Prepare Your Descendants
The First Descendant is one of the newest co-op shooter PvE on the market and it has picked up a lot of interest as a shooter with great graphics and playstyle matching that of Halo or Destiny 2. Of course, being a shooter we have a whopping 11 different types of firearms with a total of 77 weapons at last count with more to come. That means that our 16 playable descendants have more than enough combinations for any player to master their mains.
Now, to be fair, First Descendant is one of those games with a huge host of weapons but only a few of them that stand out. I figure that's partly because this is a new game, but it also has aspects of crafting that allow you to modify those weapons heavily, or build into new ones. On top of that, with the release of the first season, we are now seeing new descendants and gear with the 1st season invasion in full effect.
The weapons themselves are pretty straightforward. We have our usual trash gear common, drops, and then you have your legendary weapons and your specialty pieces. For the most part, if you check online, almost everyone seems to run Enduring Legacy for the assault rifle, Afterglow Sword or Greg's Reversed Fate for the long-range, Thunder Cage for the submachine category, Tamer for a boss-killer, and finally Nazeistra's Devotion for our hand pieces. That being said, this isn't always true, since some descendants like Freyna, with her toxins, and Eseimo, with explosives, do have some fun choices for the use.
Weapons for the Descendants
1. Ajax
The ultimate starter tank that deals in shields and crowd control.
Picking the Best Weapons for Ajax
1. Enduring Legacy
Enduring Legacy is one of the highest-damage machine guns in the game which is good because Ajax is prone to doing less damage for better shields. On top of that it debuffs enemies and makes it easier to trigger status effects, which makes for great support for other players.
2. Greg's Reversed Fate
Greg's Reversed Fate is one of the best medium-range weapons for its bombardment ability. It lets Ajax do damage faster in the game, serving as the best boss weapon with wide utility for his playstyle.
3. Albion Cavalry Gun
The Albion Cavalry Gun is typically declared by players in the Reddit and Steam community as a must-have for Ajax because it deals extra damage to stunned enemies. This pairs well with Ajax's void walker ability which does great AOE stun damage.
2. Blair
The fire descendant who specializes in critical hits and damage over time with his fire traps.
Picking the Best Weapons for Blair
1. Enduring Legacy
Enduring Legacy is already one of the strongest weapons in the game, but it also comes with the ability to debuff enemies and trigger status effects for increased crit damage. Since Blair likes to light things on fire, this makes it that much easier and increases the damage done by the status effects.
2. Afterglow Sword
The Afterglow Sword is one of the better sniper rifles in the game and it deals extra damage to weak points. It also has high crit point damage which synergizes well with Blair
3. Nazeistra's Devotion
Nazeistra's Devotion can lower enemy defense by 30% for three seconds which pairs great with the Pitmaster passive. This triggers crit rates at much higher damage thanks to Blair's fire skills doing damage over time.
3. Bunny
The shocking descendant, that runs on more juice than Duracell
Picking the Best Weapons for Bunny
1. Thunder Cage
Thunder Cage is universally considered the best weapon for Bunny, thanks to the high move speed and the fact it doesn't slow the player down. It also has an overcharge ability that deals electric damage as well as other damage which synergizes with Bunny's electric abilities.
2. Blue Beetle
The Blue Beetle is posed as the best long-range weapon for Bunny thanks to the ability to self-cleanse the player of effects and damage over time. It also does good high damage and offers a flat crit skill rate of 3% even when not in use.
3. Nazeistra's Devotion
Nazeistra's Devotion is great for the 30% defense reduction for enemies with Bunny, and it's extremely high DPS. On top of that, hand cannons have the same mobility as submachine guns which makes it great for the highest mobility character in the game.
4. Enzo
A strong support player in the game who focuses on resupply aid which allows for an ammo advantage over enemies.
Picking the Best Weapons for Enzo
1. Wave of Light
Wave of Light is one of the best all-purpose guns for Enzo thanks to its ability to shoot specialty rounds after each reload. It can do incredible amounts of damage and can be given infinite ammo with some of Enzo's abilities.
2. Enduring Legacy
Enduring Legacy is just one of the best all-around weapons in the game and it deals high damage to make up for Enzo's low damage. It also weakens enemies to status effects which is good for swapping between weapons or triggering abilities.
3. Restored Relic
Restored Relic is a great launcher to serve as a heavy weapon for Enzo. It shoots guided rounds which can inflict ancient fire damage to great effect.
5. Esiemo
The explosive damage hero who deals in nuking mobs and bosses alike
Picking the Best Weapons for Esiemo
1. Enduring Legacy
Enduring Legacy is one of the best weapons in the game in terms of high damage and gives Esiemo strong weapon damage in between grenades. It serves as a good all-purpose weapon that helps trigger the status effects that can be triggered by other weapons in the arsenal.
2. Greg's Reversed Fate
Greg's Reversed Fate does excellent AOE damage with the bombardment skill for a mid-range weapon. It also does burn damage, and landing a critical hit allows the player to not consume damage for 3 seconds.
3. Sigvore's Proof
Sigvore's Proof is another excellent weapon for Esiemo thanks to its sticky bomb ammo. While this weapon is only available via battle pass, it applies great burn effects
6. Freyna
The venomous hero that specializes in poison damage dealt, and getting the most from her arsenic
Picking the Best Weapons for Freyna
1. Fallen Hope
Fallen Hope is considered the best weapon for Freyna thanks to it getting buffs against poisoned enemies, which fits Freyna's toxic-based abilities. It does good AOE damage and will trigger explosions on defeated enemies with the perdition skill.
2. Python
Python is a fun weapon that lowers toxic resistance by 10% per stack and increases hit with the right damage mods. This makes it a perfect weapon for setting up major toxic damage against enemies.
3. Secret Garden
Secret Garden is a tactical rifle that is made popular for its pest control buff. It increases firearm attack and skill power which stacks up to three times in a row.
7. Gley
The berserk descendant who heals like Dracula through the enemies she’s slain
Picking the Best Weapons for Gley
1. Vestigial Organ
The Vestigial Organ is a great launcher that allows Gley to not consume ammunition while spamming rockets. This weapon in Gley's hands essentially acts as a meta nuke by focusing on fast reload and high damage for low ammo cost.
2. Tamer
Tamer is the best weapon for taking out bosses for a build and works to help clear the way for most single-target fights.
3. Thunder Cage
Thunder cage makes the list because of its ability to clear trash mobs with ease. It's generally considered the best weapon for clearing enemies and keeping that health bar maxed out.
8. Hailey
The Sniper Hero is made for spanking bosses at long range.
Picking the Best Weapons for Hailey
1. Piercing Light
Piercing Light is considered the newest best sniper rifle in the game. It has high attack and pairs well with any Hailey build thanks to its ATK scaling and
2. Perforator
The Perforator has one of the highest damage outputs in the game for a Hailey build but uses more ammunition than piercing light. It also serves as a strong option for maxing out crit rates.
3. Greg's Reversed Fate
Greg's Reversed Fate is considered one of the best weapons in the game, and it comes with the ability to save ammo. This makes it an excellent choice for high damage output and overall utility in a sniper build.
9. Jayber
Move over Heimerdinger, there’s a new turret master for the skill players
Move over Heimerdinger, there’s a new turret master for the skill players
Picking the Best Weapons for Jayber
1. Enduring Legacy
Jayber is a character that focuses more on abilities than weapons which makes Enduring Legacy the best overall utility option. It creates significant debuffs on enemies while producing high damage, making it a versatile weapon.
2. Afterglow Sword
Afterglow Sword is largely considered one of the most overall effective sniper rifles in the game. It has high damage and can be applied to any build as a solid long-range option.
3. Thunder Cage
Thunder Cage is generally considered the best submachine gun in the game with great maneuverability. This is great for clearing trash mobs while paired with the turrets.
10. Kyle
The magnetic tank who draws his enemies in, just to blow them away.
Picking the Best Weapons for Kyle
1. Enduring Legacy
Enduring Legacy is one of the best weapons in the game, with high DPS and excellent debuff abilities that work well for any support character.
2. Greg's Altered Fate
Greg's Altered Fate serves as one of the best tactical rifles in the game with excellent damage to compensate for the lower damage dealt by tanks.
3. Nazeistra's Devotion
The Nazeistra's Devotion is considered one of the highest damage hand cannons for a player. We like it for the high damage and maneuverability on the battlefield.
11. Lepic
A grenade-throwing descendant that maximizes the most damage from his skills and not his weapons.
Picking the Best Weapons for Lepic
1. Secret Garden
Secret Garden is considered the best weapon for Lepic thanks to its ability to trigger off tech abilities for pest control and raise attack power.
2. Thunder Cage
Thunder Cage is one of the best mob clearing weapons in the game and causes explosive lightning damage when enemies are defeated.
3. Afterglow Sword
Afterglow Sword serves as one of the best sniper rifles in the game and has excellent damage against weak spots on enemies.
12. Luna
The Sound descendant; her melodies inspire her teammates to greater heights
Picking the Best Weapons for Luna
1. Thunder Cage
Thunder Cage is a great mob clearing weapon with great maneuverability which suits Luna well.
2. Afterglow Sword
Afterglow Sword is a powerful sniper rifle that has great utility and damage against weak spots. It also gives Luna a range to focus on her music-based special skills.
3. Enduring Legacy
Enduring Legacy is a powerful rifle that works well with Luna triggers debuffs on enemies and makes her buffs stronger.
13. Sharen
The Stealth Assassin descendant. Uses camouflage ability to attack from stealth and increase damage with low cooldowns and crowd control options.
Picking the Best Weapons for Sharen
1. Piercing Light
Piercing Light is the most popular weapon for Sharen because of the high damage it deals to weak points. This couples with Sharen's stealth abilities to trigger buffs and critical damage.
2. Thunder Cage
Sharen is a sniper that specializes in single target damage. Thunder Cage synergizes well with Sharen’s electric abilities and makes for a great closer-range weapon to cover where Sharen is weaker.
3. Afterglow Sword
Afterglow Sword is one of the strongest sniper rifles in the game. This weapon maximizes on weak point damage
14. Valby
Valby is an AOE water user that provides extensive maneuverability, much like bunny in a different theme.
Picking the Best Weapons for Valby
1. Thunder Cage
Thunder Cage is considered the best mob clear submachine gun in the game. On top of that, it synergizes well with Valby's skills, mixing elements of electricity and water.
2. Blue Beetle
Blue Beetle is great for Valby because it triggers arcane waves off of fusion skills. Valby uses several fusion skills which spike her critical hit and burst rates.
3. Afterglow Sword
Afterglow sword does great damage to weak points and triggers a critical hit rate. This lets Valby get off higher damage against bosses and long-distance foes.
15. Viessa
The Ice queen hero who freezes out the foes with her debuff and frosty powers
Picking the Best Weapons for Viessa
1. Clairvoyance
Clairvoyance not only can inflict frostbite with one shot, it also has several stages of fire. The Stage 3 beam also inflicts a status effect like frostbite that reduces action spread significantly, which pairs well with Valby's ice damage.
2. Thunder Cage
Thunder Cage is a powerful mob clearing weapon that triggers overcharges for attack crits. It also provides an extra layer of AOE damage against trash mobs, while Tamer does a similar effect against bosses.
3. Afterglow Sword
Afterglow Sword does the best damage against enemies. This weapon triggers a skill called Death Propagation which increases reload and damage dealt to weak points for critical hits.
16. Yujin
The healing support guy. Specializes in healing builds and debuff builds to enhance the power of damage done.
Picking the Best Weapons for Yujin
1. Divine Punishment
Divine Punishment is a rifle that triggers based on buffs or debuffs applied. Since Yujin focuses on buffs and debuffs, Divine Punishment applies several skills depending on the buffs and debuffs that have been applied.
2. Afterglow Sword
Afterglow Sword is the best choice for long-range weak point damage. This pairs well with Nazeistra's Devotion and Divine Punishment which both weaken enemy defenses.
3. Nazeistra's Devotion
Nazeistra's Devotion serves as a great pairing with any sniper rifle due to its ability to debuff enemy defenses and trigger critical damage.
Take the Fight to the Foe
First Descendant is an exciting game with a ton of weapons that do a whole host of cool party tricks for the player. The game's still new, so a lot of what we're looking at for the time being seems to be a case of 'pick what works best overall'. In fact, for just about any build I would highly recommend picking up Nazeistra's Devotion for the hand cannon, Thunder Cage for the submachine gun, Enduring Legacy for the rifle, and Afterglow Sword for the sniper rifle.
Most builds function well off these weapons, but there are a few that really benefit from a specialty weapon. Characters like Viessa, Freyna, and Esiemo are a few that have weapons that are uniquely effective for their skills. It's definitely a good idea to pick up the best weapons in the game just to have them; but depending on your main, these are the best weapons to really get the most out of your character's play styles.
