You’ve just hit level 30, queued for your first Void Intercept battle, and your damage is barely scratching the boss even though you have the highest rarity weapon you can find. If that sounds familiar, you’re probably missing one of the most impactful progression systems in the game: module upgrades. Learning how to upgrade modules in The First Descendant is the fastest way to close that power gap between you and high-tier content, without spending hours farming for rare new gear. I’ve spent over 120 hours testing different module loadouts and upgrade paths across every playable descendant, so I’m breaking down exactly what works, what wastes resources, and how to get the most out of every module you own.
How to Upgrade Modules in The First Descendant: Core Pre-Requisites First
Before you can start upgrading any modules, you’ll need to unlock the Module Research Station in Albion, which becomes available after you complete the third main story mission. You’ll also need three key resources to cover upgrade costs, regardless of the module’s rarity or type. Once you have all three resources gathered, you can start the process to upgrade modules in The First Descendant by heading to the station, selecting the module you want to upgrade, and holding the confirm button.
- Module EXP Cards: Dropped from all mission clears, side quests, and disassembling unused modules. They come in tiers from 1 to 5, with higher tiers giving more EXP per card. You can stack up to 999 of each tier, so don’t hesitate to pick up every drop you see during missions.
- Gold: The most common universal resource, earned from selling junk items, completing bounties, and clearing mission objectives. You’ll need far more gold for high-rarity module upgrades than you expect, so don’t blow it all on weapon skins or irrelevant cosmetic items early on.
- Upgrade Catalysts: Used for upgrading modules from +10 to +15, and only dropped from high-difficulty Void missions and weekly boss clears. They’re extremely limited, even for players who grind endgame content daily, so only use them on modules you plan to keep for your permanent endgame build.
You don’t have to equip a module to upgrade it, so it’s smart to pre-upgrade modules for future descendants you plan to unlock, as long as they fit your intended playstyle. This cuts down on progression time significantly once you unlock a new character you want to main.
Optimal Upgrade Order to Avoid Wasting Resources
The biggest mistake I see new players make is dumping all their Module EXP into common or uncommon rarity modules they’ll replace within 10 hours of play. You’re better off saving your resources until you get at least a Rare or Epic module that aligns with your main descendant’s build. If you’re still unsure which modules to prioritize first, you can look up build guides for your specific descendant to see which modules most players pick, so you know exactly which ones to focus on when you upgrade modules in The First Descendant.
Prioritize upgrading modules that give percentage-based stat boosts over flat stat boosts first, especially as you get to higher levels. Flat +100 attack might feel good at level 10, but a 15% attack boost will outscale it by a mile once you hit level 50 and have a base attack of over 2000. Even if a flat stat module has a higher rarity, the percentage-based one will almost always give you more long-term value.
Next, prioritize ability-focused modules if you’re playing a caster or support descendant, and weapon damage modules if you’re playing a DPS build. For example, if you main Viessa, you’ll get far more value out of upgrading her +20% ice damage module first, instead of a generic +10% all damage module. Also, don’t upgrade any module past +5 until you’ve confirmed it fits your long-term build. Upgrading to +5 costs barely any resources, but jumping from +5 to +10 costs 3x as much, so you don’t want to waste that on a module you’ll swap out next week.
How to Unlock Bonus Module Effects Through Max Upgrades
Most new players don’t know that when you upgrade a Legendary or Epic module to +15, you unlock a hidden bonus effect that’s usually way more powerful than the base stats. For example, a Legendary +15 critical damage module might add an extra 10% critical chance on top of its base 40% critical damage boost, which is a game-changer for DPS builds. These bonus effects are rolled randomly when you hit +15, so you might get one that doesn’t align with your build at first.
If you get a bonus effect that doesn’t fit your playstyle, you can reroll it once per module for a small cost of Gold and one Upgrade Catalyst. But don’t reroll more than once, because the cost doubles every time you do it, and you could end up wasting hundreds of thousands of gold for a bonus that’s only marginally better than the one you already have. I once wasted 400,000 gold rerolling a module 6 times just to get a 2% better stat boost, and it was absolutely not worth the cost.
Another little-known perk is that max upgraded modules can be transferred between descendants of the same role, so a maxed DPS module works for every DPS descendant you own, not just the one you first equipped it on. That’s one of the best hidden perks of investing in high-rarity module upgrades, because it cuts down on future progression time for new characters you unlock by a huge margin.
Common Module Upgrade Mistakes to Steer Clear Of
First, avoid upgrading duplicate modules for the same build. If you already have one Epic +12 critical chance module, you don’t need another one, even if it drops with slightly better base stats. The resource cost to upgrade the new one to +12 is way higher than the tiny stat gain you’ll get from swapping. You’re better off saving those resources for a different module that fills a gap in your build.
Second, don’t ignore module set bonuses when upgrading. A lot of modules are part of 2-piece or 3-piece sets that give extra stat boosts when you equip multiple modules from the same set. It’s always better to upgrade a full set of Rare modules first, instead of random Epic modules that don’t fit any set, because the set bonus will give you far more overall power. I once tested this myself, and a full set of +10 Rare modules outperformed a mix of +12 unpaired Epic modules by almost 18% in total damage output.
Third, don’t use Upgrade Catalysts on non-Legendary modules. I did this once early on when I got a really good Epic module, and I regretted it within a week when I dropped a Legendary version of the same module that had 2x better base stats. Save all your Upgrade Catalysts exclusively for Legendary modules, no matter how good an Epic module seems. You’ll get far more long-term value out of that choice, even if it means waiting a little longer to get your first +15 module.
At the end of the day, upgrading modules doesn’t have to be a complicated, resource-draining process if you follow the rules we’ve laid out here. Taking the time to learn how to upgrade modules in The First Descendant properly will save you dozens of hours of farming unnecessary resources, and let you jump into endgame content far faster than players who upgrade randomly. Don’t be afraid to test out low-level upgrades on cheap modules to get a feel for how the system works, but always keep your endgame build in mind before you pour rare resources into higher upgrade tiers. If you have a favorite module build that’s worked well for you, drop it in the comments below to help other players out.