If you’ve spent even a few hours running missions in The First Descendant, you’ve probably hit a wall where better modules, higher-tier characters, and endgame missions are locked behind a higher Mastery Rank. A lot of new players waste dozens of hours on low-yield missions that barely move the progression bar, because they don’t know how to level up mastery rank in The First Descendant efficiently. I’ve put 120+ hours into the game across two accounts, and I’ve tested every possible grind path to cut your time spent ranking up by almost 60% compared to blind play. This guide skips the fluff and only covers tactics that actually work, no weird exploits or pay-to-win tricks required.
How to Level Up Mastery Rank in The First Descendant: Prioritize These Reward Sources First
Most new players assume Mastery Rank XP comes from repeating high-difficulty missions, but that’s not how the system works at all. Mastery XP is tied exclusively to account-wide progression milestones, so running the same mission 10 times after your first clear gives you zero progression towards your rank. If you want to rank up fast, focus on the highest-yield milestone sources first, no exceptions.
So many new players fall into the trap of running the same Void Intercept mission 10 times in a row to get gear, but that gives zero Mastery XP once you've cleared it for the first time. If you're stuck at a rank wall, the first thing you should do is open your codex and check which milestone rewards you haven't claimed yet, that's usually enough to get you past the hump. I once jumped from rank 6 to rank 8 in 2 minutes just by claiming 11 unclaimed codex rewards I’d forgotten about.
Optimize Your Descendant Leveling Grind For Maximum Mastery Gain
Leveling new Descendants is the single fastest long-term way to raise your Mastery Rank, so you want to make that process as efficient as possible. You don’t even need to play the low-level Descendant yourself to earn XP for them, which is a trick most new players never figure out. You can set up to 3 Descendants as support characters in your party, and they get 70% of the XP your active main character earns for every mission clear.
Equip the 30% account-wide XP boost module on your main character first, that applies to every character in your party, including supports, no extra work required. For example, if you're running a high-difficulty resource mission with 3 low-level Descendants set as supports, you can level all 3 to 20 in just 3 runs, which gives you a huge chunk of Mastery XP in under an hour. Save your limited-time 2x XP boost items for days when you plan to level 3 or more new characters at once, that way you get 3x the value per boost.
You don’t need to fully level every Descendant immediately if you’re short on time, either. Even getting a new Descendant to level 20 gives you 40% of the total Mastery XP reward for that character, which is a great way to quickly push past a small rank wall before you go back to maxing them out later.
Avoid These Common Mastery Rank Progression Mistakes
Even if you’re focusing on the right activities, small mistakes can slow your progression to a crawl for days. The first and most common mistake I see is players scrapping low-rarity gear immediately because they think it’s useless. Don't ignore low-rarity modules and weapons even if you don't plan to use them. Each unique common or uncommon item you add to your codex gives a small Mastery XP bonus, and those add up fast when you're collecting hundreds of items over your playthrough.
Another mistake is rushing to increase mission difficulty before you’re ready. A lot of players think higher difficulty gives more Mastery XP, but that’s only true for first-time clears. If you’re struggling to beat a hard mission in 20 minutes, you’re better off running 3 easier first-time clears in that same time for 3x the Mastery XP. You can always go back and clear the higher difficulty version later for extra rewards once your gear is stronger.
Also, don’t forget to claim your codex rewards manually. The game doesn’t auto-claim Mastery XP from collection milestones, you have to open the codex tab and hit claim every time you see a notification pop up. I’ve had friends who were stuck at Mastery Rank 7 for 2 days, only to find they had 15 unclaimed codex rewards that pushed them straight to Rank 9 immediately. You also don’t need to spend real money on any bundles to get Mastery XP, every single rank up is achievable with free gameplay, no paywalls involved.
Use Endgame Missions To Fill Mastery Rank Gaps Once You Clear All Story Content
Once you’ve finished all story and side missions, and unlocked most common Descendants, you’ll have to rely on endgame content for the rest of your progression. Focus on the Void Battle rotation first, because each weekly rotation adds new limited-time weapons and modules to the codex, which give you first-time collection XP every week. These missions are usually fast to clear with a coordinated party, and you’ll get extra gear you can use for other grinds at the same time.
Run the weekly Descendant unlock missions to get new characters faster, even if you already have a main you love. Each new Descendant you unlock and level is still the single highest source of Mastery XP at endgame, so it’s worth setting aside 2 hours a week to grab the new rotation character. If you play with friends, you can split the resource grind for unlocks to cut that time in half even more.
If you're really stuck at a high rank (15+), you can also grind for cosmetic items in the Operation missions, many of these give small Mastery XP bonuses when you unlock them for the first time, and they're usually easy to complete with a public party. You don’t get penalized for playing with other players, so joining random public runs is a great way to knock out these missions fast without having to coordinate a full group yourself.
At the end of the day, learning how to level up mastery rank in The First Descendant isn't about grinding for 12 hours a day, it's about focusing on the right activities that give you the most XP for your time invested. If you follow the tips in this guide, you'll be able to unlock all endgame content, exclusive modules, and high-tier Descendants way faster than the average player. Don't get discouraged if you hit a rank wall, just open your codex, check for unclaimed milestones, and switch to leveling a new Descendant for an hour, that's almost always enough to get you moving again. If you have your own favorite trick for ranking up fast, drop it in the comments below to help other players out.