Ultimate vs normal Descendants in The First Descendant - differences explained

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What’s the difference between Ultimate and normal Descendants?

All Ultimate Descendants in the game

Is it worth unlocking Ultimate Descendants?

✓ At a glance

Ultimate Descendants get enhanced stats, extra pre-catalysed mod slots, new Transcendent modules, and a stunning gold trim.
There are five of them in the game: Ajax, Bunny, Gley, Lepic, and Viessa.

The First Descendant has a variety of interesting characters to pick from. And while it’s an uphill grind to get them all, new Descendants present you with more playstyles and elemental combat options. Among these choices, Ultimate Descendants cost a whopping 3000 to 5000 Caliber. So what’s the big deal beyond the gold outfits? Here’s what you need to know about normal and Ultimate Descendants in the game.

What’s the difference between Ultimate and normal Descendants?

Think of Ultimate Descendants as enhanced variants of regular characters. Here are some improvements that only Ultimate characters get in the game:

Enhanced stats: A few stats like HP, Max Shield, and DEF are raised for Ultimate variants compared to their regular counterparts.
Extra pre-catalysed mod slots: This is a big deal and a time saver as you normally need to reach level 40 with a character to get this via a Crystallisation Catalyst. You also get more module sockets with symbols on them. Match one of these with a module with the same symbol (Almandine, Cerulean, Malachite, Rutile, Xantic), to lower the capacity cost by 50%. Ultimate Bunney gets more Malachite slots, letting you explore builds that would be harder to achieve on a regular Bunny.
Exclusive Transcendant modules: You also get Ultimate modules that drastically alter existing abilities or passives. For instance, Ultimate Gley’s Explosive Life lets you detonate Life Spheres to deal damage.
New appearance: There’s no denying that the gold-coloured Ultimate Descendants are the best-looking ones in The First Descendant.

While you can still earn Ultimate Descendants in-game, it takes longer to get them compared to normal characters. And they cost more if you want to spend Caliber on them. Considering the steep price, just grind for a particular character instead by taking on challenges and Void Intercept bosses.

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All Ultimate Descendants in the game

Currently, you can unlock five Ultimate Descendants in-game. You can either do this by gathering resources or paying up with Caliber, the game’s premium resource, at Magisters Anais. Here are all the Ultimate Descendants:

Ultimate Ajax
Ultimate Bunny
Ultimate Gley
Ultimate Lepic
Ultimate Viessa

Is it worth unlocking Ultimate Descendants?

In addition to looking incredible, Ultimate Descendants grant noticeable improvements in combat. This would make it easier for your team to take on final bosses like the Molten Fortress. Instead of going all the way to level 40, you get pre-catalysed mod slots to enhance your capabilities in-game. As for levelling up, you can rely on your Mastery Rank to make things easier, regardless of which character you change into.

It’s a long grind but you’ll be among the few players with one of the best cosmetic upgrades in the game. For instance, it can take 36 hours to unlock Ultimate Gley with 900K Gold, Ultimate Gley Enhanced Cells, Ultimate Gley Stabilizer, Ultimate Gley Spiral Catalyst, and Ultimate Gley code. As for whether it’s worth paying real money for, it depends on how invested you are in the game. If you plan on sinking dozens of hours into The First Descendant, you can try to earn the Ultimate Descendants directly and consider a purchase if it takes too long.

About the Author

Antony Terence is a Guides Writer for VideoGamer. While he is particularly fond of city-builders, shooters, and strategy titles, he won’t turn down a good JRPG or a turn-based roguelike.