I’ve spent over 120 hours grinding The First Descendant across solo runs, 4-player co-op void battles, and endgame boss raids, and one question pops up in every lobby I join: what is the best descendant in the first descendant. The short answer? There’s no one-size-fits-all pick, but some descendants stand head and shoulders above the rest depending on what you want to get out of the game. Whether you prefer to melt bosses from a distance, support your team through tough fights, or rush through hordes of enemies without taking damage, there’s a top-tier descendant that fits your playstyle perfectly. I’ve tested every playable descendant across all game modes to pull together this guide, so you don’t have to waste hours leveling up a character that doesn’t match what you enjoy.
What Is the Best Descendant in The First Descendant for Solo Play?
If you spend most of your time playing alone, your top priority is a descendant that balances clear speed, survivability, and minimal resource usage. You don’t have a team to back you up if you get swarmed or run out of ammo mid-fight, so forgiving kits are always better than high-risk, high-reward options for solo play.
Lepic is my top pick for most solo players, especially if you’re new to the game. His passive grants 25% extra damage resistance when his health drops below 50%, and his signature explosive skill clears entire waves of basic enemies in one hit. He also gets a 30% ammo efficiency buff for explosive weapons, so you won’t burn through your rocket launcher stock halfway through a mission. The only downside is he’s a bit slow, so he’s not ideal if you prefer fast, movement-heavy play.
Viessa is the second best solo pick for players who prefer crowd control over raw damage. Her ice skills freeze all enemies within a 15 meter radius for 3 seconds, giving you plenty of time to reposition or take out high-threat targets without taking damage. Her ultimate creates a permanent ice field that slows any enemy that steps inside, which is a game changer for tough defense missions. She has lower single-target damage than Lepic, so boss fights can take a bit longer, but you’ll almost never die if you use her skills correctly.
Top Descendants for Co-op and Endgame Raids
If you’re still wondering what is the best descendant in the first descendant for group content, the answer almost always comes down to your team’s existing composition. In co-op, you don’t need to cover every role yourself, so specialized descendants perform far better than jack-of-all-trades picks. Most endgame raids require at least one support, one main DPS, and one crowd control character to clear smoothly.
Sharen is the undisputed best support for endgame content. Her area heal restores 70% of all nearby teammates’ health over 2 seconds, and her team buff increases everyone’s damage output by 30% for 10 seconds. She can also revive teammates from 20 meters away without having to stand next to them, which is critical for raids with one-shot boss mechanics. The only catch is she has almost no offensive skills, so you’ll be relying on your team to take out enemies if you play her.
Blair is the best main DPS pick for boss fights. Her passive stacks up to 50% extra critical hit damage against boss enemies, and her ultimate skill deals 2000% of her weapon damage as a single targeted hit. I’ve seen well-built Blairs take off 40% of a final raid boss’s health bar with one well-timed ultimate. She has very low base health and no defensive skills, so you’ll need a support on your team to keep you alive if you play her, but the damage output is more than worth the tradeoff.
Hidden Gem Descendants Worth Leveling for Niche Playstyles
Many tier lists will tell you a specific character is what is the best descendant in the first descendant, but they rarely account for niche use cases where less popular picks shine. These characters don’t top general tier lists, but they outperform even the most popular meta picks if you have a specific goal in mind. I recommend leveling all of these to at least level 20 to unlock their full kits, even if you don’t plan to main them.
- Jayce: Perfect for players who love fast, melee-focused play. His dash skill lets you zip around maps, and his passive gives 5% extra damage for every consecutive hit you land, stacking up to 50% total. He's surprisingly strong for speedrunning story missions, and I cut my average story run time by 40% when I switched to him for reward grinding.
- Gley: A great hybrid pick for players who swap between solo and co-op regularly. Her summon skill lets her spawn a turret that deals continuous AoE damage to nearby enemies, and she can toggle the turret to heal nearby teammates in group runs. She’s not the best at any single role, but she’s incredibly flexible if you play with different groups often.
- Freeze: The best pick for players who focus on farming rare materials. His loot detection passive marks rare crafting materials on your map from 100 meters away, and his crowd control skills let you clear farming spots fast without taking damage. I main him for all my open world farming runs, and I’ve doubled the number of rare materials I collect per hour since I started using him.
You don’t have to spend hours building these characters to get value out of them. Even low-level versions of Jayce and Freeze will make your farming and speedrunning runs far more efficient, and you can swap back to your main character once you’re done with those activities. I keep all three of these at level 30 on my account, and I use them at least two or three times a week for different tasks.
Common Mistakes to Avoid When Choosing a Descendant
I made a ton of mistakes when I first started picking descendants, and I wasted almost 20 hours leveling up characters that didn’t fit my playstyle at all. These are the most common mistakes new players make, and avoiding them will save you a lot of time and frustration.
The first mistake is picking a character just because they’re top of a tier list, without checking if their playstyle fits what you enjoy. I did this with Sharen when I first started: every guide said she was the best support for endgame raids, but I hate standing back and healing, so I ended up getting bored and switching to Lepic after a week. If you hate playing support, a meta support character won’t be fun for you, no matter how strong they are.
Another mistake is writing off a character just because they feel weak at low levels. Most descendants don’t unlock their strongest signature skills until level 30, and their full power only comes through when you pair them with the right build and weapon. Viessa feels almost useless at level 10, but once you unlock her full freeze kit at level 30, she’s one of the strongest solo characters in the game.
Don't ignore synergy with your preferred weapon type either. Every descendant gets buffs for specific weapon types, so if you love using sniper rifles, picking a descendant that only gives buffs to shotguns is a huge waste of potential. For example, Blair gets a 20% damage buff to all precision weapons, so she pairs perfectly with snipers and marksman rifles, while Lepic gets buffs to explosive weapons like rocket launchers and grenade launchers. Always check a character’s weapon buffs before you invest time in leveling them.
At the end of the day, what is the best descendant in the first descendant will depend entirely on what you enjoy doing most in the game. If you mostly play alone and want to progress through the story as fast as possible, Lepic is your best bet. If you spend most of your time in endgame raids with friends, Sharen or Blair will give you the most value. Don't be afraid to experiment with less popular picks either, you might find a hidden gem that fits your playstyle better than any meta character. The best part of The First Descendant is how flexible the character system is, so you can swap between descendants any time you want to mix up your gameplay.