The First Descendant character tier list: Best choices to play as
Each character has a different role and skills.
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-Character tier list-Ajax / Ult Ajax-Blair-Bunny / Ult Bunny-Enzo-Esiemo-Freyna-Gley / Ult Gley-Jayber-Kyle-Lepic / Ult Lepic-Sharen-Valby-Viessa / Ult Viessa-Yujin-Character FAQ
The First Descendant is the latest free-to-play looter-shooter game to be released on PC, Xbox, and PlayStation. This is a multiplayer game but with a focus on co-op rather than PVP. It offers a number of different characters to play, and each has their own role, skills, and unique ability or gear. Some of them even have Ultimate versions with increased stats, improved armor, and upgraded skills from their base versions, however, you usually have to work hard to unlock these variants.
What’s more, each of The First Descendant’s characters plays very differently and could be a good match for different peoples' play styles. It can be hard to determine who you should play as, so we’ve put together a The First Descendant character tier list to help you figure out who the best The First Descendant characters are to play as. Let’s dive in!
The First Descendant | Free to play at Steam
This exciting third-person looter-shooter is free to play, but does offer microtransactions. There are several different characters to choose from and each one has their own play style.Xbox:Free download at XboxPC:Free download at Steam
The First Descendant Character tier list
You’ll want to dive intoThe First Descendantyourself and determine which character feels best for you, but in general, this is how we think the characters stack up against each other.
*This list is subject to change with patches and updates that might adjust game elements.
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The First Descendant character info
Now that you’ve seen our character tier list, learn more about each of The First Descendant characters' skills, attributes (if they have any), fighting style, and other details.
The following character stat information was sourced fromThe First Descendant character webpage. If you want to learn more about this co-op multiplayer, check out ourThe First Descendant FAQ.
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The First Descendant: Ajax
How to play as Ajax:This big beast of a man is a tank who can take a lot of hits before getting into trouble. His Void Energy Battlesuit allows him to protect his allies, but he doesn’t have the best mobility. When playing as Ajax, your goal is to stick near teammates so you can stun enemies and protect team members with forcefields when needed. Work together with a more offensive character at times or a more support-focused character to buoy the team and keep everyone in good shape.
Ult Ajax
The Ultimate version of Ajax (Ult Ajax) has increased stats, a more intense battlesuit, and improved skills.
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The First Descendant: Blair
How to play as Blair:With the power to shoot fire, Blair has the ability to burn enemies and inflict distant damage. However, his attacks don’t induce as much damage as the game’s DPS characters, which can make him feel ineffective (which is why we ranked him lower). Additionally, he needs to continually retrieve “Stoves in the battlefield” in order to replenish his MP gauge so he can continue to spout fire, which can feel tedious at times. As such, when playing as Blair, it’s best to ignite the area and shoot flames so as to inflict burn damage on enemies. Pitmaster, specifically, increases your critical hit damage based on the number of Stoves on the battlefield. So, let loose that attack when Stoves are plentiful to increase the chances of dealing more damage and taking down enemies faster.
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The First Descendant: Bunny
How to play as Bunny:None of The First Descendant characters are as popular as Bunny, and this isn’t just due to her attractive design but her fun play style as well. To get the best playing experience as Bunny, you need to zip around the battlefield and build up your energy, then run over to an enemy and let that energy loose. Since she’s all about speed, you need to keep an eye on cooldowns and utilize her attacks as often as possible. Move around constantly and come barreling down on your enemies to inflict AoE damage. Be aware that while Bunny is fantastic at taking down groups of enemies, she isn’t as good against bosses. When taking on a boss, keep moving and do all you can to avoid taking damage. Otherwise, she’ll be down before you know it.
Ult Bunny
The Ultimate version of Bunny (Ult Bunny) has increased stats, a “White Rabbit” battlesuit, and improved skills.
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The First Descendant: Enzo
How to play as Enzo:Since he’s a major Support character, Enzo is best suited to those who like to focus on helping teammates rather than taking down enemies themselves. We ranked him significantly higher than Yujin (another Support character) because Enzo can actually heal himself as well as his friends, which is more rewarding as a player. He also does decent attack damage, so you won’t be as at the mercy of your teammates when things go pear-shaped. That all said, when playing as Enzo, it’s still best to stick around your main group and let them shield you from powerful enemies so you, in turn, can aid your comrades.
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The First Descendant: Esiemo
How to play as Esiemo:The suit he wears protects against his own explosions, so Esiemo can get up close with foes, lob explosives, and take enemies out quickly. As you might guess, this means he has to put himself in closer proximity to danger than some others on this list. His most satisfying attack is called Arche Explosion, which makes him move faster and smash into enemies. Once his movement period is up, he does a large attack that not only hurts foes but removes their buffs as well. To play Esiemo well, you’ll want to run up close to enemies (but don’t let them touch you), lob your explosives, and then back away while your enemies explode. Esiemo can be hard for some people to get the hang of since you’re mainly just repeatedly working to get him up to his ultimate attack, but it’s exhilarating being able to charge into enemies the way he does.
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The First Descendant: Freyna
How to play as Freyna:This lady can be a real force to be reckoned with thanks to the fact that her toxic or poison attacks not only deal damage over time but can also poison an enemy and deal more damage that way. The only problem with her poison focus is that it requires her to stay within an AoE location so that her enemies are forced to interact with the poisons placed. Still, as long as you’re quick to lay down a poisonous attack and then shoot enemies in the area, you should find her easy to work with.
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The First Descendant: Gley
How to play as Gley:Of all of the characters on this list, Gley is likely the best choice for gamers who really like a challenge. Rather than using shields like most other characters, she survives by recovering health whenever she makes a kill. In her base mode, she doesn’t inflict all that much damage. So, in order to play effectively, you really need to take enemies down and keep your health up. To do that, you’re going to have to make sure you regularly turn on her Frenzied mode, which makes her attacks more powerful in exchange for reducing the amount of health she recovers per kill. Basically, whenever you find yourself in trouble, it’s probably time to activate Frenzied mode until you don’t feel quite so overwhelmed. If your health does get low, make sure to stick to teammates until your health comes back up.
Ult Gley
The Ultimate version of Gley (Ult Gley) has increased stats, a “Deathseer” battlesuit, and improved skills.
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The First Descendant: Jayber
How to play as Jayber:This guy is basically a piece of tech himself, which allows him to place turrets around the battlefield. This makes him an excellent choice for going against groups of enemies or just one powerful boss. However, to play effectively, you’ll want to stay near your turrets and attack the foes that approach it. As such, you’ll need to be strategic when determining where to place your gadgets. He really is one of the very best characters to play in The First Descendant.
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The First Descendant: Kyle
How to play as Kyle:Of the characters on this list, Kyle is one of the most satisfying to play as. He’s tank-like, which means he can take a lot of damage before going down. He’s not intended to be the heaviest hitter in the pack, but he can deal more damage than Ajax, and he’s honestly more useful thanks to his Magnetic Force abilities. His suit even helps him fly around, which can help him get out of tricky areas or come to the aid of his teammates. If you’re playing as Kyle, then you need to act as a shield — jump in front of enemies, distract powerful foes with your attacks, and protect your team when needed. You’ll be especially well-liked if you help restore other players' shields each time they inevitably break.
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The First Descendant: Lepic
How to play as Lepic:While he is no means a bad character to play as, Lepic is a bit more on the bland side of play. That said, he’s basically the all-rounder. He doesn’t have the heaviest attacks, and he doesn’t have the best defense, but you can last a decent length of time against foes during play sessions. As such, he’s a good choice for people who are just starting to get a feel for the game. To play efficiently as Lepic, make sure to regularly alternate between the kinds of grenades at your disposal. Some grenades inflict burning damage while others do AoE damage, so pay attention to cooldowns and make sure to replenish AoE damage areas when that cooldown goes away, and you’ll be able to take enemies down easily enough.
Ult Lepic
The Ultimate version of Lepic (Ult Lepic) has increased stats, an “Indomitable Knight infantry system, and improved skills.
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The First Descendant: Sharen
How to play as Sharen:In all honesty, Sharen’s attack style feels rather out of place in The First Descendant. She is an assassin who can turn invisible and is built for stealth, which sounds cool, but the hectic looter-shooter environment doesn’t really feel conducive to her play style. As such, she isn’t as satisfying to play as some of the other characters on this list. If you do decide to play as Sharen, you’ll need to sneak up on enemies that haven’t noticed you, get within close range, and then let out your powerful attacks. If you’ve been noticed, you’ll want to stick around your teammates, take down enemies together, and try to make quick attacks before jumping back to safety.
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The First Descendant: Valby
How to play as Valby:Strangely enough, Valby uses water skills to take down her foes, but she technically is a “non-attribute” character. Still, her Area of Effect (AoE) attacks like Bubble Bullet are rather powerful against groups of enemies, and she can last a decent amount of time against enemy attacks, which makes her one of the very best characters to play as in The First Descendant. That all said, she isn’t as good of a choice when going up against one powerful boss, so you’ll want to keep moving around and work together with your teammates when in those situations.
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The First Descendant: Viessa
How to play as Viessa:She might not be the strongest character, but Viessa has speed going for her. To play well, you’ll want to move Viessa quickly, get in a few attacks, and then keep moving. Remember, her focus is as a debuffer, so chill those enemies and allow your teammates to get in the more powerful attacks. Together, you’ll be able to take foes down pretty easily. Since using Viessa effectively requires more cooperation with a teammate, we ranked her lower on our tier list. She can be a good choice for some but might be frustrating for others to play.
The Ultimate version of Viessa (Ult Viessa) has increased stats, an “Absolute-Zero” battlesuit, and improved skills.
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The First Descendant: Yujin
How to play as Yujin:Of all of The First Descendant characters, Yujin is a rather difficult character to play as due to the fact that he is basically an all out Support character who can’t really do much for himself. For instance, when playing as Yujin, you can heal others but cannot replenish your own health, which can be frustrating for some players (this is why we ranked him so low on our tier list). This being the case, you really need to buddy up with a more offensive character and stay by their side. Then, heal up those around you when they need it.
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The First Descendant character FAQ
Who is the best character in The First Descendant?
Bunny is largely considered the best character to play as in The First Descendant, thanks to her super-fast speed and attacks that can easily hurt multiple enemies at once. She isn’t the best when going up against bosses, though, so you’ll need to play more strategically when in those scenarios. Arguably the second-best character to play as is Jayber thanks to his ability to place powerful turrets. He’s great against groups of enemies as well as bosses, but you’ll want to stay near the turrets he places for best results.
Who is the best starting character in The First Descendant?
Due to his well-rounded stats, Lepic is a good choice to start with when you’re first beginning to play The First Descendant. He’s not super powerful, but he can survive a decent length of time, allowing you to get used to the battlefield and game mechanics.
Who is the most challenging character in The First Descendant?
If you want a challenge, I suggest you play as Gley. She has to make kills in order to replenish your health, so it requires you to put yourself in harms way if you want to keep playing. Her Frenzied mode makes her attacks more powerful in exchange for lessening the amount of health that gets replenished and the exhilaration of putting yourself in danger for the possible payoff of walking away with more health is very satisfying.
Who is the best Tank in The First Descendant?
You can choose between either Ajax or Kyle when going for a Tank in The First Descendant. Ajax has good defense and can stun enemies, but I prefer Kyle (who is technically a Bruiser) thanks to his forcefields and his suit’s ability to fly. Plus, he can repair broken shields, which makes him a very useful ally.
Who is the best Support character in The First Descendant?
Anyone wanting to play as a Support character in The First Descendant has the choice between Enzo and Yujin, but Enzo is the better option. He can call in supplies and is able to heal himself up as well as his teammates whereas Yujin is a bit more limited when it comes to taking care of his own needs.
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Figure out who you want to play as
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You could argue that every character in The First Descendant is a good character, but they all play a little differently. As such, you want to pick the character that best fits your personal play style. Additionally, some characters might be amazing when it comes to fighting bosses but might not be as good of a choice when engaging with PVE modes. As such, you’ll need to get a feel for how each character plays and determine who is the best choice for you.
As of the launch of The First Descendant, there are 14 characters to choose from, with five of those characters having Ult versions that can be unlocked as you play and grind away. Nexon also has additional characters planned, so you might find that one of the new characters released down the road suits your play style better.
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Self-professed gaming geek, Rebecca Spear, is one of Windows Central’s editors and reviewers with a focus on gaming handhelds, PC gaming, and laptops. When she isn’t checking out the latest games on Xbox Game Pass, PC, ROG Ally, or Steam Deck; she can be found digital drawing with a Wacom tablet. She’s written thousands of articles with everything from editorials, reviews, previews, features, previews, and hardware reviews over the last few years. If you need information about anything gaming-related, her articles can help you out. She also loves testing game accessories and any new tech on the market. You can follow her@rrspearon X (formerly Twitter).
