Companion or Pet System (if applicable) — The First Descendant Guide

Leverage your Support Drones in The First Descendant . Learn how these companions provide buffs and active abilities to aid in combat and exploration.

While The First Descendant doesn't feature traditional "pets" in the sense of creatures you can tame and command, it does offer a robust system of Support Drones that act as invaluable companions in combat and exploration. These drones provide passive buffs, active abilities, and can even assist in combat, making them a crucial element of your Descendant's loadout.

Acquiring and Equipping Support Drones

Support Drones are primarily obtained through the following methods:

• Mission Rewards: Many story and side missions will reward you with new Support Drones upon completion. Keep an eye on your mission log for any drone-related rewards.
• Vendor Purchases: The various vendors scattered throughout the world, particularly in safe zones like the Grand Base, will often have Support Drones available for purchase using in-game currency like Valkyrie Coins or Credits. Check their inventory regularly.
• Crafting: Certain advanced Support Drones can be crafted at the Crafting Station. This requires specific crafting materials, which can be obtained from defeating enemies, dismantling unwanted gear, or through resource gathering nodes.

Once acquired, equipping a Support Drone is straightforward:

1. Open your Character Menu.
2. Navigate to the Equipment tab.
3. You will see dedicated slots for your Support Drone. Select an empty slot.
4. A list of your available Support Drones will appear. Choose the drone you wish to equip.

Understanding Support Drone Types and Abilities

Support Drones come in various forms, each with unique passive effects and active skills. Understanding these differences is key to optimizing your build:

Passive Effects:

These buffs are active as long as the drone is equipped and often provide constant benefits:

• Stat Boosts: Some drones increase your character's core stats like Strength, Dexterity, or Vitality.
• Resource Generation: Certain drones might passively generate small amounts of resources or increase your loot drop rates.
• Defensive Buffs: Others can provide a small percentage increase to your armor, shield regeneration, or elemental resistance.

Active Skills:

These are abilities that you can manually trigger during combat or exploration, often with a cooldown period:

• Combat Support: This can include deploying a temporary shield, unleashing an area-of-effect (AoE) damage burst, or applying a debuff to nearby enemies. For example, the "Guardian Drone" might deploy a protective barrier, while the "Disruptor Drone" could temporarily stun enemies.
• Utility Skills: Some drones offer utility outside of direct combat, such as revealing hidden items, increasing your movement speed for a short duration, or providing a temporary stealth effect.

Upgrading and Customizing Your Support Drones

Support Drones can be upgraded to enhance their effectiveness:

• Leveling Up: Drones gain experience alongside your character. As they level up, their passive buffs become stronger, and their active skills may see increased potency or reduced cooldowns.
• Drone Modules: You can equip special Drone Modules to further customize a drone's capabilities. These modules can be found as loot, purchased from vendors, or crafted. They might offer unique effects like adding a burning effect to your drone's attacks or increasing the duration of its active skill. You can typically find Drone Modules at specialized vendors or as drops from challenging enemies.

Strategy and Synergies

Choosing the right Support Drone depends heavily on your Descendant's playstyle and the challenges you face:

• Aggressive Playstyles: Consider drones that offer offensive buffs or AoE damage abilities to complement your direct combat approach.
• Defensive Playstyles: Drones that provide shields, healing buffs, or enemy debuffs will be more beneficial.
• Exploration: Drones with utility skills like increased movement speed or resource detection can be invaluable for efficient exploration and gathering.

Experiment with different drone and module combinations to discover powerful synergies that enhance your combat effectiveness and overall gameplay experience in The First Descendant.