The First Descendant: Valby Build & Ultimate – Season 3 E2

Valby Bossing Build Modules Explanation:

• Non-Attribute Amplification: + Non-Attribute Skill Power, – Skill Critical Hit Damage.
• Focus on Non-Attribute: + Non-Attribute Skill Power, – Skill Cooldown.
• MP Conversion: – Skill Cooldown, – Max MP.
• Skill Expansion: + Skill Effect Range.
• Skill Extension: + Skill Duration.
• Mid-Air Maneuvering: Allows you to use the Grapple Hook anywhere, even air!
• Nimble Fingers: + – Skill Cooldown.
• Fusion Amplification: + Fusion Skill Power Modifier, – Skill Critical Hit Rate.
• Dangerous Ambush: + Skill Power when the enemy is immobilized/stunned.
• MP Accelerant: + Skill Duration, + Max MP.
• Focus on Fusion: + Fusion Skill Power Modifier, – Skill Cooldown.

Valby Bossing 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)	Empty	N/A	N/A	No
2	Non-Attribute Amplification	Max	Malachite	Yes
3	Focus on Non-Attribute	Max	Malachite	Yes
4	MP Conversion	Max	Malachite	Yes
5	Skill Expansion	Max	Rutile	Yes
6	Skill Extension	Max	Rutile	Yes
7 (Sub Module)	Mid-Air Maneuvering	Max	Malachite	Yes
8	Nimble Fingers	Max	Malachite	Yes
9	Fusion Amplification	Max	Xantic	Yes
10	Dangerous Ambush	Max	Xantic	Yes
11	MP Accelerant	Max	Rutile	Yes
12	Focus on Fusion	Max	Xantic	Yes

Arche Tuning for Valby

• Image 1: Valby Mobbing Arche Tuning
• Image 2: Valby Bossing Arche Tuning

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 Valby, will use two different setups depending on what build you run. You level up Arche Tuning in the Sigma Sector Dropoff Operation. Mutant Cells also drop there with a small chance.

• Mobbing Arche Tuning focuses on the right side and the upper right side with the Non-Attribute Cohesion Mutant Cell. Here we also focus on crit perks.
• Bossing Arche Tuning focuses on the right side and the upper right side with the Defense Neutralization Mutant Cell. Here, we just focus on raw power because we don’t have a crit-based setup.

Valby Equipment Overview in The First Descendant

Equipment is the cornerstone of any successful The First Descendant Build. For Valby, 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.

Valby Equipment Guide

Equipment Type	Importance	Key Benefits
Weapons	Not very important because Valby is a skill-based Descendant. Only used as a “stat stick” to get Sprint Speed and Grapple Hook Recharge!	Sprint Speed and Grapple Hook speed increase.
Reactors	Essential for boosting skill damage. Incorrect reactors severely reduce effectiveness.	Enhances skill potency. Ensures Valby’s abilities perform at peak levels.
External Components	Arguably the most impactful equipment. Dramatically improves survivability and utility. Set Buffs with 2/4 pieces.	Quadruples stats like HP or DEF. Adds utility like MP recovery. Enables effective performance in high-difficulty content. Core System Enhancements.
Inversion Reinforcements	Adds further buffs to your build.	Perks that can make a difference in build power.
Transcendent Modules	Unlocks advanced playstyles. Essential for specialized builds.	Significantly boosts skill efficiency and power.

Best Weapon for the Valby Build in The First Descendant

Below you can find the Top 3 Weapons for Valby in The First Descendant.

• Valby Bossing Build: For the bossing setup you can use whatever weapon you want, we only spam our skill so it isn’t that important.
• Valby Mobbing Build: For the mobbing setup you want to also run a powerful weapon alongside it.

Top 3 Weapons for Valby

Top 3 Mobbing Weapons for Valby

Weapon	Category	Key Features	Why It’s Great for Valby
Peace Maker	Handgun	Has the best weapon core slots for a “stat stick” weapon. Stat stick: 2x Sprint Speed, 1x Grapple Hook or simply 3x Sprint Speed.	Increases her sprinting speed by a lot.
Malevolent	Hand Cannon	Strong AoE damage	One of the most powerful AoE weapons.
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! You won’t even really have to aim because the weapon has homing missiles.

 

Other Useful Weapons

Other Useful Weapon Options for Valby

Weapon	Category	Key Features	Why It’s Great for Valby
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 good AoE damage.

Best Reactor for Valby in The First Descendant

Selecting the best reactor for Valby 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!

How to find the Location of Reactors

Reactor drop locations change every day. Not many players are aware of this and become 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 Valby Build

With Valby, you want to use different External Component sets depending on what setup you run.

• Bossing: The Enlightened Mage Set gives a extra Skill Power and a lot of Non-Attribute Skill Power, maximizing our damage on bosses!
• Mobbing: The Hunter Set gives us extra Skill Cooldown reduction and regenerates MP constantly.

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

Valby Bossing Components

Valby Bossing Build Best External Components

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

Note: You can replace one or two DEF cores with attribute resistance if you fight against specific enemy types.

Valby Mobbing Components

Valby Mobbing Build Best External Components

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

Note: You can replace one or two DEF cores with attribute resistance if you fight against specific enemy types.

Inversion Reinforcements Setup for Valby

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: Pick Arche Circulation Tactic.
• Attribute: None.
• Recovery: Selective Neurostimulation.
• Survival: Deploy Hardened Shell.
• Season: None.

All Valby Transcendent Modules Explained

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

Module Name	Module Description	Best In Slot
Water Play	Creates a rectangular-shaped Puddle of water in front of Valby.	Not used (Can be used for Mobbing setup if you want to change things up)
Supply Moisture	While on water, increases Firearm Critical Hit Rate, Skill Critical Hit Rate, Skill Duration, and Firearm Attribute Trigger Rate. MP recovery is not applied.	Valby Mobbing Build
Tidal Wave	Does not leave watery trails when moving. When moving through a monster, inflicts skill damage on them. When the skill ends, deals Burst Damage to nearby enemies	Not used
Singing Water	Spawns a Seduction of Water where the Unique Weapon’s bullet explodes. Until it is destroyed, the spawned Seduction of Water taunts surrounding monsters and inflicts Laundry on them. When destroyed, it explodes and deals damage to nearby enemies.	Not used
Hydro Pressure Bomb (Ult)	Leaps forward without creating a Puddle and deals damage to the surrounding enemies on landing. The more enemies with Laundry, the more damage inflicted.	Not used (Can be used for Mobbing setup if you want to change things up)
Spiral Tidal Wave (Ult)	Bubbles no longer bounce off the ground, but are now projectiles fired forward. Attracts Gluttony’s impurities.	Not used

Valby Basics in The First Descendant

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

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

How to Unlock Valby in The First Descendant

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

• 1x Valby Enhanced Cells
  • 422x Repton
  • 571x Superfluid
  • 48x Data Processing Neural Circuit
  • 1x Valby Enhanced Cell Blueprint
  • 200k Gold
• 1x Valby Stabilizer
  • 246x Monad Shard
  • 239x Compound Coating Material
  • 40x Negative Ion Particle
  • 1x Valby Stabilizer Blueprint
  • 200k Gold
• 1x Valby Spiral Catalyst
  • 519x Metal Accelerant
  • 386x Hardener
  • 32x Encrypted Neural Circuit
  • 1x Valby Sprial Catalyst Blueprint
• 1x Valby Code
  • Intercept Battle: Common Devourer – Amorphous Material Pattern 032
  • Intercept Battle: Common Pyromaniac – Amorphous Material Pattern 036
  • Location 3: Sterile Land Normal – Void Fusion Reactor – Sterile Land Rockfall Zone
  • Location 4: Sterile Land Hard – Abyssal Void Fusion Reactor – Sterile Land Repository
• 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. You can also view our in-depth guide on How to unlock Valby in The First Descendant.

Ultimate Valby: How to unlock Ultimate Valby – Best Locations

The First Descendant Valby Skills Explained

In this section, we are going to explain the skills available to our Valby Build in the First Descendant, how each skill works and the best ways for you to use them.

Icon	Skill Name	Description
	Bubble Bullet	Bounces a Bubble Bullet forward to create a small puddle where the Bubble Bullet impacts and where she stands. Enemies in the small puddle take continuous damage and are inflicted with Laundry.
	Plop Plop	Creates a large puddle where she is standing, then dives in. Vallby then pops out at a selected location in the large puddle. Enemies in the large puddle take continuous damage and are inflicted with Laundry.
	Clean Up	Vallby becomes Liquefied. While Liquefied, she cannot take her feet off of the ground or use skills, but she can move through enemies and her Movement Speed and DEF increase. When moving while Liquefied, she creates a path of water that deals continuous damage to enemies and inflicts Laundry.
	Laundry Bomb	Changes the equipped weapon to the Laundry Bomb Launcher. When the Launcher is fired, a Laundry Bomb is created, pulling in enemies inflicted with Laundry and dealing continuous damage.
	Water Intake (Passive)	When using skills while standing on water, she consumes less Mana.

Bubble Bullet

Bounces a Bubble Bullet forward to create a small puddle where the Bubble Bullet impacts and where she stands. Enemies in the small puddle take continuous damage and are inflicted with Laundry.

Bubble Bullet Skill Description:

• Non-Attribute – Fusion
• Fires a Bubble Bullet forward, creating Small Puddles where she stands and where the Bubble Bullet hits.
• The enemy standing in the Small Puddle receives continuous damage and becomes inflicted with Laundry.
• When the Bubble Bullet pops, nearby enemies receive AOE damage, increasing based on the number of bounces.

How to use Bubble Bullet:

Bubble Bullet is a useful skill with multiple uses. Not only does it deal decent AOE damage directly to enemies, but it leaves a ground AOE that deals more damage over time. The Laundry status applied to enemies also makes them weak to Electric and Chill Damage, which can be used to either improve Valby’s attacks or those of allies.

Plop Plop

Creates a large puddle where Valby is standing, then dives in. Valby then pops out at a selected location in the large puddle. Enemies in the large puddle take continuous damage and are inflicted with Laundry.

Plop Plop Description:

• Non-Attribute – Dimension
• Valby forms a Big Puddle where she stands and jumps into it. She then jumps out from another Big Puddle formed at a designated spot, inflicting Knockdown on nearby enemies.
• Enemies standing in the Big Puddle receive continuous damage and become inflicted with Laundry.
• The skill’s cooldown decreases proportionally to the number of enemies inflicted with Knockdown.

How to use Plop Plop:

Another skill that has multiple purposes, Plop Plop can be used for mobility, either jumping closer to enemies or retreating from them. It knocks down enemies, applies AOE damage to enemies in the target area, and applies the Laundry debuff to decrease their Electric and Chill resistances.

This skill is best used for starting an attack or retreating if you’re in a tight spot.

Clean Up

Vallby becomes Liquefied. While Liquefied, she cannot take her feet off of the ground or use skills, but she can move through enemies and her Movement Speed and DEF increase. When moving while Liquefied, she creates a path of water that deals continuous damage to enemies and inflicts Laundry.

Clean Up Description:

• Non-Attribute – Dimension
• Enter Liquefied state. While Liquefied, Valby cannot take her feet off the ground and is unable to use skills, but does not collide with enemies. Her Movement Speed increases while Damage decreases.
• Moving while Liquefied creates a Waterway. Enemies standing on the Waterway receive continuous damage and become inflicted with Laundry.

How to use Clean Up:

The Waterway AOE caused by the Cleap Up skill deals pretty good AOE damage to enemies. Careful and calculated use of this skill, combined with the previous two skills, can stack up some really nice AOE damage on many enemies at once. The most useful part of this skill is the AOE, but the temporary damage resistance and movement speed buff is great for escaping from a bad situation or just to temporarily relieve some pressure during a tough fight.

Laundry Bomb

Changes the equipped weapon to the Laundry Bomb Launcher. When the Launcher is fired, a Laundry Bomb is created, pulling in enemies inflicted with Laundry and dealing continuous damage.

Laundry Bomb Description:

• Non-Attribute – Fusion
• Switches the equipped weapon to Laundry Bomb Launcher. The original weapon returns when all bullets have been used or its duration ends.
• Creates Laundry Bomb at the spot where the Laundry Bomb Launcher projectile hits, which tows a nearby enemy afflicted with Laundry and deals continuous damage.
• Continuous damage increases with the number of enemies afflicted with Laundry.

How to use Laundry Bomb:

Laundry Bomb has poor base damage, but it can be increased by up to 200% by afflicting enemies with the Laundry status before using it. Therefore, we highly recommend using Valby’s other skill first to put the Laundry effect on several enemies (you need eight for the maximum possible damage buff) and then use Laundry Bomb to reap the rewards.

Water Intake (Passive)

When using skills while standing on water, Valby consumes less Mana.

Water Intake Passive Description:

• Non-Attribute
• When using skills when standing on water, MP cost decreases by 30%.
• Puddles created by Valby’s skill are also considered to be water.

How to use Water Intake:

Water Intake is a simple passive that makes Valby’s skills cost 30% less MP when you are standing on water, including puddles created by Valby. While it’s not essential to do this all the time, keep this passive in mind when positioning Valby, as it will make it easier to manage your MP and avoid running out. Water Intake is Valby’s Passive Skill, so it is always active and cannot be toggled.

How to Use Bubble Bullet Correctly

Here is how to use Bubble Bullet correctly with our Valby Build. The thing with this Skill is that it goes forward and then deals AoE damage over time. There are two ways:

• Long Line, low damage over time
• Short line, high damage over time

Jump up and aim at the ground when you activate Bubble Bullet. That way you will get way more ticks on enemies close to you because the DoTs overlay with each other instead of being spread out over a wider area.

To further illustrate the problem, here are two videos that you can compare. In the video where I aim towards the ground and use Bubble Bullet, the damage ticks are way faster.

Always aim your Bubble Bullet at the ground while jumping to maximize damage ticks vs stronger targets! 

Bubble Bullet, long range, slow ticks

Only use this if you want to cover a wider area.

Bubble Bullet, short range, fast ticks

Use the jump and aim to the ground trick to maximize the damage in a smaller area.

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 Valby 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 definitely improve your build and overall gameplay in The First Descendant.

Valby’s Story in The First Descendant

An AoE dealer who moves around freely through her Water Arche. A terrifying torrent to her enemies, she’s always a refreshing ocean wave to her teammates. 

Valleys, oceans, and lakes that are drying… As a member of Ingris Environment Watch, Valby was always saddened to see Mother Nature become polluted by war. When she travelled outside Albion on pollution investigation missions, she saw rivers in Ingris disappearing one after another. The White-night Valley, where the sun never set, was now a gulch, and the Echo Plains had long turned into a swamp because of the Vulgus Kuiper mining. From the way things were going, would there even be a place left where humanity could live in peace if they won the war? She wondered, “Was that why?” Valby found a shimmering lake somewhere in the Vespers Woodland. Calling it the “Last Emerald”, she swore to protect this small glimmer of hope. Making it a home for plants and animals so that the ecosystem of Ingris could be restored. To Valby, the Last Emerald was truly her last hope.

But in times like these, hope was such a fragile gem. On that fateful day, Valby was gazing out over the lake as usual when she encountered the Order of Trueh that entered into Vespers Woodland. Having completed advanced military training, Valby fought off the Vulgus, as well as requesting support from the Descendant Corps. But the lack of an Arche teleportation device in the area meant that help was delayed, leaving Valby no choice but to defend the lake alone. However, even the lowest-ranked Vulgus was too much for a non-Descendant. After being brutally attacked, Valby was thrown into the lake.

As she sank into the water, Valby thought to herself, at least she could meet her end in the bosom of the Emerald. She was grateful to the lake for letting her dream of hope, even if for a little. But in the final moments, when her consciousness began to fade, Valby could not control her instincts to survive. “I want to fight again. I want to protect this lake. No… I want to become a great ocean that will swallow up every Vulgus there is…”

At that moment, a massive wave arose from the centre of the lake, devastating the surrounding area. The enemies were crushed by the immense pressure of the water and vanished without a trace. And where the lake once was, a mass of water in the shape of a human was thrashing wildly. It was Valby. At death’s door, she had awoken her Arche, and her ability enabled her to merge with the water and swim without end. She had become the Last Emerald itself.

Related Guides for The First Descendant

You can also check out our Ultimate Weapons Database for The First Descendant or the Builds Database for The First Descendant.