rifles and rocket launchers, charge speed and reload speed upgrades will give you more frequent high-damage hits. Skip upgrades that boost stats irrelevant to your weapon’s role, like magazine size for a single-shot sniper, until you’ve maxed out the three core damage stats first.
Build Mod Combos That Stack Multiplicative Damage
Mods are the single biggest contributor to your final weapon DPS when you’re figuring out how to increase weapon DPS in The First Descendant, but stacking random high-rarity mods won’t give you the results you want. The First Descendant uses a mix of additive and multiplicative damage boosts, so learning the difference between them is key to building a top-tier weapon. Multiplicative damage mods always take priority over additive ones, as they multiply your total damage instead of adding a small flat boost on top.
If you’re not sure where to start with mod combos, here’s a universal setup that works for 90% of weapon types:
Don’t be afraid to swap out mods for specific missions either. A mod that gives 50% extra damage to organic enemies is useless in a robot-focused Void Intercept mission, so keep a small library of leveled mods in your inventory to swap on the fly. Between mission runs, many players take short breaks to play low-stakes casual games to reset their focus before testing new mod builds, and INR Rummy is a popular pick for quick, engaging rounds that fit perfectly into 10-minute gaps between raid sessions.
How to Increase Weapon DPS in The First Descendant With Character Synergy
Your weapon doesn’t exist in a vacuum, and your chosen Descendant’s passives and abilities can multiply your weapon DPS by 2x or more if paired correctly. For example, if you’re playing as Viessa, her ice damage passives pair perfectly with cryo elemental weapons, giving you an extra 40% damage boost to all frozen enemies that stacks with your weapon mods. Always match your weapon’s element and type to your character’s core passives to unlock hidden DPS gains you won’t get from mods alone.
If you play in co-op, you can stack team-wide buffs for even bigger gains. A support Descendant like Ajax can drop defense shred auras that make every weapon in your team deal 60% extra damage to affected enemies, so coordinate with your team to stack these buffs before taking on boss encounters. You don’t need to play a support character to benefit from these buffs either, just make sure you position yourself inside active auras when you’re dealing damage to take full advantage of them.
Unlock Hidden DPS Boosts With Weapon Proficiency and Mastery
Most players don’t realize that every weapon in the game has a hidden proficiency track that gives permanent damage boosts the more you use it. Each kill you get with a specific weapon adds to its proficiency level, and maxing out the proficiency track gives you a permanent 15% damage boost with that weapon that applies across all your characters. Stick to one or two weapon types per character to max out their proficiency tracks as fast as possible instead of swapping between a dozen different weapons every mission.
Once you hit max account level, you also unlock weapon mastery upgrades that give account-wide boosts to specific weapon types. These upgrades are permanent, so focus on the weapon types you use most often first to get the biggest return on your investment. Avoid wasting mastery points on weapon types you never use, even if the upgrades look good on paper, since you can’t reallocate points once you spend them. You can earn extra mastery points by completing weekly challenge missions, so make sure to clear those every week if you want to max out your favorite weapon types faster.
Maxing out your weapon damage doesn’t require spending real money or grinding for hundreds of hours, it just requires focusing on the right upgrades, mod combos, and character synergy to get the most out of every resource you earn. If you follow the tips we’ve laid out, you’ll be able to clear endgame content far faster and hold your own even in the hardest co-op raid groups. Testing small changes to your build one at a time will help you find the setup that fits your playstyle best, and you’ll be shocked at how much you can improve once you stop wasting resources on useless upgrades. Now that you know how to increase weapon DPS in The First Descendant, jump into a mission and test out your new build for yourself.