The First Descendant Nell Build & Best Loadout – Season 3 E2

Welcome to The First Descendant Nell Build Guide for Season 3 Episode 2 Assemble. Nell is a Non-Attribute Tech/Fusion Descendant that utilizes Arche Breach powers to defeat enemies. In this guide, we’ll show you how to unleash the full potential of Nell. The build will include the perfect weapons, stats, and modules, this guide covers everything you need to create a truly devastating build for Nell.

Table of Contents for the Nell Build:

1. How to play Nell: A Deep Dive
2. Nell Builds Overview – Modules
   1. Nell Mobbing Build
   2. Nell Void Erosion Purge Build
   3. Nell Bossing Build
3. Ultimate Nell Build: N/A
4. Trigger & Ancestor Modules
5. Arche Tuning for Nell
6. Nell Equipment Overview
   1. Best Weapons for Nell
   2. Best Reactor for Nell
   3. Best External Components for Nell
   4. Inversion Reinforcements
   5. All Nell Transcendent Modules Explained
   6. Nell Trigger Modules
7. Nell Basics
   1. How to unlock Nell
   2. Skills Explanation – Master Nell’s Abilities
   3. Module Basics Explained!
   4. Best Grapple Hook for Nell
8. Nell’s Story

For builds on other Descendants, visit our The First Descendant Builds Database, or check out the Character Tier List or the Weapon Tier List. 

TFD Wiki: We have expanded Alcasthq with tfd.alcasthq.com, a Wiki & Database for anything related to The First Descendant. Use the Character Editor or the Weapon Editor to theorycraft and create builds yourself. Browse Descendants, Weapons, Leaderboard Loadouts or use the Compare Tool. There are plenty of other features you can check out, too!

Here is a quick list of the strengths and weaknesses of the Nell Build for The First Descendant.

How to Play Nell in the First Descendant

In this section, we are going to take a look at how Nell works in The First Descendant. Nell is a Non-Attribute Tech/Fusion Descendant. Learn about her skills in detail in Nell’s Skill Explanation section. Nell’s Transcendent Modules are great too.

Nell’s skills deal massive damage, but you need always to use your ecisive scan to maximize power. This will tag enemies with a purple marker.

It is important to remember that Nell’s first and fourth skill are Tech-based and her second and third are Fusion-based. This must be taken into consideration when building her.

• Skill 1 Breach Projection: Non-Attribute and Tech
• Skill 2 Breach Link: Non-Attribute and Fusion
• Skill 3 Gravitic Reversal: Non-Attribute and Fusion
• Skill 4 Gaze of the Abyss: Non-Attribute and Tech

Nell’s AoE Capabilities: Pull and Breach

Nell requires combo attacks to deal massive damage against enemies. You want to use your second skill Breach Link, then the third skill Gravitic Reversal to pull the enemies in. Next, you want to pop the ecisive scan to amplify damage and finish them off with your first skill, Breach Projection. This particular build is focused on critical hits to maximize damage and tech. Additionally, we also use one of her Transcendent Modules Shattered Heart to change our fourth skill into a high burst single-target nuke. This makes her super bursty, which is nice for tougher foes.

We will have two different builds for her.

• The Nell Mobbing Build is designed for easier content where additional range is needed. It prioritizes her 2nd and 3rd skills, making it a Fusion-focused setup.
• The Nell Void Erosion Purge Build is tailored for the highly challenging Void Erosion Purge content. Since enemies are typically tightly packed, it emphasizes survivability and maximum damage over range. This build centers on her 1st and 4th skills, making it a Tech-focused setup.

Nell’s Single Target Damage: Weak Point Mayhem

Nell’s fourth skill Gaze of the Abyss allows her firearms to target weak points automatically! This skill buffs Nell’s firearms and the firearms of allies. This allows us to setup a strong bossing build that focuses on maximum weak point damage.

•  The Nell Bossing Build offers solid survivability, sustain and great damage with a short cooldown on Nell’s skills.

Nell’s Equipment: Make Or Break It!

To unlock Nell’s full potential, you need the right Weapons, Reactors, and External Components:

• Weapons: Focus on two general damage-dealing weapons and one weapon tailored to whatever you need for utility or special mechanics. See the Best Weapons for Nell section.
• Reactors: Selecting the right reactor can drastically boost your damage. Check out the Best Reactors for Nell section.
• External Components: These are critical for survivability. Properly configured, they double or tripple your HP or DEF. Learn more in the Best External Components for Nell section.

Building a top-tier The First Descendant Nell Build requires not only the right modules but also optimized weapons, reactors, and components.

Best Nell Builds Overview for The First Descendant

In this section, we are going to look at the different best Nell Build Setups for The First Descendant. The optimized setups require a lot of Crystallization Catalysts. We have a full guide on how to farm Crystallization Catalysts in The First Descendant. The Budget setup requires no Crystallization Catalysts.

All Nell build setups require an Energy Activator to increase the Module Capacity. We also have an in-depth guide on how to farm Energy Activators in The First Descendant. Additionally, you will need plenty of Kuiper Shards and Gold to increase Module Levels. Here are the Top 3 Kuiper Shard farm spots!

Equipment: I will cover Weapons, Reactors, and External Components in the Nell Equipment section. To maximize the power of any build, you must get the correct items!

• How to get Modules: Read the Module Farming section.
• 85 Module Capacity How? Read the basics Module section.

Note: These Nell Builds are built with each other in mind to save you Crystallization Catalysts. Only in a few slots it may require you to have two different Crystallization types.

Nell Mobbing Build

• Mobbing Build Type: Used for easier content such as farming, Sigma Sector or 400% Dungeons.
• Mobbing Build Focus: Focus on maximum damage, maximum range and skill spam.

The Nell Mobbing Build focuses on optimizing the range and damage of her second and third skills. These two skills are fusion-based; make sure to use the correct reactor, because we use the fusion-based skills here! With this setup we will mostly spam the second skill over and over again because it will defeat almost all enemies in an instant. If some higher HP mobs are still alive, use your first skill to finish them off quickly.

Nell Mobbing Build Modules Explanation:

• Shattered Heart: Changes Gaze of the Abyss to an attack skill. Builds up Suspicion stacks using Breach Spikes, then fires enhanced Breach Spikes.
• Amplification Control: + Skill Effect Range, + Max Shield
• Front Lines: + Skill Critical Hit Damage, + Skill Critical Hit Rate
• MP Conversion: – Skill Cooldown, – Max MP
• Skill Insight: + Skill Critical Hit Rate
• Skill Concentration: + Skill Critical Hit Damage
• Mid-Air Maneuvering: Allows you to use the Grapple Hook anywhere, even air!
• Skill Expansion: + Skill Effect Range
• Focus on Non-Attribute: + Non-Attribute Skill Power, – Skill Cooldown
• Focus on Fusion: + FusionSkill Power Modifier, – Skill Cooldown
• Nimble Fingers: – Skill Cooldown
• Emergency Measures: + Skill Critical Hit Rate, + Skill Critical Hit Damage

Nell Mobbing Build Module Configuration Table

Module Slot	Module Name	Mod Level	Socket Type	Crystallized
0 (Trigger Module)	Power Beyond	N/A	N/A	N/A
1 (Skill Module)	Shattered Heart	Max	Rutile	No
2	Amplification Control	Max	Rutile	Yes
3	Front Lines	Max	Almandine	Yes
4	MP Conversion	Max	Malachite	Yes
5	Skill Insight	Max	Almandine	Yes
6	Skill Concentration	Max	Almandine	Yes
7 (Sub Module)	Mid-Air Maneuvering	Max	Malachite	Yes
8	Skill Expansion	Max	Rutile	Yes
9	Focus on Non-Attribute	Max	Malachite	Yes
10	Focus on Fusion	Max	Xantic	Yes
11	Nimble Fingers	Max	Malachite	Yes
12	Emergency Measures	Max	Almandine	Yes

Nell Void Erosion Purge Build

• Void Erosion Purge Build Type: Used in Void Erosion Purge or harder content
• Void Erosion Purge Build Focus: Focus on maximum damage and survivability

The Nell Void Erosion Purge Build is optimized for Void Erosion Purge content. Here we focus our build on the 1st and 4th skill. The 1st skill will deal the most damage and usually hits most monsters because they are more tightly stacked. This is also why we can drop one range extension module and add Decimator module for more damage vs the Nell Mobbing Build. Use the fourth skill once your stacks are full to destroy more formidable enemies. Once again, make sure to use the correct reactor, because we use tech with this setup!

Nell Void Erosion Purge Build Modules Explanation:

• Shattered Heart: Changes Gaze of the Abyss to an attack skill. Builds up Suspicion stacks using Breach Spikes, then fires enhanced Breach Spikes.
• Focus on Tech: + Tech Skill Power Modifier, – Skill Cooldown
• Front Lines: + Skill Critical Hit Damage, + Skill Critical Hit Rate
• MP Conversion: – Skill Cooldown, – Max MP
• Skill Insight: + Skill Critical Hit Rate
• Skill Concentration: + Skill Critical Hit Damage
• Mid-Air Maneuvering: Allows you to use the Grapple Hook anywhere, even air!
• Skill Expansion: + Skill Effect Range
• Focus on Non-Attribute: + Non-Attribute Skill Power, – Skill Cooldown
• Decimator: + Skill Power Modifier, stacks 10x.
• Nimble Fingers: – Skill Cooldown
• Emergency Measures: + Skill Critical Hit Rate, + Skill Critical Hit Damage

Nell Mobbing Build Module Configuration Table

Module Slot	Module Name	Mod Level	Socket Type	Crystallized
0 (Trigger Module)	Power Beyond	N/A	N/A	N/A
1 (Skill Module)	Shattered Heart	Max	Rutile	No
2	Focus on Tech	Max	Almandine	Yes
3	Front Lines	Max	Almandine	Yes
4	MP Conversion	Max	Malachite	Yes
5	Skill Insight	Max	Almandine	Yes
6	Skill Concentration	Max	Almandine	Yes
7 (Sub Module)	Mid-Air Maneuvering	Max	Malachite	Yes
8	Skill Expansion	Max	Rutile	Yes
9	Focus on Non-Attribute	Max	Malachite	Yes
10	Decimator	Max	Xantic	Yes
11	Nimble Fingers	Max	Malachite	Yes
12	Emergency Measures	Max	Almandine	Yes

Nell Bossing Build for The First Descendant

• Bossing Build Type: Used against Colossus on hard difficulty.
• Bossing Build Focus: Focus on maximum damage and survivability

This Nell Bossing setup tries to lower the cost and cooldown of her first and fourth skill as much as possible. That way, we can spam them until the enemy is defeated. Once again, make sure to use the correct reactor, because we use tech-based skills with this setup!

Nell Bossing Build Modules Explanation:

• Shattered Heart: Changes Gaze of the Abyss to an attack skill. Builds up Suspicion stacks using Breach Spikes, then fires enhanced Breach Spikes.
• Focus on Tech: + Tech Skill Power Modifier, – Skill Cooldown
• Front Lines: + Skill Critical Hit Damage, + Skill Critical Hit Rate
• MP Conversion: – Skill Cooldown, – Max MP
• Skill Insight: + Skill Critical Hit Rate
• Skill Concentration: + Skill Critical Hit Damage
• Mid-Air Maneuvering: Allows you to use the Grapple Hook anywhere, even air!
• Maximize Conservation: – Skill Cost, – Skill Power Modifier
• Focus on Non-Attribute: + Non-Attribute Skill Power, – Skill Cooldown
• Dangerous Ambush: + Skill Power when enemy is immobilized.
• Nimble Fingers: – Skill Cooldown
• Emergency Measures: + Skill Critical Hit Rate, + Skill Critical Hit Damage

Nell Mobbing Build Module Configuration Table

Module Slot	Module Name	Mod Level	Socket Type	Crystallized
0 (Trigger Module)	Power Beyond	N/A	N/A	N/A
1 (Skill Module)	Shattered Heart	Max	Rutile	No
2	Focus on Tech	Max	Almandine	Yes
3	Front Lines	Max	Almandine	Yes
4	MP Conversion	Max	Malachite	Yes
5	Skill Insight	Max	Almandine	Yes
6	Skill Concentration	Max	Almandine	Yes
7 (Sub Module)	Mid-Air Maneuvering	Max	Malachite	Yes
8	Maximize Conservation	Max	Malachite	Yes
9	Focus on Non-Attribute	Max	Malachite	Yes
10	Dangerous Ambush	Max	Xantic	Yes
11	Nimble Fingers	Max	Malachite	Yes
12	Emergency Measures	Max	Almandine	Yes

Best Ultimate Nell Build  – The First Descendant

• Ultimate Bossing Build Type: N/A
• Ultimate Bossing Build Focus: N/A

Note: Ultimate Nell has not been released yet. Once Ultimate Nell is available, I will update this section of the guide.

Trigger and Ancestor Modules for the Nell Build

Trigger and Ancestor Modules are also part of the module category, but they are a special type of module that are harder to unlock and acquire.

• Trigger Modules: Go into a special slot. Unlock special buffs and unique effects.
• Ancestor Modules: Go into a normal module slot. Enhance the build by adding additional stats.

Nell Trigger Modules

You need first to unlock the trigger module slot for each character. Learn how to unlock Trigger Modules in The First Descendant.

For our The First Descendant Nell Build, you want to use the Power Beyond trigger module for mobbing due to the 15% flat Skill Power increase and Death by a Thousand Cuts for Bossing for extra damage.

• Mobbing: Power Beyond
• Bossing: Death by a Thousand Cuts

Nell Ancestor Module

Ancestor Modules can be slotted once you have acquired them. However, they are only worth it once you have an Ancestor module with good stat rolls on them.

Nell Ancestor Module: Tacticiane’s Resolution

It is only worth slotting an Ancestor Module if you have good rolls on it; otherwise, it isn’t worth it.

Mobbing Nell Build

• Ideal Positive Rolls
  • Non-Attribute
  • Fusion
  • Skill Crit Damage
  • Range
• Ideal Negative Rolls
  • Max Shield
  • DEF

Bossing Nell Build

• Ideal Positive Rolls
  • Non-Attribute
  • Tech
  • Skill Crit Damage
  • Cooldown
• Ideal Negative Rolls
  • Max Shield
  • DEF

Arche Tuning for the Nell Build

The Arche Tuning System in The First Descendant is important for every Character; it buffs your stats by a good amount. For The First Descendant Nell, we are focusing on the left and upper left area.

You level up Arche Tuning in the Sigma Sector Dropoff Operation. Mutant Cells also drop there with a small chance.

• Mutant Cell: Non-Attribute Cohesion

Nell Equipment Overview in The First Descendant

Equipment is the cornerstone of any successful The First Descendant Build. For Nell, having the right setup can mean the difference between dominating a dungeon and falling short. This section breaks down the essential equipment types—Weapons, Reactors, External Components, and Transcendent Modules—and explains how they maximize her power.

Nell Equipment Guide

Equipment Type	Importance	Key Benefits
Weapons	Critical for maximizing damage. A wide variety of weapon types enables different playstyles.	Increases overall DPS. Amplifies the effectiveness of skills. Proper weapon selection can double or triple damage.
Reactors	Essential for boosting skill damage. Incorrect reactors severely reduce effectiveness.	Enhances skill potency of Nell. Ensures Nell’s abilities perform at peak levels.
External Components	Arguably the most impactful equipment. Dramatically improves survivability and utility.	Quadruples stats like HP or DEF for Nell. Adds utility like MP recovery. Enables effective performance in high-difficulty content.
Inversion Reinforcements	Adds further buffs to your build.	Perks that can make a difference in build power.
Transcendent Modules	Unlocks advanced playstyles for Nell. Essential for specialized Nell builds.	Significantly boosts skill efficiency and power for Nell.

Best Weapon for the Nell Build in The First Descendant

Here, you will find the best weapons for Nell that I like to run. Generally, when I am using a skill-based setup I like to run either Blue Beetle or Secret Garden to maximize skill damage. And the rest of the weapons I pick any of the powerful ones.

Top 2 Skill-based Stat Sticks for Nell

Depending on which setup you run, you want to either have Blue Beetle or Secret Garden equipped.

Top 2 Stat Sticks Weapons for Nell

Weapon	Category	Key Features	Why It’s Great for Nell
Blue Beetle	Scout Rifle	When using a Fusion skill, boosts Skill Critical Hit Rate.	Used to boost Nell’s damage of Fusion skills. Sprint Speed core for faster movement. Grapple Hook Recharge core for more movement. Nell Mobbing Build
Secret Garden	Tactical Rifle	Tech Skills activate Pest Control Effect (+Firearm ATK, + Skill ATK) of Secret Garden. Boosts the damage of your tech skills tremendously! Enhances Nells’s Skill Critical Hit Rate.	Synegizes perfectly with Nell’s Tech skills. Sprint Speed core for faster movement. Nell Void Erosion Purge Build Nell Bossing Build

Top 3 General Weapons for Nell

Otherwise, you can pick any of the weapons below that are very powerful on their own.

Top 3 General Weapons for Nell

Weapon	Category	Key Features	Why It’s Great for Nell
Albion Cavalry Gun	Machine Gun	Insane AoE damage. Stuns enemies.	Insane AoE damage and stuns nearby enemies. Deals massive single-target damage Fast Fire Rate with fire rate cores.
Malevolent	Hand Cannon	Strong AoE Damage	Powerful AoE damage gun.
Restored Relic	Launcher	Guided Rounds Cluster Bombs	This is a powerful rocket launcher that fires guided rounds that explode into clusters to hit even more enemies!

Other Useful Weapons

Other Useful Weapon Options for Nell

Weapon	Category	Key Features	Why It’s Great for Nell
Exterminator	Rocket Launcher	Easily destroys enemy Airships in the Axion Plains. Auto Target function when aiming.	The best weapon to destroy annoying Airships that drop off enemies.
Voltia	Beam Rifle	Instantly destroys Anti-Void Shields and Arch Barriers. Electrocutes nearby enemies.	Best weapon to instantly destroy Anti-Void Shields and Arche Barriers, nothing even comes close to it. A must-have in your group if you are doing Void Vessel Operation runs!
Thunder Cage	Submachine Gun	Everyone has this weapon from the main story (easily accessible) “Newbies Best Friend” Electric Shockwaves	While this isn’t the best weapon out there, it is easily accessible. Deals great AoE damage.

Best Reactor for Nell in The First Descendant

Selecting the best reactor for Nell in The First Descendant can significantly enhance her abilities, allowing you to maximize her effectiveness in various scenarios. Not only does the reactor determine your skill damage, but it also gives additional secondary benefits through modifiers. These are often hard to get and take time to grind out!

All of Nell’s skills are Non-Attribute. Skill 1 & 4 are Tech-based, Skill 2 & 3 are Fusion-based. Additionally, you want to get the correct mounting (Optimization Condition) to benefit from the 160% boost.

It is hard to get a Reactor with two best in-slot specs. However, you should be able to get a Reactor with at least one good spec. I will highlight the more important spec in bold in the table below.

How to find the Location of Reactors

Reactor drop locations change every day. Not many players know this and get confused. Now, there is a reactor search function in-game. Go to the map and press on Difficulty Level Rewards. In here, you can see where all the reactors currently drop.

Note: It is possible that not all reactor types are currently dropping. You have to come back and recheck every day.

If your specified reactor drops in an area, you go there and farm any missions and monsters (Preferably missions with lots of monster spawns). There will be plenty of reactors dropping from monsters all over the place, any monster works. It will take a while to get a good reactor!

Best External Components for the Nell Build

I will show you two good options. The first option is 2x Hunter and 2x Ascending to get extra cooldown and cost reduction, also you will have a lot of HP because you get 3x HP based and 1x DEF based component base stats. The second option is 4x Slayer set. This will drastically reduce your HP (if you are too squishy, add a HP module), but increase your damage the most and also give you unlimited MP because of the sets effect.

For Nell skill-based builds, the Slayer set is currently the best External Component you can get for her. Because Nell’s 2nd skill applies the towed effect, we pretty much can’t run out of MP.

Additionally, External Components now also have core slots; it is recommended to slot Max HP and DEF cores.

2x Hunter Set and 2x Ascending Armory External Components Setup

This is the safest setup because it allows us to stack three HP-based and one DEF-based components and still get good bonuses out of it. This also allows us to not use a HP Module in our setup, freeing up a slot for other mods.

• 2 Hunter Set:
  • Skill Cooldown -4%.
• 2 Ascending Armory Set:
  • Skill Cost -6.5%

Nell Build Hunter and Ascending Armory External Components Setup 

External Component Part	Base Stats	Selective Best Stats	Cores
Ascending Armory Auxiliary Power	Max HP	Max HP MP Recovery Out of Combat	Max HP DEF
Hunter Sensor	DEF	Max MP MP Recovery in Combat	Max HP DEF
Ascending Armory Memory	Max HP	MP Recovery Modifier DEF	Max HP DEF
Hunter Processor	Max HP	Max Shield Shield Recovery Modifier	Max HP DEF

Slayer External Components Setup

As a secondary option, you can use the Slayer set to push damage even further, but you will lower your survivability drastically because of the worse base stats.

Nell Build Slayer External Components

External Component Part	Base Stats	Selective Best Stats	Cores
Slayer Auxiliary Power	DEF	Max HP MP Recovery Out of Combat	Max HP DEF
Slayer Armory Sensor	Max Shield	Max MP MP Recovery in Combat	Max HP DEF
Slayer Memory	Max Shield	MP Recovery Modifier DEF	Max HP DEF
Slayer Processor	Max HP	Max Shield Ecive Display Time	Max HP DEF

Inversion Reinforcements Setup for Nell

You can find the Inversion Reinforcements in the inventory, located on the bottom left side. This changes with every new season and needs to be leveled up again. You level up Inversion Reinforcements by doing any activity. However, the fastest way to advance it is by completing Disrupt Invasion (max 4 daily) in the dungeon terminal with the red dungeons.

At max level, you have unlocked everything. While the last perk is always active in each row, you can only slot three additional perks at the bottom. Here is what you want to prioritize:

• Hunt: Arche Circulation Tactic.
• Attribute: None
• Recovery: Selective Neurostimulation.
• Survival: Select Deploy Hardened Shell to boost damage mitigation.
• Season: This changes with every new season, pick any of the perks that make sense with your current character if you don’t like one of the above.

All Nell Transcendent Modules Explained

First, let us look at the full list of all Transcendent Modules for Nell in The First Descendant. It is important to note that not all of the modules will be used. Some are more effective than others!

Shattered Heart Transcendent Module

Shattered Heart changes 1st, 2nd, 4th skill and her passive. Passive ability gets a flat 20% Skill Critical Hit Rate increase which is huge! This also adds a custom resource bar to Nell.

• Shattered Heart is an Nell-exclusive Transcendent Module.

How to get Nell’s Shattered Heart Module:

• Module Combine.
• Axion Plains Missions.

Restored Heart Transcendent Module

Restored Heart modifies Nell’s second skill into Ring of Promise.

Restored Heart is a Nell-exclusive Transcendent Module.

How to get Nell’s Restored Heart Module:

• Module Combine.
• Axion Plains Missions.

Nell Basics in The First Descendant

If it is your first time playing Nell in The First Descendant, here are some useful things you should know.

1. How to unlock Nell
2. Nell Skills Explanation – Master Nell’s Abilities
3. Module Basics Explained!
4. Best Grapple Hook for Nell

How to Unlock Nell in The First Descendant

Let’s take a quick look at how to unlock Nell in the First Descendant. To unlock Nell, you have to purchase her from the store, or research her. You need the following items to research Nell:

• 1x Nell Enhanced Cells
  • Location: Axion Plains: Spoils Box Blueprint loot and Arche Loot that are obtained by doing missions.
• 1x Nell Stabilizer
  • Location: Axion Plains: Spoils Box Blueprint loot and Arche Loot that are obtained by doing missions.
• 1x Nell Spiral Catalyst
  • Location: Axion Plains: Spoils Box Blueprint loot and Arche Loot that are obtained by doing missions.
• 1x Nell Code
  • Location: Axion Plains: Spoils Box Blueprint loot and Arche Loot that are obtained by doing missions.
• 400k Credits

When you visit Magisters Anais at the Research Institute you can hover over each item. Then click on Acquisition Info and it will tell you where this specific item drops.

The First Descendant Nell Skills Explained

In this section, we will showcase the skills available to our Nell Build in the First Descendant.

Skill Name	Type	Effect	Best Use Case
Breach Projection	AoE	Fires a barrage of Breach Shards, dealing damage to hit enemies. If the enemy hit is inflicted with Ecive Scan, an additional effect is triggered.	AoE Damage
Breach Link	AoE	Creates an Arche Breach at a designated location. Inflicts a debuff on enemies near the created Arche Breach and spawns an Anti-Gravity Field on the ground. The debuff of the Arche Breach intensifies over time and further weakens Adaptive Defense. Reusing the skill retrieves the Arche Breach. On retrieval, the Anti-Gravity Field disappears, dealing Explosion Damage to the area around it and refunding a portion of the Cooldown.	Utility
Gravitic Reversal	AoE	Detonates an Arche Breach, causing a Gravitic Reversal. This pulls in enemies near the Arche Breach and deals Explosion Damage.	AoE Damage
Gaze of the Abyss	AoE, Snare	Grants Gaze of the Abyss. All Firearm Attacks from Nell target Weak Points, increasing the Weak Point Damage of herself and nearby allies. While Gaze of the Abyss is active, hitting a target inflicted with Ecive Scan with a Breach Shard increases the duration of Gaze of the Abyss.	Buff
Suspicion & Insight (Passive)	Passive	Using Ecive inflicts Ecive Scan on enemies in the front. Attacking enemies inflicted with Ecive Scan deals additional damage. Enemies under the Reticle are guaranteed to be inflicted with Ecive Scan. If the Reticle is on a Weak Point of a Colossus, Ecive Scan is applied to that Weak Point. Efficiency increases when disarming Encrypted Vaults and rewards increase when decryption is complete.	Is always active

Breach Projection Skill

Breach Projection Skill Description:

Fires a barrage of Breach Shards, dealing damage to hit enemies. If the enemy hit is inflicted with Ecive Scan, an additional effect is triggered.

Breach Link Skill

Breach Link Description:

Creates an Arche Breach at a designated location. Inflicts a debuff on enemies near the created Arche Breach and spawns an Anti-Gravity Field on the ground. The debuff of the Arche Breach intensifies over time and further weakens Adaptive Defense. Reusing the skill retrieves the Arche Breach. On retrieval, the Anti-Gravity Field disappears, dealing Explosion Damage to the area around it and refunding a portion of the Cooldown.

Gravitic Reversal Skill

Gravitic Reversal Description:

Detonates an Arche Breach, causing a Gravitic Reversal. This pulls in enemies near the Arche Breach and deals Explosion Damage.

Gaze of the Abyss Skill

Gaze of the Abyss Description:

Grants Gaze of the Abyss. All Firearm Attacks from Nell target Weak Points, increasing the Weak Point Damage of herself and nearby allies. While Gaze of the Abyss is active, hitting a target inflicted with Ecive Scan with a Breach Shard increases the duration of Gaze of the Abyss.

Suspicious & Insight (Passive)

Suspicious & Insight Passive Description:

Using Ecive inflicts Ecive Scan on enemies in the front. Attacking enemies inflicted with Ecive Scan deals additional damage. Enemies under the Reticle are guaranteed to be inflicted with Ecive Scan. If the Reticle is on a Weak Point of a Colossus, Ecive Scan is applied to that Weak Point. Efficiency increases when disarming Encrypted Vaults and rewards increase when decryption is complete.

How Modules Work in The First Descendant

Modules are the bread and butter of all The First Descendant Builds. There are a few important things to remember about modules. This is for both Descendant and Weapon Modules.

While most builds require you to increase Module Capacity with an Energy Activator (you get two for free), they won’t require you to reduce the Module cost with Crystallization Catalyst. However, if you want to truly min-max a build, you will need plenty of these Catalysts.

1. How to increase your Module Capacity
2. Module Levels and Cost
   1. Kuiper Shards & best way to farm!
3. Reduce the cost of Modules
4. How to farm Modules

How to Increase Module Capacity

You get a base of 45 Modules for every Descendant character. And you can increase this up to 85 currently. First off, always slot a Sub Attack Module (Slot 7). When you increase this to the max level you will get an additional 10 Module Capacity. if you use a Crystallization Catalyst on the Sub Attack Module, you even get 15 extra slots. You will see this in the setup below.

Additionally, you can use an Energy Activator to increase your Module Capacity by another 20. However, these are fairly hard to farm, only use them on your best Descendants.

Lastly, increasing your Mastery Rank will also increase Module Capacity. Rank 1 gives you 25 Module Capacity, Rank 20 gives you 50 Module Capacity. That is how we reach the 80 Module Capacity that you see on most builds.

1. Slot a Sub Attack Module (and max it out to get +10 capacity, crystallize it for +15)
2. Use an Energy Activator (2o extra capacity)
3. Increase Mastery Rank (25 base capacity, max 50)

Weapons: Basically the same, but because you don’t have Subattack Modules, the Energy Activator gives you 30 instead of just 20 extra capacity.

You can also read my in-depth guide on how to increase Module Capacity in The First Descendant if you need more information. Or my Best Energy Activator Farm Spots and our Best Crystallization Catalyst Farm Spots. I tested all of the grind spots by myself and have already farmed plenty of these items with this method.

Module Levels and Cost

Modules can be enhanced (leveled up) with Kuiper Shards in The First Descendant. Enhancing Modules increases their power. At higher levels, the power will increase way more than at lower levels. Therefore it is always recommended to max out the most important Module first.

Here is an example of a must-have Module called Increased HP for our Descendant. You will notice that we start at 22%, but at the max level, we get a whopping 218.5% increase in health!

Transcendent Modules are the exception; they decrease Capacity Cost with higher levels!

For an in-depth overview, please visit our How to Level Up Modules in The First Descendant guide.

How to Farm Kuiper Shards

Kuiper Shards are used to level up Modules. We have a guide on the Top 3 Kuiper Shard Farming Locations in the First Descendant. We explain how to most efficiently farm Kuiper Shards (300-500k/hour) and show the amount you need to level up mods. As a summary, to max out a Module you need:

• Normal Modules: 103’100 Kuiper Shards
• Rare Modules: 206’200 Kuiper Shards
• Ultimate Modules: 309’300 Kuiper Shards
• Transcendent Modules: 515’500 Kuiper Shards

Always max out the most important Modules first, we will showcase the order below.

How to Reduce the Cost of Modules

To reduce the cost of Modules you need Crystallization Catalysts in The First Descendant. These require a lot of time investment, most builds won’t require you to get many if any at all (Budget Setup). But if you want to completely min-max you need to get plenty of them as technically, every slot can have a specific socket type to half the cost.

Modules have Socket Types. Our Increased HP Module has the Cerulean Socket Type.

• Module: Increased HP
• Socket Type: Cerulean

This is important because if we place our Increased HP Module in the fitting Socket Type, it will half the cost of the Module!

How to farm Modules in The First Descendant

Most The First Descendant Modules can be acquired fairly easily, but the higher-quality ones (Ultimate, Transcendent) are more tedious to obtain. Here is the easiest process to farm Modules quickly.

Open Map > Swap to Access Info > Select Modules

Here, you can find all Modules and their drop locations. If a module drops from several locations, it is recommended to select drop locations with higher drop chances.

There isn’t really much more to this. Simply check the location and go farm. Normal and Rare quality Modules have 30-50% drop chances in most cases. Ultimate ones range around the 5% mark and Transcendent ones can be a tough cookie with around 2% drop chance.

We will list the best farming location of modules in the next step of the guide.

Smooth Grapple Hook for your Nell Build

Using the standard Grapple Hook in The First Descendant can be a pain, and it feels kinda frustrating at times. Don’t worry, there is a way better alternative that will make it a joy to use the grappling hook!

It is called the Mid-Air Maneuvering Sub Module. I use this on all my The First Descendant Builds because it improves grappling by so much.

With this Module, you can attach your Grapple Hook to anything, even air! That means you can simply aim towards the sky and Hook up your grapple hook there for guaranteed fast movement!

Here is a guide on how to get the Mid-Air Maneuvering Sub Module in The First Descendant. It won’t take a lot of effort, but it will improve your build and overall gameplay in The First Descendant.

Nell’s Story in The First Descendant

An Executive Officer at Albion Headquarters. With exceptional intelligence and judgment, she assists Descendants in their battles alongside Alpha.

Nell Hathaway was already irreplaceable as a capable Executive Officer of Albion Headquarters and a tactical operator who directly relayed most of the operations she was in charge of. She was the envy of the staff cadets and her strategic judgment was already considered to have surpassed Alpha.

But the more indispensable she became, the more Nell doubted her identity.

She had all but forgotten the existence of her family who had “rationally” forced her out to join the academy so that they would have one less mouth to feed. Even when she heard that contact with her family was lost after they moved to Axion, she felt devoid of emotion.

She believed her life began the moment she was selected to serve as an Executive Officer of Albion Headquarters. She felt that her family was Alpha, the Descendants, and the soldiers of Albion. Nell’s Operations prioritized survival over success, and many trusted and followed her because of it.

Nell’s tactics were often seen as the product of her acting as a protective family member, not an Executive Officer.

I won’t abandon them.
I won’t drive them out.

That belief turned to doubt, when she had to decide which “family members” would die and which would live.

If she left then “family members” to die, a hundred more could live. To save another thousand “family members,” she had to sacrifice forty others.

To save another thousand “family members,” she had to sacrifice fifty others.

As an Executive Officer, she was abandoning more people than the Hathaway family, whose existence had all but faded from her memories, ever did. Her tactical choices were nothing more than a coin toss, and she was making her sacrifice more of her “family members” with each passing day.

Was I really part of their family?

Wasn’t I just another Hathaway making a “rational” choice?

She wanted to gather her thoughts, but she lacked the mental fortitude. Even if she wanted to lie down and rest, the prescribed sleep hours allotted to Executive Officers had long been taken away by the screams of soldiers who died during Operations.

When those doubts led to her worst accident, Nell finally faced her true self. Her inner doubts had always been there.

She had always doubted her own worth, but had also been able to prove it.

While, she doubted that she could save them all, she knew that she could save the rest. She even doubted that she deserved to be loved, so she prioritized her loved ones. So her doubts became an abyss that reached to the ends of her mind and yielded her Arche as a result.

Nell resolved to embrace that part of her. Since belief in victory can come from the doubts of defeat, she vowed to become someone who believed in doubts and to used the advantage of them.

Nell’s Exclusive Equipment – Breach Entropy Control