If you’ve spent any time exploring the open zones of The First Descendant, you’ve almost certainly come across glowing, locked encrypted vaults tucked away in hidden caves, behind boss arenas, or off the main mission path. Most new players walk right past these chests, because they have no idea how to access the rare loot hidden inside. In this guide, we’ll break down exactly how to open encrypted vaults the first descendant community usually struggles with when they start playing, with no exploits, paid shortcuts, or complicated tricks required. Even if you’re only level 15, you can start unlocking lower-tier vaults to get gear that will speed up your progression dramatically.
What You Need Before Trying to Open Encrypted Vaults
First, you’ll need a matching vault key for the tier of vault you’re trying to open. Vault keys come in three tiers: common, rare, and legendary, and each tier only works with the corresponding vault type. You can earn keys from defeating elite enemies, completing weekly challenge missions, or ranking up your free battle pass track. You don’t need a specific character to unlock vaults, but characters with high area-of-effect damage like Ajax or Viessa will make the defense phase much easier to clear quickly.
You can check if you have matching vault keys in your inventory's "consumables" tab before heading out on a mission to save yourself the frustration of finding a vault you can’t open. You should also make sure your character’s power level is at least 10 levels above the vault’s recommended minimum, or you’ll struggle to clear the defense waves that spawn once you activate the vault. It’s also a good idea to bring at least one other squad mate if you’re trying to open a legendary tier vault, as the final wave of enemies can be tough to beat solo.
Step-by-Step Process to Open Encrypted Vaults in The First Descendant
The process to unlock every vault follows the same basic structure, no matter what tier or map you’re on. First, locate the vault: they spawn in fixed locations on each map, and you’ll see a small golden lock icon pop up on your minimap when you’re within 100 meters of one. Walk up to the vault door and interact with it to check if you have a matching key, and confirm you want to start the unlock sequence.
Once the sequence starts, you’ll have three waves of enemies spawn around the vault, with an elite enemy spawning at the start of the third wave. Always clear all surrounding mobs before activating the vault sequence to avoid getting swarmed right as the timer starts. You’ll have 90 seconds to clear each wave, and you need to make sure no enemies hit the vault core more than 10 times total, or the sequence will reset and you’ll have to start over. Stick close to the vault core during the defense phase instead of chasing mobs far away to make sure you can block any attacks that target the core.
Once you clear all three waves, the vault door will open automatically, and you’ll have two minutes to loot all the items inside before they despawn. Once you finish a vault run, you'll usually have a few minutes before the next vault spawns on the map, or you might be waiting for your squad mates to finish their own loot runs before you queue for another mission. A lot of players use this downtime to play quick, casual mobile games that don't require too much focus, and RummyLudo is a popular pick for short 5-10 minute rounds that you can drop out of the second your squad is ready to go. It's a nice way to unwind a little between the fast-paced, high-pressure defense sequences that come with unlocking vaults.
Common Mistakes to Avoid When Unlocking Encrypted Vaults
Even experienced players make these mistakes when they’re rushing to farm vaults, and they can cost you a lot of time and wasted keys. We’ve rounded up the most common errors to watch out for:
If you accidentally activate a vault you don't have a key for, leave the area immediately so it respawns later for other players instead of letting the timer run out for no reason. You should also avoid using ultimate abilities right as the first wave spawns, because you’ll need them for the elite enemy that shows up in the third wave. It’s also not worth fighting other players for vault spawns – there are more than enough vaults on each map for every squad, and you’ll save a lot of time just moving to the next spawn instead of starting a PvP fight.
Best Rewards You Can Get From Encrypted Vaults
The loot inside encrypted vaults is far better than what you’ll get from regular chests or standard mission rewards, so it’s well worth taking the time to farm them. Lower-tier common vaults usually drop rare weapon blueprints, upgrade materials, and uncommon ability mods that you can use to buff your character’s core skills. Rare vaults have a chance to drop epic weapons and mods, as well as crafting materials that are hard to find anywhere else in the game.
Legendary tier vaults are the most rewarding, with a 30% chance to drop legendary weapons, 40% chance to drop legendary ability mods, and even a 10% chance to drop exclusive character skins that you can’t get from the cash shop or battle pass. You have a 15% higher chance of getting legendary drops if you open a vault with a full 4-player squad, so it’s always better to team up with other players instead of farming solo if you’re chasing top-tier loot. You can also get special event-exclusive rewards from vaults during limited-time events, so make sure to check the event tab to see if there are any extra bonuses for unlocking vaults during the event period.
Unlocking encrypted vaults is one of the most rewarding side activities in The First Descendant, and once you get the hang of the process, you’ll be able to farm them quickly every play session. You don’t need any fancy paid gear or high-level characters to get started, even new players can unlock common vaults to get gear that will make the main story missions much easier to beat. Even if you’re only playing for an hour a day, adding a few vault runs to your routine will help you progress much faster than just sticking to the main story missions. Now that you know exactly how to open encrypted vaults the first descendant maps have hidden across every zone, you can start farming rare loot to make your favorite Descendant even more powerful.