If you’ve ever hit a wall fighting high-tier Void Intercept Bosses or struggled to clear level 50+ missions in The First Descendant, you’re not alone. Most new players pour all their resources into weapon and character upgrades, only to forget one of the biggest stat boosters available: external components. Today we’re breaking down exactly how to upgrade external components the first descendant players can use to jump their power level by 30% or more in just a few hours of farming and crafting. I’ve tested these methods on three different main characters over the past six months, and they work for both free-to-play and premium players alike, no paid DLC required.
Pre-Requisites to Upgrade External Components in The First Descendant
Before you start tinkering with your component loadout, there are a few basic requirements you need to meet first to unlock the upgrade system fully. You must have reached character level 20 and completed the "Void Chasm" story mission to unlock the upgrade terminal in Albion, the game’s main central hub. If you haven’t hit that milestone yet, focus on pushing through the main story first, you’ll get plenty of low-tier components to test out along the way. Once you unlock the terminal, you’ll need the following materials for every upgrade attempt:
- A level 15 or higher external component of any rarity (common, uncommon, rare, epic, legendary)
- Corresponding elemental cores matching your component’s damage or resistance type
- 1,500 to 150,000 credit reserves depending on the component’s current level and rarity
- 1 to 5 duplicate external components of the same name for higher rarity upgrades past +5
Don't waste resources upgrading common or uncommon components past +3, by the way. You'll get far better returns saving your cores for rare or higher rarity gear that you can use for endgame content. I made this mistake early on, blowing 20,000 credits on a common shield component that I replaced 2 missions later, so learn from my error.
Step-by-Step Process to Upgrade Your External Components
Upgrading your components is straightforward once you have all your materials gathered, and the entire process takes less than a minute per upgrade if you’re prepared. First, fast travel to the Albion central hub and head to the Component Workshop terminal located right next to the weapon crafting station. If you’re having trouble finding it, look for the blue glowing gear icon on your mini map, it’s hard to miss once you’re within 50 meters. Next, select the component you want to upgrade from your inventory list on the left side of the screen. The terminal will automatically show you exactly what materials you’re missing, if any, so you don’t have to cross-reference requirements manually. Then, confirm the upgrade if you have all required materials. Each upgrade has a 100% success rate up to +3, but upgrades past +3 have a small chance of failure that increases as you get closer to the maximum +10 level. Failure won’t destroy your component, but it will consume half the materials you used for the upgrade attempt, so it’s always smart to farm 10-20% extra materials before trying to upgrade past +5. You can use stabilizer items you get from weekly missions to boost success rates to 100% for any upgrade, so save those for your legendary components, they’re too rare to waste on lower rarity gear.
Best External Components to Prioritize for Upgrades
Not all components are worth upgrading, and picking the right ones to pour resources into can save you dozens of hours of farming unnecessary materials. First, if you main a DPS character like Viessa or Bunny, prioritize upgrading components that boost critical hit damage and skill cooldown reduction first. These two stats have the highest impact on your overall damage output, far more than flat attack power boosts for most DPS builds. For tank characters like Ajax, focus on shield capacity and damage resistance components first, especially those that match the elemental damage type of the endgame boss you’re planning to fight. Support players should look for components that boost skill duration and party stat buff effectiveness, as these will make your entire team far more effective in co-op missions. I main Viessa for most endgame content, and upgrading my epic frost damage critical hit component to +10 boosted my total damage output against fire-type bosses by almost 45%, which made the level 60 Void Intercept fight feel like a cakewalk compared to when I had it at +3. Always check the secondary stats on a component before you upgrade it, too. A rare component with perfect secondary stats for your build will often outperform a legendary component with mismatched secondary stats, even if the legendary has a higher base power level.
Common Mistakes to Avoid When Upgrading External Components
Even experienced players make costly mistakes when upgrading components, so keeping these pitfalls in mind will help you avoid wasting hard-earned materials. First, don’t upgrade components that don’t match your build’s core playstyle. It might be tempting to upgrade a legendary fire damage component if you find it early, but if you main a frost damage character, it’s completely useless for your main build, and you’re better off saving materials for a component that fits your kit. Second, don’t ignore set bonuses. Many external components are part of 2 or 3 piece sets that give huge bonus stats when you equip multiple matching components. Upgrading a full set of rare components will give you better stats than upgrading three mismatched legendary components, so always check set bonuses before you spend resources. Never use duplicate legendary components as upgrade fodder unless you already have a maxed out version of that component for your main build. You can trade duplicate legendary components with clan members or use them to build alternate character loadouts, so they’re far too valuable to waste as upgrade materials. Also, don’t forget to unequip components from your alternate characters before you try to upgrade them. The terminal won’t show components that are currently equipped on a character you’re not playing as, so I’ve had many moments where I thought I lost a component only to realize it was on my level 20 Ajax alt.
At the end of the day, taking the time to learn how to upgrade external components the first descendant players can access is one of the fastest ways to raise your power level and tackle harder content without grinding for dozens of hours for better gear drops. You don’t need to spend real money to get max level components, either, all required materials drop from free weekly and daily missions that take 10 to 20 minutes each to complete. If you’re still struggling to find the right components for your build, try running co-op Void Intercept missions on hard difficulty, they have the highest drop rate for rare and legendary external components in the game right now. Experiment with different upgrades to find what works best for your playstyle, you might be surprised how much a small stat boost can change how your favorite character feels to play.