If you’ve spent any time running Void Chases or farming boss drops in The First Descendant, you’ve probably hit a wall where your damage feels too low, and high-difficulty missions feel unapproachable. That’s exactly where mastery rank comes in, and learning how to mastery rank up the first descendant progression system is the single fastest way to unlock better loot, higher mission difficulty tiers, and permanent stat buffs for every character you play. I spent three weeks testing different grind routes when I hit Mastery Rank 15, and cut my total rank-up time by almost 40% by ditching generic grind tips for targeted strategies that work for both casual and hardcore players. You don’t have to sink 8 hours a day into the game to hit high mastery ranks, as long as you’re focusing on the right activities.
Core Principles You Need to Know Before You Learn How to Mastery Rank Up in The First Descendant
A lot of new players go into their grind completely misunderstanding how mastery XP works, and that leads to hours of wasted effort. First, mastery XP isn’t just earned from completing missions—it comes from unlocking new gear, upgrading characters, and completing first-time activity clears far more than repeat runs. Every piece of content you interact with for the first time gives a far higher XP payout than anything you do on repeat.
These core rules are the foundation of any effective strategy for how to mastery rank up in The First Descendant, and ignoring them will lead to hours of wasted grind. You also don’t have to max every single character or collect every rare item to rank up fast. In fact, spreading your resources too thin across high-investment upgrades will actually slow you down more than it helps. The goal is to target low-effort, high-reward actions that give you the most mastery XP for the least time spent.
It’s also important to remember that every mastery rank you unlock gives you permanent buffs that make future grind even faster. Higher ranks unlock increased mod capacity, extra character slots, and access to endgame activities that give even better XP payouts. You don’t have to rush through ranks, but prioritizing small, consistent gains will add up faster than you think.
Highest-Yield Activities for Fast Mastery Rank XP Gains
Not all activities in The First Descendant give the same mastery XP per hour, and focusing on the right ones can cut your grind time in half. If you’re short on time, sticking to these three activities will get you 90% of the way to your next mastery rank up in The First Descendant without any extra effort. I’ve tested every activity in the game for XP per hour, and these are the clear standouts:
But don’t just grind these activities mindlessly. I made the mistake of grinding low-level white weapons first, but you can cut the time to level a weapon by 70% by running it in level 40+ Void Chase missions, where you get 3x more weapon XP per kill. That means you can max a new weapon in less than 15 minutes, instead of an hour of running low-level missions. Also, make sure you prioritize missions that match the current in-game XP bonus event, if there is one. Event missions often give 2x mastery XP for all clears, so stacking that with first-time clear bonuses can give you enough XP to rank up two whole mastery levels in one run.
Common Mistakes That Slow Down Your Mastery Rank Progression
A lot of players waste dozens of hours on activities that give almost no mastery XP, and they don’t even realize it. Avoiding these three mistakes alone can double the speed of your mastery rank up in The First Descendant, even if you don’t change any other part of your play routine. I made all of these mistakes myself when I first started playing, so I know exactly how much time they can waste.
First, spamming the same high-difficulty mission on repeat for hours is almost never worth it, unless you’re also farming for a specific drop you need for an upgrade. Once you’ve claimed the first-time clear bonus for that difficulty, you only get a tiny 200 to 500 mastery XP per clear, which is nothing compared to leveling a new weapon or clearing a new mission. You’re better off spending that time unlocking new content instead of repeating the same run over and over.
Another big mistake is hoarding upgrade materials for a "perfect" legendary weapon. You get mastery XP for every upgrade you apply, even to gear you’ll replace later. So if you have extra enhancement materials lying around, use them on low-rarity weapons to level them fast, get the mastery XP, then scrap them for a portion of your materials back. That’s a net gain for both XP and resources, and you won’t be stuck sitting on hundreds of unused materials that could be helping you rank up.
Also, don’t sleep on character level ups. Every time you level a new character from 1 to 50, you get 10,000 mastery XP, which is the same as 20 repeat mission runs. You don’t have to invest rare mods or ascension materials into them, just level their base rank to 50, claim the XP, and you can leave them there if you don’t plan to main them. I leveled three unused characters in one afternoon and got two full mastery ranks out of it, with almost no extra investment.
Endgame Mastery Rank Strategies for Ranks 20 and Above
Once you hit Mastery Rank 20, the XP requirements per rank jump by almost 3x, so the casual strategies that worked for early ranks won’t cut it anymore. These endgame strategies are optimized for fast mastery rank up in The First Descendant when XP requirements are at their highest, so you don’t have to grind for days just to unlock one new feature. I used these to go from Rank 20 to Rank 30 in less than two weeks, playing only 2 hours a day on average.
First, focus on maxing the seasonal battle pass track if there’s an active season. Each battle pass tier gives 1,000 mastery XP, plus free weapons and characters you can level for even more XP. I got 3 full rank ups from the last season’s battle pass without any extra grind, just by completing the weekly challenges I was already doing for mastery XP anyway. The free track gives almost as much XP as the paid one, so you don’t have to spend any extra money to take advantage of this.
Another key strategy for high ranks is running Void Intercept Battle hard mode with a full squad. You get 1,500 mastery XP per clear, plus guaranteed legendary weapon drops that you can level for extra XP. Running this with a coordinated squad lets you finish a run in 8 minutes or less, so you can get 10,000+ XP per hour even without first-time clear bonuses. Just make sure your squad has at least one support character and one high-damage dealer to keep runs fast and consistent.
Also, make sure you’re claiming all your mastery rank rewards as soon as you rank up. A lot of the rewards, like increased mod capacity and XP boost consumables, make it even faster to gain more XP for the next rank. I forgot to claim my rewards for two ranks once, and missed out on two 1-hour 2x XP boosts that would have cut my grind time for the next rank in half. You can find your unclaimed rewards in the mastery rank tab of the main menu, so check it every time you see the rank up notification pop up.
At the end of the day, learning how to mastery rank up the first descendant system doesn’t have to be a soul-crushing grind. The best strategies are the ones that fit your playstyle, whether you only have an hour a day to play or you’re grinding for endgame content on the weekends. Don’t fall for the myth that you have to play every single character or collect every single item to hit high ranks. Focus on the high-yield activities we covered, avoid the common mistakes that waste your time, and you’ll be unlocking endgame content and powerful permanent buffs faster than you thought possible. If you test any of these tips, drop a comment below to let me know how much time you saved on your grind.