The First Descendant PSA: You can earn weapon XP by getting ability kills, but there’s a catch

Now that we’re well into Nexon’s launch of The First Descendant, you may already have a character you prefer playing over others. And even if you haven’t, you should have no trouble finding one that suits your playstyle since each character is equipped with their own unique set of abilities. Luckily, no matter who you choose, whether it’s Ajax, Bunny, or Gley, one thing remains the same across every single one: you can earn weapon XP by getting ability kills.

That means if you get a kill with Frost Shards while running the best Viessa build in The First Descendant, you’ll still be able to farm weapon XP fairly quickly. However, according to a post from Reddit user xxxRienxxx, there is a catch—kills you get using certain ultimate abilities do not grant weapon XP.

For instance, if you use Freyna’s Venomous Baptism ult, every enemy you eliminate afterward won’t help you farm weapon XP. The same goes for Gley’s and Valby’s ults. For those unfamiliar, each of these characters’ ultimate abilities changes your equipped weapon (Venom Baptism, Massacre, Laundry Bomb Launcher), which means you technically aren’t using your original primary or secondary guns any longer.

It’s also worth noting that the amount of weapon XP you earn depends on which gun you currently have equipped. Naturally, active weapons gain the full amount of XP per kill, while secondary weapons only earn around 20%. This distribution remains consistent even if you switch out guns before downing an enemy. Farming weapon XP also becomes easier in squads because teammate kills grant you experience.

So, if you want to increase your mastery rank for a specific gun quickly, make sure to place it in your active weapon slot. Otherwise, you’ll have a difficult time grinding out those precious mod slots with the meager 20% XP that secondary weapons get.