The faster you level up your characters in The First Descendant, the earlier you can do harder content for greater rewards. XP farming is not exactly something you need to do separately if you're following the main campaign with one Descendant. However, if you want to power-level your alt characters, there are several places in The First Descendant designed for that purpose.
If you have crafted a new Descendant that you want to level up, or just want another boost to reach that Mastery Rank up before you log off, here are some of the best XP farms available in The First Descendant.
Best XP farm spots to power-level in The First Descendant
You level up as your gradually gain XP by killing enemies in The First Descendant, or by just staying in the vicinity when they die. This is what you do for almost the entirety of the game, save for specific activities like Void Intercept battles. However, it stands to reason that the higher the mob density, the faster you level up.
Special Operations
The 'Defend Albion Resource' Special Operations offer the fastest and most effortless way to farm XP in The First Descendant. This endless mode throws hordes of enemies at you non-stop, giving you the highest amount of KPM potential available right now.
There are two of them at the moment:
- Kingston Resource Defense (Monster Lvl 8)
- Echo Swamp Resource Defense (Monster Lvl 41)
If you need an interim option, there are other types of Special Operations, such as Block Kuiper Mining or Neutralize Void Experiment, but Resource Defense is the simplest due to the smaller operation zone.
Special Operations can be accessed from its dedicated terminal in Albion, or directly from the area that it's In. However, note that it will force you into a separate instance locked behind a loading screen.
To pull this off, you need to pick a Descendant with good mob-clearing abilities. Early on, the Bunny Descendant is the best option for this. However, if you are leveling Ajax or similar characters without good reliable mob-clear, you need a teammate who can do that and carry you.
Generally, if you want to power-level a character from scratch, you can hop into a public lobby at Kingstone Resource Defense, and chances are it will have a Bunny running around giving you free XP. As an added benefit, you also get free Weapon Proficiency to get you closer to the next Mastery Rank.
Read More: How to increase Mastery Rank in The First Descendant
Special Operations unlock when you clear all field missions in all regions of a specific zone. For example, the Special Operation available in Sterile Land (Block Kuiper Mining) can only be accessed when you clear out all the missions in Rockfall, Restricted Zone, Repository, Ironworks, and Classified Area.
Generally, these are the missions you must do to progress the main campaign. In other words, if you keep advancing the main story quests, you will eventually unlock all of these.
Also Read: Where to find Anais in The First Descendant
Void Fragment missions in the overworld
Special Operations disable all monster drops, so despite the high amount of XP, you don't get extra resources. If you want an alternate XP farm that also has monster loot, you can try Void Fragment missions.
While the amount of XP you gain is less than a Resource Defense, destroying Void Fragments gives you Void Shards that you can use to get Descendant parts or other goodies. These are not classified as "endless," but you can repeat a Void Fragment mission right after you've destroyed one.
Note that you can enhance all the XP farm spots mentioned here if you manage to get a 30% XP Boost, which are separate for Descendants and Weapon Proficiency.
Check out our other guides on The First Descendant:
- The First Descendant tier list: Best characters to play
- How to get and open Amorphous Material in The First Descendant
- The First Descendant Gley build, how to get, skill modules, and more
- The First Descendant Thunder Cage build: Best Modules, unique trait, and more