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Discover the Best Ultimate Viessa Build Guide for The First Descendant and how to create a powerful character with Skills, modules, and weapons.
Creating an effective build in The First Descendant involves carefully selecting and optimizing various components of your character, including modules, reactor stats, weapons, weapon mods, and skills. For a Viessa build, we will focus on optimizing your skill power and survivability. Let us walk you through creating the best Ultimate Viessa Build in the First Descendant with our guide below.
This guide has been updated for Season 1, Hotfix 1.1.0 of the First Descendant.
Best Ultimate Viessa Build Guide for The First Descendant
The Ultimate Viessa Descandant build is great for players who love skill-based damage and mobility. Viessa excels at chill damage, applying status effects and large area (AOE). The main appeal to Ultimate Viessa is her increased based stats and damage with skills. Her Blizzard skill and passives can melt bosses quickly and also helpful when leveling and clearing out waves of enemies.
Ultimate Viessa is one of the best builds in the First Descendant. However, the main issue with her is picking the right Transcendant mod in the game to either buff AOE damage or Skill Power. Moreover, she won’t be the best boss when facing an enemy with resistance to chill, so you’ll have to change your approach or swap characters. Lastly, she doesn’t have the best survivability, but she’s good all around with Frost Road and mobility.
| Ultimate Viessa Build Pro | Ultimate Viessa Build Cons |
|---|---|
| Powerful Skills | Transcendent Mod Dependent |
| Status Effects | Less Survivability |
| Mobility | Boss Specific |
Features and Mechanics for Ultimate Viessa Build in The First Descendant
The following list presents all the essential Ultimate Viessa Build Guide Features and Mechanics for the First Descendant:
- Best Modules: Hypothermy, Chill Specialist, Skill Range Mastery
- Best Reactor:
- Frozen Mechanics (chill and tech)
- Frozen Singularity (chill and singular) if using transcendent mod Hypothermia
- Best Weapon: Clairvoyance Beam Rifle
- Best External Component:
- Skills
- Frost Shards
- Frost Road
- Cold Snap
- Blizzard
- Ice Sphere (Passive)
- Playstyle: Debuff with Ice
- How to Unlock: Ultimate Research or via store with 3,000 Caliber
- Story: Ultimate Viessa uses the normally deadly to use Absolute Zero suit
How to unlock Ultimate Viessa in The First Descendant
To unlock the Ultimate Viessa character in the First Descendant, you should speak with the Magister Anais in the Albion Mountains to conduct research for materials. Below are the required research/crafting materials for Ultimate Viessa:
- Ultimate Viessa Enhanced Cells
- Flectorire x656
- Hellion x682
- Insulate Metallic Foil x76
- Ultimate Viessa Enhanced Cell Blueprint
- 450,000 Gold
- Ultimate Viessa Stabilizer
- Compound Coating Material x538
- Monomolecular Extractor x1123
- Artificial Biometal x79
- Ultimate Viessa Stabilizer Blueprint
- 450,000 Gold
- Ultimate Viessa Spiral Catalyst
- Superfluid x1285
- Shape Memory Alloy x 1039
- Organic Biogel x59
- Ultimate Viessa Spiral Catalyst Blueprint x1
- 450,000 Gold
- Ultimate Viessa Code
Furthermore, to research and craft Ultimate Viessa, you must speak to Anais in the Albion Mountains. She will grant you access to the Research Institute, where you can choose to craft additional descendant characters.
Viessa’s Exclusive Equipment
Ultimate Viessa doesn’t have exclusive equipment but rather has her ultimate equipment, the Emission-type Arche Battlesuit ‘Absolute-Zero’. You can access it by clicking details in the Descendant menu and customizing its appearance. Below are the details on Ultimate Viessa’s Ultimate Equipment:
“Discovered long ago in an Ancestors’ facility with a temple-like appearance, this Ultimate equipment is designed from top to bottom for emission-type Arche users. Specialized gloves on the wrists connect directly to the user’s veins via nanoparticle injection tubes. A helmet-type computing device calculates the Arche concentration in the blood in real time to aid in the efficient and powerful use of Arche abilities. Interestingly, the equipment was found in a temple-like place, and its appearance is reminiscent of priestly robes. In light of all this, the Magisters have concluded that the equipment was likely used in religious rituals by the Ancestors. If so, which gods did they worship, and why did those gods abandon the Ancestors?”
Skills
The overall premise with Ultimate Viessa is to build up stacks of your passive Ice Shackle for increased damage. Your passive produces an Ice Sphere that does free damage for you. Therefore, you want to use your skills to trigger this effect every 20 seconds. Moreover, you use a combination of AOE skills to control enemies and limit their movement. Blizzard is your long cooldown skill for boss kills or targets with high HP. Viessa can either play as a weapons platform or skill character, depending on the situation. Be aware that enemies in Void Intercept Battles (bosses) and certain zones have resistance to chill. Therefore, during these encounters, it’s best to focus on weapons-based damage rather than skills to complete the encounter. Below is a list of Ultimate Viessa’s skills and how to use them:
- Frost Shards – Fires Frost Shards to damage enemies and deal AOE damage to nearby enemies. Inflicts Ice Shackle.
- Frost Road – Increases Movement Speed and Shield, and creates Ice Sheets on the ground that inflict Ice Shackle.
- Snap – Deals Chill damage to enemies in front of Viessa and inflicts Ice Shackle.
- Blizzard – Creates a Blizzard that deals continuous damage, debuffs DEF, inflicts AoE damage and Ice Shackle.
- Ice Sphere (Passive) – Inflicting Ice Shackle creates an Ice Sphere that flies to another nearby enemy, dealing AoE damage and inflicting Ice Shackle.
Best Skill for Ultimate Viessa
Blizzard is the best skill for Ultimate Viessa due to its damage, size, and synergy with Ice Shackle passive. Your Blizzard ability is meant to be placed down on top of bosses or with dense enemies in a choke point. Over 6 seconds, the damage scales off your skill power with a radius of 4 meters, which can be expanded by up to 250% with mods. Blizzard is Chill and Tech, which can also increase the damage of this skill, making it one of the best in the entirety of the First Descendant.
You can further enhance Blizzard by using the Transcendant mod Cold-Bloodedness, which turns Frost Road movement skill into a skill power buff. Therefore, you activate Frost Road, build stacks of Ice Shackle, and drop Blizzard for massive damage. You’ll want to use mods like Focus on Chill, Emergency Measures, and Front Lines to boost the chill damage, critical chance and critical hit damage. Additionally, you can further add damage by focus on tech mods as well.
The Transcendent mod Hypothermia does change Blizzard to a Singular skill rather than tech. The advantage of Hypothermia is instead of a small ball that sporadically attacks via your passive; you gain damage over time on every enemy inflicted. This produces massive AOE damage, though it is weaker in boss battles. Therefore, use Frozen Mechanic reactor by default and Frozen Singularity only if using Hypothermia.
Frost Shards
Frost Shards Features in The First Descendant:
- Description: Fires Frost Shards to damage enemies and deal AOE damage to nearby enemies. Inflicts Ice Shackle.
- Descendant Attribute: Chill and Fusion
- Cooldown: 7 seconds
- MP Cost: 25
- Ice Shackle effect: Increases by 1 stage when hit or Increases by 2 stages if hit by the exploding area
- Damage: Skill Power x 863.6%
- AOE Damage: Skill Power x 863.6%
- AOE Damage Range: 3.5-meter radius
How to Use Frost Shards: This skill is your primary way to trigger ice shackles and increase your stages due to its lower cooldown. Additionally, there is an AOE component, so aim for multiple targets if possible. The downside to Frost Shards is it doesn’t leave a residue so you’ll need to aim preciously and hit the target for it to apply.
Frost Road
Frost Road Features in The First Descendant:
- Description: Increases Movement Speed and Shield, and creates Ice Sheets on the ground that inflict Ice Shackle.
- Descendant Attribute: Chill and Fusion
- Cooldown: 25 seconds
- MP Cost: 24
- Duration:16 seconds
- Effect Range: 1.6m x 2m
- Max Expandable Range: 200%
- Movement Speed Increase Amount: 30%
- Shield Increase Amount: 10%
- Ice Shackle effect: Increases by 2 stages on contact
How to Use Frost Road: use this for mobility and increasing ice shackles by two stages on contact. The duration of Frost Road is 16 seconds, and you have to boost your speed and shield amount, which serve as your primary defensive skill. This is also considered a fusion skill important for weapon choices. Additionally, the small range is useful for slightly touching enemies as you leave the area to debuff them and build stacks of Ice Shackle. Keep this handy when you need an escape mechanism or a shield boost.
This is your transcendent mod skill that can be changed via Cold-Bloodedness. You will gain 5% skill power and reduced cost and cooldowns when using. Therefore, use it at the start of your rotation to lower cooldowns and cost.
Cold Snap
Cold Snap Features in The First Descendant:
- Description: Deals Chill damage to enemies in front of Viessa and inflicts Ice Shackle.
- Descendant Attribute: Chill and Fusion
- Cooldown: 7 seconds
- MP Cost: 22
- Ice Shackle effect: Increases by 2 stages on damage.
Chill Status Effect
- Damage – Skill Power x 1084.4%
- Effect Range – 10m x 3m
- Max Expandable Range – 250%
How to Use Cold Snap: this powerful frontal AOE damage skill increases shackle by 2 on the damage. This ability’s strength is in a ten by 3-meter range. Thus, you can hit many targets in front of you. Moreover, the chill status effect damage is substantial, and it only has a 7-second cooldown. Therefore, you can constantly cycle between Cold Snap and Frost Shards for high AOE damage and status effect debuff.
Blizzard
Blizzard Features in The First Descendant:
- Description: Creates a snowstorm that explodes over time, inflicting damage and Ice Shackle on enemies caught within.
- Descendant Attribute: Chill and Tech
- Ice Shackle effect: Increases by 3 stages when hit or Increases by 4 stages if hit by the exploding area.
- Cooldown: 40 seconds
- MP Cost: 38
- Duration: 6 seconds
How to Use Blizzard: this skill acts as your long cooldown “ultimate” ability that is amazing for AOE damage. The strength of Billzard is its duration, range, and skill power damage. You increase ice shackle by 3 when hit and 4 when the explosion triggers, making it your best tool for building up stacks. Moreover, this skill uses both chill and tech and can be boosted to high damage with modules.
The ideal time to use Blizzard is during AOE fights when you want to drop enemies within a small radius, take continuous damage, and snare them within a field of chill. This is also your boss burn skill when you don’t suspect the enemy is moving out of a tight area to do great damage over time in a brief window.
Ice Sphere (Passive)
Ice Sphere Features in The First Descendant:
- Description: Creates an Ice Sphere floating around her body when inflicting enemies with the Ice Shackle effect, proportional to the effect stage. The Ice Sphere will automatically fly towards nearby enemies and deal damage to the target and its surroundings.
- Descendant Attribute: Chill and Tech
- Ice Shackle debuff: decreases the enemy’s Speed and increases in stage when the effect stacks. When the stage increases, the Speed reduction and duration both increase.
- Cooldown: 20 seconds
How to Use Ice Sphere: the Ice Sphere passive essentially does free DPS by triggering Ice Shackle stages. The damage automatically targets and travels to enemies and has a longer cooldown. This passive is the main reason you focus on building your stacks of the debuff to constantly provide free, consistent damage, radically increasing your kill potential with Viessa.
How to play Ultimate Viessa in The First Descendant
The most effective way to play Ultimate Viessa is by building stacks of Ice Shackles for passive damage, then using Blizzard on boss targets for burst damage. With Ultimate Viessa, you build towards chill damage increase and trigger your passive for free damage every 20 seconds. You’ll want to use your abilities frequently to maintain Ice Shackles on targets producing free damage. Moreover, save Blizzard for stationary bosses for burst damage over 6 seconds. Also, use Frost Road as your escape tool for survivability or charging into combat.
Area Damage and Single-Target Damage: Use Frost Road to come into contact with enemies, increasing Ice Shackle stacks. Once you reach maximum stacks, release them with Ice Wave or Cold Snap for maximum AOE damage. For single-target damage, use the Frost Shards beam.
Movement and Speed: Viessa is agile and can boost her movement speed with Frost Road for a limited time. Utilize this ability strategically to avoid damage and navigate the battlefield effectively.
Bosses and Ultimates: Ultimate Viessa is crucial in a team setting due to her debuffs and crowd control. However, she is less effective against bosses, who are typically defeated with high DPS. Additionally, her primary debuff, Ice Shackle, which reduces enemy speed, does not work on all enemies, including some bosses.
Defenses and Survival Tips: Frost Road also enhances her Energy Shield and boosts her movement speed, making it an excellent defensive ability. It helps build protection and provides a quick escape if needed.
Descendant Modules for Ultimate Viessa Build
Hypothermia, Focus on Chill, and Front Lines are the best modules (mods) for an Ultimate Viessa Build in the First Descendant. Hypothermia is a transcendent mod that changes your passive to do continuous AOE damage over time. An alternative selection is Cold-Bloodness, which boosts skill power after using a skill, ideal for bosses. Focus on Chill will buff all of your skill’s damage and Front Lines help with critical hit chance and damage. You can also select HP Collector for better survivability and Battle of Stamina if you need even more survivability.
In The First Descendant, modules are essential components that enhance and customize your character’s abilities, stats, and overall performance. Modules can be acquired through questing, missions, loot drops, and vendor items. Moreover, you have limited resources to slot mods; some slots may be empty depending on your chosen setup.
Ultimate Viessa Best Modules for Leveling
Below is a list of the best leveling mods for Ultimate Viessa Build in the First Descendant:
- Increased HP – Max HP +22%
- Focus on Chill – Chill Skill Power +X%, Skill Cooldown -X%
- Nimble Fingers – Skill Cooldown -6%
- Dual Claws – Attack with Dual Claws during Sub Attack and increase your Max Module Capacity.
- Emergency Measures – Skill Critical Hit Rate +16%, Skill Critical Hit Damage +7%
- Skill Extension – Skill Duration +X%, applies only to certain skills for each Descendant.
- Skill Expansion – Skill Effect Range +X%, applies only to certain skills for each Descendant.
- Focus on Tech – Tech Skill Power Modifier +X%, Skill Cooldown -X%
Ultimate Viessa Best Modules
Below is a list of the best mods for Ultimate Viessa Build in the First Descendant:
- Transcendent Mod Choice – there are two primary transcendent mods at the end game Ultimate Viessa can use. Hypothermia is best for AOE damage, while Cold-Bloodedness is purely for boss battles. In general, we found Hypothermia to be the best for all gameplay, though it changes your passive and Blizzard skills to Singular rather than tech. Therefore, watch your reactor selection, which depends on your Transcendant mod choice.
- Nimble Fingers – Skill Cooldown -6%
- Focus on Chill – Chill Skill Power +19%, Skill Cooldown -6.1%
- Increased DEF – DEF +16%.
- Skill Insight – Skill Critical Hit Rate +14%
- Emergency Measures – Skill Critical Hit Rate +16%, Skill Critical Hit Damage +7%.
- Long-Distance Maneuvering: Modifies grappling hook range to 25 meters but increases charge time. Also allows more module capacity.
- Dual Claw remains a good alternative until you find Long-Distance Maneuvering.
- Increased HP – Max HP +22%
- Skill Concentration – Skill Critical Hit Damage +14%
- Front Lines – Skill Critical Hit Damage +16%, Skill Critical Hit Rate +7%
- HP Collector – When defeating an enemy, instantly recovers 9% of Max HP (cooldown 11 seconds but can be reduced to 2 with upgrades).
- Flex – Battle of Stamina or Iron Will depending on mod capacity.
Best Reactor Stats for UItimate Viessa in The First Descendant
Frozen Mechanics is the best reactor for an Ultimate Viessa build in the First Descendant because it buffs your Chill and Tech skill combinations. Chill is your descendant attribute, and tech buffs Ice Sphere are passive and Blizzard’s ultimate ability. The second choice is Frozen Singularity, which is used when the Hypothermia transcendent mod is equipped. This mod will change Blizzard and you’re passive to Singular damage; otherwise, stick with Frozen Mechanics. Below is our recommendation for the best Viessa reactors:
- Optimization Condition: Beam Rifle (Clairvoyance)
- Skill Power Boost Ratio
- Chill and Tech
- Chill and Fusion
- Bonus Conditions: Chill skill power boost ratio and Skill critical hit rate
Weapons for Ultimate Viessa Build
Clairvoyance, Thunder Cage, and Afterglow Sword are the best weapons for an Ultimate Viessa Build. Clairvoyance can trigger Frostbite on a beam hit, aiding in action speed and duration, perfect for a chill status effect build. The Thunder Cage is the best choice for clearing waves of low HP enemies. You can alternatively use the Tamer as your general round weapon for boss battles. Lastly, the Afterglow Sword is the best weapon for high-impact rounds due to its boss burst damage.
The following list presents the best weapon choices for the Ultimate Viessa Build Guide in the First Descendant:
- Clairvoyance – Beam Rifle
- Thunder Cage – Submachine Gun
- Afterglow Sword – Sniper Rifle
Clairvoyance
Clairvoyance Beam Rifle features in the First Descendant:
- Firearm ATK: 23
- Fire Rate: 399
- Reload Speed: 2.2 seconds
- Effective Range: 35 meters
- The Thing Beyond: Hitting an enemy with a Stage 2 Beam inflicts Void Gaze on the target. Hitting an enemy with a Stage 3 Beam inflicts Appalled Calling on the target. This effect is considered to be the same effect as Frostbite in some modes.
The Clairvoyance Beam Rifle is the best weapon for Ultimate Viessa due to the Frostbite status effect. This beam rifle allows you to synergize your ice shackle debuff and skills. Moreover, a stage 3 beam can significantly reduce your action speed and last four to 5 seconds, a perfect gun to complement Viessa chill damage.
Thunder Cage
Thunder Cage features in the First Descendant:
- Firearm ATK: 18
- Fire Rate: 666
- Reload Speed: 1.4 seconds
- Effective Range: 23 meter
- Overcharge: defeating an enemy prompts that enemy to unleash electric shockwave, dealing firearm ATK to nearby enemies within 3 meters, with additional damage.
The Thunder Cage Submachine emits an electric shockwave and grants a bonus to damage after a kill. It’s the best weapon for add clear though you can swap in the Tamer Machine Gun for boss kills. Below are the best weapon mods for the Thunder Cage Submachine Gun:
- Fire Rate Up – Significantly improves your Fire Rate
- Hawkeye – Improves your Accuracy
- Reload Concentration – Reloading is quicker, and Firearm Critical Damage is improved
- Rifling Reinforcement – Significantly improves your Firearm Attack
- Concentrate Support Ammo – You get more rounds per magazine and slightly more Firearm Critical Hit Damage
- Electric Conductor – Improved Firearm Attack when attacking Electrocuted enemies
- Action and Reaction – Improves Firearm Attack and Recoil
- Marksman – Improves Firearm Critical Hit Rate and slightly improves Attack
- Weak Point Control – Improves Weak Point Damage and Recoil
- Weak Point Sight – Greatly improves Weak Point Damage
Afterglow Sword
Afterglow Sword Sniper Rifle features in the First Descendant:
- Firearm ATK: 240
- Fire Rate: 66
- Reload Speed: 2.5 seconds
- Effective Range: 55 meters
- Nightmare Reaper: on hitting an enemy’s weak point, inflicts the unique ability death propagation. On hitting an enemy commander or collossi, increase firearm critical hit rate and apply the effect to the attack.
The Afterglow Sword is the best choice for ranged precision weak point damage. Once you trigger Death Propagation, you gain increased reload and damage on weak points. Use this weapon for ranged headshots if possible.
External Component
Two-piece Polar Night and two-piece Annihilation are the best modules for the Ultimate Viessa build in the First Descendant. Combining two pieces gives you increased skill duration and chill skill power. This allows your Blizzard ability to hit additional times and be more powerful. The four-piece bonuses aren’t worth it. You can also use a two-piece Tomb Vanguard, which increases DEF by 25%, so if you struggle with survivability, swap Tomb Vanguard for Annihilation.
Below is a list and chart of the best stats for your External Component Stats:
First Bonus:
- HP
- DEF
- Shields
Second Bonus
- Max Resource (HP, MP, DEF, Shields)
- Elemental resistance (fire, chill, electric, toxic)
| Auxiliary Power | Sensor | Memory | Processor |
|---|---|---|---|
| First Bonus Priority | First Bonus Priority | First Bonus Priority | First Bonus Priority |
| HP DEF Shields | HP DEF Shields | HP DEF Shields | HP DEF Shields |
| Second Bonus Priority | Second Bonus Priority | Second Bonus Priority | Second Bonus Priority |
| Max HP Fire Resistance | Max MP Chill Resistance | DEF Electric Resistance | Max Shields Toxin Resistance |
t Updates and Changes for Ultimate Viessa Build
The biggest change and update to Ultimate Viessa during Season One is the addition of Invasions and Inversion Reinforcement. Her AoE damage and relatively faster speed make Ultimate Viessa a great choice for doing Invasions. Players are rewarded for completion time and materials used for the newest Descendant Hailey. What you should know is to work towards unlocking the Inversion and completing Invasions to progress this new piece of equipment.
Ultimate Viessa Story in the First Descendant
The Ultimate Descendant Project refers to a plan in which either the Ancestors’ technology and equipment found throughout Ingris, or their special Arche genes, are refined to suit the characteristics of active Descendants, then applied to them. The ultimate goal being to enhance all Descendants to reflect the Ancestors, the powerful predecessors of humanity.
However, the Ultimate Project for Viessa was stalling. Viessa’s Arche was neither an enhancement-type nor an application-type, but rather, an emission-type that directly uses elementalized Arche. And, there was no information on any Ultimate equipment that could be adapted to this type of Arche. Of course… if “Absolute-Zero”, the Arche emission battlesuit that caused the death of a Descendant who was testing it, could be counted officially, some information might be available.
Ultimate Viessa Story Continued
This Ultimate equipment was discovered in the early days of the war, and during a test run, it went into overdrive, taking the testing Descendant’s Arche to the limit, causing his body temperature to drop to subzero temps, and causing death. That’s when it was given the name Absolute-Zero, and this cursed battlesuit was put out of commission, effective immediately.
But Viessa mustered up her courage and proposed she would test Absolute-Zero again, herself. The way the battlesuit went into overdrive resembled how her own abilities worked. If the Arche element imprinted on this equipment was of the same type as her own, there was no reason she couldn’t handle it.
Fortunately, Viessa’s analysis was correct. Absolute-Zero was a model optimized for the Ice Arche element, and the enhanced suit started to synchronize with her body without any disruptions. What’s more, the refrigerant-releasing drones that hovered around Viessa could also be controlled more deftly through the computing device attached to her helmet. This was the moment when a very old curse finally became a blessing for the next generation.
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