If you’ve spent hours grinding missions, unlocking new descendants, and modding your gear to take down tougher Vulgus bosses, you’ve probably asked at some point what's the max level in The First Descendant. Hitting that level cap is a big milestone for any player, since it opens up the full endgame loop, lets you unlock every skill node for your favorite character, and lets you stop worrying about XP gains and focus on perfecting your build. I’ve put over 120 hours into the game across three different main descendants, so I’ve tested every leveling trick, hit the cap multiple times, and know exactly what to expect once you reach that final level threshold.
What's the Max Level in The First Descendant for Characters and Weapons?
There are two separate level systems most players care about when talking about caps, and they work independently of each other. Your playable descendants have their own level track, and every weapon you equip has a separate progression path too. The current max level for any playable descendant is 40, and you’ll earn one skill point for every level you gain on a character to spend on their unique skill tree.
Weapons have a higher cap of 50, since they’re your primary source of damage output against high-tier endgame bosses. Every time you level a weapon, you get small boosts to its base attack power, and you unlock extra mod slots at specific level thresholds to customize its performance further. Once you hit the cap for either a character or weapon, you stop earning core progression rewards for that item, but any extra XP you earn will go toward your account-wide profile level for bonus cosmetic and QoL rewards.
You don’t have to level every descendant to the cap to enjoy all the game’s content, either. Most players stick to one or two main characters to max out first, then level other descendants for fun or to try new playstyles once they’ve unlocked all endgame content.
What Unlocks When You Hit the Max Character Level?
Hitting the max level for your chosen descendant doesn’t mean your progression stops, far from it. This milestone opens up a ton of exclusive content and customization options that aren’t available to lower-level players. First, you get full access to the descendant’s entire skill tree, so you can test out every possible build combination without being locked out of high-impact nodes. You also unlock access to the Mastery Rank system for that character, which lets you earn bonus passive stats like increased critical hit chance, faster skill cooldown, or higher shield regen by completing specific challenges.
You’ll also gain entry to the hardest endgame missions, like Void Intercept Battles and Raids, which often have a level 40 entry requirement and drop the best mod and gear drops in the game. If you want to level other descendants later, your account-level buffs will make that grind much faster, since you can bring low-level characters into high-difficulty endgame missions to earn huge XP payouts in minutes.
Some of the top rewards you get for hitting the max level include:
- Full access to all 39 skill points for your descendant’s skill tree, letting you make fully optimized builds for any playstyle
- Entry to all endgame raid and void battle content, which drops S-tier mods, legendary weapons, and exclusive cosmetic items
- Ability to earn Mastery experience for that descendant, which grants permanent account-wide stat boosts as you rank up
- No more XP penalties for playing lower-difficulty missions, so you can farm lower-tier materials without wasting grind time
How to Reach the Max Level Fast Without Wasting Time
Most new players take 15 to 20 hours of playtime to hit the max level on their first descendant, but you can cut that time down by almost half if you follow a few simple tricks. First, always play missions with a full 4-player squad if you can. Squad play gives you a 30% XP boost for every extra player in your team, plus you can clear missions much faster than you could solo.
Prioritize main story missions first until you hit level 25, since they give far more XP per minute than side missions or free roam activities early on. The main story also unlocks critical quality of life features like fast travel points and additional mod slots that make the rest of your grind much smoother. Once you hit level 25, switch to running repeatable Supply Run missions on Hard difficulty, as they have short completion times, high enemy density, and consistent XP payouts.
Don’t forget to equip XP boost mods on your weapons and descendant when you grind, too. Even a 10% XP boost adds up over a few hours of play, and you can stack multiple small boosts to get up to 80% extra XP per run if you combine squad bonuses, event boosts, and mod effects. Don’t waste time grinding open world collectibles before you hit max level, since they give very little XP relative to the time you spend hunting them down. You can go back and grab those once you’re done leveling, when you’re not in a rush to hit the cap.
Common Misconceptions About the Max Level Cap
There are a lot of wrong claims floating around community forums about the max level in The First Descendant, so I wanted to clear up the most common ones I see new players ask about every week. First, a lot of players think you have to hit max level on every descendant to access endgame content, that’s not true. You only need one level 40 descendant to unlock all endgame mission access, and you can bring lower-level descendants into those missions to level them up quickly if you want.
Another common myth is that hitting max level makes your character permanently stronger than lower level ones. While you do get base stat boosts, 90% of your endgame power comes from your mods, weapon rolls, and skill tree setup, not your base level. A level 35 character with a perfectly optimized build can often outperform a level 40 character with generic, unupgraded gear.
Some players also worry that the level cap will be raised suddenly and make their grind worthless, but the devs have stated clearly that any future level cap increases will come with big new content drops, and players who already hit the old cap will get exclusive rewards and a head start on the new progression path. So you don’t have to hold off on leveling just because you’re scared a cap increase is around the corner.
At the end of the day, knowing what's the max level in The First Descendant helps you plan your grind better and set clear goals for your play sessions. Hitting the level 40 cap is just the start of your journey, not the end, and the endgame content you unlock will give you hundreds of extra hours of fun chasing perfect builds and beating the hardest boss fights. Don’t rush through the leveling process if you’re enjoying the story and experimenting with different characters, but if you’re eager to jump into the hardest content, the tips we covered will help you get there as fast as possible. And if you’re still stuck on a tricky part of your grind, feel free to drop a comment below and I’ll help you out.