If you’ve spent any time running missions in The First Descendant, you know gold is the backbone of almost every upgrade you’ll ever need. From mod enhancements to new character unlocks and weapon crafting, you’ll burn through thousands of gold coins before you even hit mid-game. I’ve spent over 80 hours testing different runs to figure out where to farm gold the first descendant players can access no matter their level, and I’ve cut out all the low-reward spots that waste your time. This guide only includes tested, high-yield runs that you can repeat solo or with a squad to hit your gold goals fast.
Where to Farm Gold in The First Descendant for Early-Game Players (Level 1-20)
Early game players don’t have access to high-end gear or powerful builds, so the best gold farming spots prioritize short clear times and low difficulty over maximum possible payout. If you’re still figuring out where to farm gold the first descendant early game content has to offer, this spot is the best starting point you’ll find. Resource Recovery: Vexis Coast is a simple side mission that takes 7 to 8 minutes per run, with zero complex mechanics or tough boss fights.
Your only objectives are to clear three small enemy camps, open two marked supply caches, and extract. You’ll earn 12,000 to 15,000 gold as a base reward per run, plus extra drops that you can sell for additional income. You can run this mission even if you’re still using your starter descendant with no upgrades, as the enemy levels are tuned to match your current progression. If you take 10 extra seconds to pick up all common weapon and low-tier mod drops, you can sell those at the hub for an extra 3,000 to 4,000 gold per run with almost no extra effort.
Mid-Game High-Yield Gold Farming Spots (Level 21-40)
Once you hit level 21 and have a few upgraded weapons and mods, you can move to faster, higher-payout runs that don’t require a perfect build. If you’re past the early levels and looking for where to farm gold the first descendant mid-game content has that gives consistent returns, this mission is your best bet. Storming the Fortress: Iron Wastes is a 12 to 15 minute run that has you clear five enemy outposts and defeat a single low-difficulty mini-boss at the end.
Base gold rewards for this run sit at 28,000 to 35,000 per completion, and you’ll also get rare mod drops that sell for 5,000 to 10,000 gold each if you don’t need them for your own builds. There’s also a hidden cache behind the broken wall to the left of the mini-boss arena that you can break open with any explosive weapon, giving a guaranteed 5,000 gold plus a random rare crafting material per run. A few small tweaks will make this run even more efficient:
- Equip a loot range increase mod to pick up all gold and drops without running around the entire map
- Run this mission with 1-2 squad mates to cut clear time down to 8 minutes while keeping the same gold reward per player
- Sell all duplicate rare mods instead of dismantling them, you’ll get 3x more gold for the same item
You can skip story missions entirely for gold farming at this stage, as most story runs take 20+ minutes to complete and only give 10,000 to 15,000 gold as a reward, which is less than half the payout per hour of this mission.
Endgame Gold Farming Runs for Max Level Players
Once you hit max level and have a decently tuned build, you can access the highest payout gold farming spots in the game. For max level players wondering where to farm gold the first descendant endgame has that doesn’t require nonstop raid grinding, there are two great options depending on if you play solo or with a squad. Void Raid: Abyssal Gateway (Normal Difficulty) is the best option if you have a 3-person squad, with runs taking 18 to 22 minutes to complete.
You’ll fight three mini-bosses and one final boss, and earn a base reward of 60,000 to 75,000 gold per run, plus legendary mod drops that can sell for 50,000+ gold each if they’re meta picks for popular builds. This is the most efficient gold farming spot in the game right now if you have a coordinated squad, as you can easily clear three runs per hour for 200,000+ gold total. If you prefer to play solo, run Supply Run: Desert Outpost instead, which takes 10 minutes per run with no boss fights, just grabbing three supply crates and extracting. You’ll earn 35,000 to 42,000 gold per run, which works out to almost 250,000 gold per hour if you stick to a consistent rhythm.
Common Gold Farming Mistakes to Avoid Wasting Your Time
Even if you pick the right farming spots, small mistakes can cut your gold per hour by 30% or more without you even noticing. The first mistake most players make is running higher difficulty missions for a small gold boost that doesn’t justify the extra time. For example, hard difficulty void raids only give 50% more gold than normal, but take twice as long to clear if your squad isn’t perfectly optimized, so you end up making less gold per hour overall.
Never skip opening supply caches in any mission you run, even if you’re just doing a quick story or daily mission. The small gold and material drops add up fast, and you can easily earn an extra 50,000 gold per week just by opening caches on missions you’re already running. Another mistake is dismantling all your unwanted drops instead of selling them. Common and rare items sell for far more gold than the materials you get from dismantling them, so only dismantle legendary items you don’t need, since the crafting materials from those are worth more than their sell price.
I used to make the mistake of ignoring daily and weekly challenge rewards, assuming they weren’t worth the effort, but they give 20,000 to 100,000 gold for tasks you’re already doing while farming, like clearing 10 side missions or defeating 500 enemies. Claiming those rewards every week saves you hours of extra grinding you don’t need to do.
Gold farming doesn't have to be a tedious grind if you pick the right spots for your player level and gear. Whether you're just starting out saving up for your first new descendant or you're farming for your 5th legendary mod upgrade, there's a spot that fits your playstyle and schedule. Next time you log in and need extra cash, skip the random story runs and use the spots we covered for where to farm gold the first descendant players of all levels can rely on. You'll hit your currency goals in half the time, and have more gold left over to spend on the upgrades that actually make your builds stronger.