Welcome to the META Weapon Tier List for The First Descendant. Here I will be showing you my personal tier list of weapons. I have unlocked, maxed out, and played with all of the weapons in The First Descendant. Make sure to check out our The First Descendant Character Tier List and The First Descendant Builds Database (Weapons & Characters).
Updated for Season 3 Episode 2 Assemble: This tier list has been fully revised to include the latest Season 3 Episode 2 Assemble balance changes.
The First Descendant Weapon Tier List Table of Contents:
- Weapon Tier List Overview – Updated for Season 3 Episode 2
- S Tier: Meta Weapons – Must Have
- A Tier: Powerful Weapons
- B Tier: Good Weapons, but not a priority
- C Tier: Low-Priority Weapons
- D Tier: Backlog
- Explained: What Makes Weapons Powerful
- Terminology: Mobbing, Bossing, Stat-Stick, Debuffers
You can also view our The First Descendant Character Tier List if you wonder which characters you should prioritize.
The First Descendant Best Weapon Tier List
You can also view our Ultimate Weapon List for The First Descendant if you want to learn more about each weapon. Generally, it is recommended to stick to S or A Tier weapons if you are new to the game and you don’t have unlimited resources to max out all weapons. Of course, if you have all META weapons you can pick whatever you want next! Some weapons are fun to use but might not be that strong.
For each weapon, I will also specify whether it is ranked for Single-Target or Area of Effect damage. Generally most weapons are only used for one thing, but some also can be useful for both mobbing and bossing.
- It is important to note, that you must have maximum level godroll weapon cores on your weapons for them to unleash their true potential. Especially, Fire Rate godrolls are essential.
- Below the Tier List, you will find an explanation of each weapon for what it’s being used for.
- Swords: I will be adding the
Shadow Sword Build and 
Deus Ex Manus Sword Build to the tier list once we know how good they are!
S-Tier – Must Have Meta Weapons
Here are all the S-Tier Descendants in our The First Descendant Weapon Tier List. These weapons are generally a must-have in the current meta.
Important: It is crucial to remember that these rankings here are only accurate if you have maxed out weapons, especially max level godroll weapon core stats are important. For example, missing out on 2% Fire Rate Core stats on Restored Relic halves its actual fire rate.
The two most important weapons to max first are the Albion Cavalry Gun and the Restored Relic. The Albion Cavalry Gun is both an amazing mobbing and bossing weapon and shines especially due to its strong weapon core setup that allows you to slot 3x fire rate and 2x attribute damage. Additionally, it also has strong Multi-Hit values that increase the DPS tremendously. The Restored Relic is the best AOE damage weapon, it has guided rounds so you won’t even have to aim.
Next, we have the Malevolent weapon, which is a beast for any mobbing situation. The weapon spreads its blades among many targets, dealing massive AoE damage. Malevolent also has a strong weapon core setup, making it even better!
The Last Dagger is a powerful single-target focused weapon that can deal massive burst damage with the correct module spec. It is definitely worth maxing it out.
Deus Ex Manus is a powerful single-target weapon that can destroy bosses within seconds.
Hypernova is a great mobbing weapon that can be thrown and then pulls all enemies into its center for easy kills.
Ancient Knight is a strong assault rifle specifically made for Serena to destroy colossus. However, I find the Albion Cavalry Gun to be an overall better weapon. Therefore only use Ancient Knight if you have already maxed out most other weapons in this bracket.
Secret Garden is a powerful “Stat Stick” often used on characters like Freyna, Ines, Lepic, and Nell. This weapon buffs tech damage tremendously. On top of that, it also has nice cores that increase your sprint speed and or grapple hook recharge time. You don’t actually shoot this gun; it is just here to enhance the skill power of your Descendant and increase mobility, hence “Stat Stick”.
Peace Maker is another stat stick that has no other value than to increase your sprint speed and or grapple hook recharge time. Peace Maker also has the highest base movement speed of any weapon, therefore increasing your mobility even further.
A-TAMS is the strongest sniper rifle in The First Desendant. It is often used with Luna (with Battlefield Concert mod), Hailey, Serena, and Sharen.
| All S-Tier Weapons | Use Case |
|---|---|
|
Mobbing |
|
Mobbing & Bossing |
|
Mobbing |
|
Bossing |
|
Bossing |
|
Mobbing |
|
Bossing (Serena only) |
|
Stat Stick |
|
Stat Stick |
|
Bossing |
A-Tier – Powerful Weapons
A-Tier weapons are generally good weapons but are outclassed by the S-Tier cohort. I would prioritize Greg’s Reversed Fate and Blue Beetle first in this section.
B-Tier – Good Weapons
These weapons are good but I would only craft these if I have already finished all S and A-Tier weapons. Voltia is very useful in the Void Vessel because it nullifies the shields that monsters run around with. However, you coul also simply slot the Veil Analyzer Module on any weapon to have the same effect.
C-Tier – Low-Priority Weapons
These weapons are not worth crafting. Wave of Light can be useful to regen MP instantly, but often not needed.
D-Tier – Backlog Weapons
Useless weapons.
What Makes A Weapon Powerful In The First Descendant?
Weapons have different mechanics in terms of how much power they can achieve. Now in this section of the tier list I want to showcase you an example of how much extra power you can actually gain.
- Modules: Most flexible mechanic, you can swap out modules any time without having to pay anything.
- Readjustments: Enhance the power with further stats.
- Cores: Enhance the power tremendously with max level cores.
Let’s take a look at one of the best examples: Restored Relic.
The First Descendant Terminology
Weapons have different use cases in The First Descendant. Here is a quick explanation of the terminology often used in combination with weapons.
Mobbing
Mobbing weapons are used for any content that requires massive area of effect damage. So anything that can deal with massive hordes of monsters at once.
Bossing
Bossing weapons specialize in killing Colossus bosses, they are often built solely for single-target. Sometimes they are also built to defeat bosses at the end of a dungeon.
Stat Stick
A Stat Stick weapon is simply being held to give characters additional buffs. For example the Secret Garden buffs tech skill damage tremendously, but also buffs your movement speed and grapple hook recharge, increasing your overall mobility.
Debuffer
Debuff weapons are used to reduce the enemies effectiveness. For example the Clairvoyance beam rifle reduces the chill resistance of enemies. Allowing you or your teammates to deal more damage with chill-based attribute weapons.
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.
