Discover the Best Valby 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 Valby build, we will focus on optimizing your skill power and survivability. Let us walk you through creating the best Valby Build in the First Descendant with our guide below.
Valby Build Guide for The First Descendant
Valby is an area (AOE) damage dealer who uses her water abilities to maneuver around the battlefield, deal damage, and evade enemy fire. She’s an excellent choice for players seeking a character with strong damage output and good survivability. Due to her focus on AOE abilities, Valby excels against groups of enemies but is less effective against bosses. Mastering Valby involves understanding the nuances of her abilities and applying attack and movement strategies thoughtfully.
Valby is straightforward to play, offering high damage and mobility. She can preemptively place damage on the ground before enemies appear. However, she struggles in boss fights or scenarios where you can’t control the movement. To maximize Valby’s potential, Bubble Bullet can be used to create small puddles at its impact point. These puddles damage enemies within them over time and allow you to consume less mana while standing in them, enabling you to spam abilities almost for free when combining water and bubble tactics. Below, we walk you through a guide on the Best Valby build in the First Descendant.
| Valby Build Pro | Valby Build Cons |
|---|---|
| High Mobility | Weak on Bosses |
| Pre-Stack Damage | Relaince on Water |
| Multiple Status Effects | Reliance on Water |
Features and Mechanics for Valby Build in The First Descendant
The following list presents all the essential Valby Build Features and Mechanics for this First Descendant guide:
- Best Modules: Nimble Fingers, Skill Extension, Water Play
- Best Reactor Stats: Skill Power, Sub Attack Power
- Best Weapon: Thunder Cage, Blue Beetle, Afterglow Sword
- Best Weapon Mods: Fire Rate Up, Rifling Reinforcement, Weak Point Sight
- Skills
- Bubble Bullet
- Plop Plop
- Clean Up
- Laundry Bomb
- Water Intake (Passive)
- Playstyle: using puddles to damage over time and regen resources.
- How to Unlock: purchase from store or research.
- Story: Valby was saddened to see Mother Nature become polluted by war.
How to play Valby in The First Descendant
To effectively play Valby, stand in water to conserve mana while ensuring enemies within puddles take continuous damage. Valby uses her Arche connection to water to move fluidly across the battlefield, delivering area-of-effect damage to groups of Vulgus. Additionally, she has a knockdown ability, providing extra crowd control to support her team. Her playstyle revolves around using her Bubble Bullet ability and puddles to damage enemies, recover MP, and navigate the battlefield.
Area Damage and Single-Target Damage: Valby’s toolkit is focused on AOE damage abilities, making her most effective against multiple targets. Her single-target damage depends largely on the weapon she uses. Utilize Bubble Bullet and Plop Plop to create large puddles. One skill is ranged, while the other is centered on her position. Use these skills when at a distance or surrounded to increase damage over time and sustain resources.
Movement and Speed: Valby is second only to the Bunny class in terms of speed and movement in The First Descendant. Her Laundry skill allows her to move through enemies, boost her movement speed, and create a path of water. This skill can be used both offensively and defensively.
Bosses and Ultimates: During boss encounters, keep puddles under the enemy at all times. Monitor your cooldowns and rotate skills to maintain high uptime on puddle damage. Use Laundry Bomb to pull in enemies if mobs appear during encounters.
Defenses and Survival Tips: Valby’s Clean Up ability enhances her survivability and defense while dealing a bit of damage over time. Activating it makes her completely invulnerable and increases her speed. While in this state, she cannot use other skills, but it’s perfect for escaping tight situations.
How to unlock Valby in The First Descendant
To unlock and play Valby in The First Descendant, you must either purchase her from the store or research her. Moreover, if you choose to purchase Valby, she will cost 600 Caliber, which is the premium currency. Otherwise, to craft Valby, you will need:
- Valby Enhanced Cells
- Repton x422
- Superfluid x571
- Data Processing Neural Circuit x38f
- Valby Enhanced Cell Blueprint
- 200,000 Gold
- Valby Stabilizer
- Monad Shard x246
- Compound Coating Material x239
- Negative Ion Particle x4
- Valby Stabilizer Blueprint x1
- 200,000 Gold
- Valby Spiral Catalyst
- Metal Accelerant x519
- Hardener x386
- Encrypted Neural Circuit x31
- Valby Spiral Catalyst Blueprint x1
- Valby Code
Finally, to craft Valby you must speak to Anais in the Albion Mountains area. She will grant you access to the Research Institute, where you can choose to craft several additional descendant characters.
Skills
The main theme with Valby’s skills is the Laundry debuff inflicted via water. You can also create damage over time with this this debuff and gain regen standing inside it. Therefore, target enemies and stay inside water and puddles when you can. Below are all the skills for Valby:
- Bubble Bullet – Bounces a Bubble Bullet forward to create a small puddle where the Bubble Bullet impacts and where she stands. Enemies in the small puddle take continuous damage and are inflicted with Laundry.
- Plop Plop – Creates a large puddle where she is standing, then dives in. Vallby then pops out at a selected location in the large puddle. Enemies in the large puddle take continuous damage and are inflicted with Laundry.
- Clean Up – Vallby becomes Liquefied. While Liquefied, she cannot take her feet off of the ground or use skills, but she can move through enemies and her Movement Speed and DEF increase. When moving while Liquefied, she creates a path of water that deals continuous damage to enemies and inflicts Laundry.
- Laundry Bomb – Changes the weapon equipped for the Launcher. When the Launcher is fired, a Bomb is created, pulling in enemies inflicted with Laundry and dealing continuous damage.
- Water Intake (Passive) – When using skills while standing on water, she consumes less Mana.
Bubble Bullet
Bubble Bullet Features in The First Descendant:
- Description: Bounces a Bubble Bullet forward to create a small puddle where the Bubble Bullet impacts and where she stands. Enemies in the small puddle take continuous damage and are inflicted with Laundry.
- Non-Attribute – Fusion
- Fires a Bubble Bullet forward, creating Small Puddles where she stands and where the Bubble Bullet hits.
- The enemy standing in the Small Puddle receives continuous damage and becomes inflicted with Laundry.
- When the Bubble Bullet pops, nearby enemies receive AOE damage, increasing based on the number of bounces.
How to use Bubble Bullet: Valby’s primary skill is to trigger puddles and laundry status effects. Bubble Bullet, while a single target, can hit multiple enemies in a small radius for a while, leaving a puddle that deals continuous damage. Primarily, we rely on this skill for damage and status effects. Moreover, it makes enemies vulnerable to electricity and chill, and it is useful for playing with a Bunny build or others who are buffed by those elements.
Bubble Bullet Skill Advanced Stats
Basic Info
- Cooldown – 10 seconds
- MP Cost – 30
- Skill Effect – Values
- AOE Damage – Skill Power x 413.4%
- AOE Damage Range – Radius 1.5 meters
- Damage Increase per count – 25%
Small Puddle
- Continuous Damage – Skill Power x 28.2%
- Damage Interval – one second
- Duration – 10 seconds
- Effect Range – Radius 3 meter
- Max Expandable Range – 200%
Laundry
- Duration – 20 seconds
- Electric Resist Decrease – 30%
- Chill Resist Decrease – 25%
Plop Plop
Plop Plop Features in The First Descendant:
- Description: Creates a large puddle where Valby is standing, then dives in. Valby then pops out at a selected location in the large puddle. Enemies in the large puddle take continuous damage and are inflicted with Laundry.
- Non-Attribute – Dimension
- Valby forms a Big Puddle where she stands and jumps into it. She then jumps out from another Big Puddle formed at a designated spot, inflicting Knockdown on nearby enemies.
- Enemies standing in the Big Puddle receive continuous damage and become inflicted with Laundry.
- The skill’s cooldown decreases proportionally to the number of enemies inflicted with Knockdown.
How to use Plop Plop: This skill can be used as an escape mechanism, debuff, and charging gap closer. What makes Plop Plop power is the water that’s left behind as you activate the skill and continuous damage over its duration. Moreover, the cooldown is 25 by default. This skill also triggers electrical and chill resistance decreases, which is perfect for a party composition with Bunny and Viessa.
Plop Plop Skill Advanced Stats
Basic Info
- Cooldown – 25 seconds
- MP Cost – 42
Big Puddle
- Continuous Damage – Skill Power x 34.2%
- Damage Interval – 1 second
- Duration- 15 seconds
- Effect Range – Radius 6m
- Max Expandable Range – 200%
Laundry
- Duration – 20 seconds
- Electric Resist Decrease – 30%
- Chill Resist Decrease – 25%
Clean Up
Clean Up Features in The First Descendant:
- Description: Vallby becomes Liquefied. While Liquefied, she cannot take her feet off of the ground or use skills, but she can move through enemies and her Movement Speed and DEF increase. When moving while Liquefied, she creates a path of water that deals continuous damage to enemies and inflicts Laundry.
- Non-Attribute – Dimension
- Enter Liquefied state. While Liquefied, Valby cannot take her feet off the ground and is unable to use skills, but does not collide with enemies. Her Movement Speed increases while Damage decreases.
- Moving while Liquefied creates a Waterway. Enemies standing on the Waterway receive continuous damage and become inflicted with Laundry.
How to use Clean Up: this skill acts as a mobility tool, debuff, speed boost, and defensive increase. You can move through enemies, which is a big bonus, but you cannot use skills. Therefore, you can use this to charge in and debuff enemies or escape a situation where you are taking too much damage. Moreover, skate through enemies to debuff them and turn around for a Laundry Bomb if your skill is active.
Clean Up Skill Advanced Stats
Basic Info
- Max Stacks – 2
- Stack Cooldown – 22s
- MP Cost – 40
Liquefied – Values
- Duration – 5s
- Movement Speed – 1,000
- Damage Reduction – 50%
Waterway – Values
- Continuous Damage – Skill Power x 135.7%
- Damage Interval – 1s
- Duration – 15s
- Effect Range – 2m x 2m
- Max Expandable Range – 200%
Values for Laundry
- Duration – 20s
- Electric Resist Decrease – 30%
- Chill Resist Decrease – 25%
Laundry Bomb
Laundry Bomb Features in The First Descendant:
- Description: Changes the equipped weapon to the Laundry Bomb Launcher. When the Launcher is fired, a Laundry Bomb is created, pulling in enemies inflicted with Laundry and dealing continuous damage.
- Non-Attribute – Fusion
- Switches the equipped weapon to Laundry Bomb Launcher. The original weapon returns when all bullets have been used or its duration ends.
- Creates Laundry Bomb at the spot where the Laundry Bomb Launcher projectile hits, which tows a nearby enemy afflicted with Laundry and deals continuous damage.
- Continuous damage increases with the number of enemies afflicted with Laundry.
How to use Laundry Bomb: the best usage for Laundry Bomb is debuffing enemies with the Laundry status effect before using it, then dropping the bomb when they are debuff. The base damage is weak but can ramp up to 200% and has a traction radius of 8 meters. This is your AOE nuke skill you want to use in conjunction with others when enemies are debuffed.
Landry Bomb Skill Advanced Stats
Basic Information
- Cooldown – 30 seconds
- MP Cost – 10
Skill Effect
- Continuous Damage – Skill Power x 33.5%
- Damage Interval – 0.5 second
- Duration – 3.1 seconds
- Continuous Damage Range – 2-meter Radius
- Traction Range – 8-meter Radius
- Max Expandable Range – 200%
- Damage Increase per entity – 25%
- Max Damage Increase 200%
Laundry
- Duration – 20 seconds
- Electric Resist Decrease – 30%
- Chill Resist Decrease – 25%
Water Intake (Passive)
Water Intake Features in The First Descendant:
- Description: When using skills while standing on water, she consumes less Mana.
- Non-Attribute
- When using skills when standing on water, MP cost decreases by 30%.
- Puddles created by Valby’s skill are also considered to be water.
This incentivizes you to stand within puddles to decrease MP cost. Less MP cost means you can chain skills back to back. Moreover, you can use the lingering pool post fight to recover some MP before advancing.
Descendant Modules for Valby Build
Nimble Fingers, Skill Extension, and Water Play are the best modules (mods) for a Valby Build in the First Descendant. Nimble Fingers reduces skill cooldowns, allowing for higher uptime for abilities. Skill Extension increases duration, which pairs together well with Nimble Fingers. Lastly, the Transcendent mod Water Play changes Bubble Bullet’s skill and makes it more powerful.
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; therefore, some slots may be empty depending on your chosen setup.
Valby Best Modules for Leveling
Below is a list of the best leveling mods for Valby Build in the First Descendant:
- Technician – Increase Skill Power Modifier
- Skill Extension – Increases Skill Duration
- Technique Manual – Landing a skill attack deals a portion of Max HP as additional damage to the target
- HP Concentration – Improves your Max HP and Critical Hit Rate
- Skill Range Mastery – Increase Skill Critical Hit Damage and Skill Effect Range
- Shock Punch – Changes to shock punch and increases the Max Module Capacity
- Nimble Fingers – Reduces your Skill Cooldowns
- Increased HP – Increases your Max HP
- Skill Expansion – Improves your Skill Effect Range
- Increased Shield – Improves your max Shield
- Increased DEF – Increases your Defence
| Slot | Module | Quality |
|---|---|---|
| 1 (Skill Module) | Empty | Empty |
| 2 | Technician | Standard |
| 3 | Skill Extension | Standard |
| 4 | Empty | Empty |
| 5 | Empty | Empty |
| 6 | Skill Range Mastery | Rare |
| 7 (Sub Module) | Shock Punch | Standard |
| 8 | Nimble Fingers | Standard |
| 9 | Increased HP | Standard |
| 10 | Skill Expansion | Standard |
| 11 | Increased Shield | Standard |
| 12 | Increased DEF | Standard |
Valby Best Modules
Below is a guide list of the best mods for Valby Build in the First Descendant:
- Water Play – Bubble Bullet Skill Conversation
- Skill Expansion – Skill effect ranged increase
- Skill Extension – Skill duration increased
- Increase HP – Max hp increase
- MP Accelerant – skill duration and max MP increased
- Skill Cost Optimize – skill cooldown and skill cost lowered
- Dual Claw – increase max module capacity
- Nimble FIngers – skill cooldown reduction
- Strong Mentality – lowers resource cost using skills
- Technician – increases skill power modifier
- Increased Shield – increase max shield
- Skill Range Support – increase skill range and HP heal
| Slot | Module | Quality |
|---|---|---|
| 1 (Skill Module) | Water Play | Transcendent |
| 2 | Skill Expansion | Standard |
| 3 | Skill Extension | Standard |
| 4 | Increase HP | Standard |
| 5 | MP Accelerant | Rare |
| 6 | Skill Cost Optimize | Rare |
| 7 (Sub Module) | Dual Claw | Standard |
| 8 | Nimble FIngers | Standard |
| 9 | Strong Mentality | Standard |
| 10 | Technician | Standard |
| 11 | Increased Shield | Standard |
| 12 | Skill Range Support | Rare |
Best Reactor Stats for Valby in The First Descendant
The best reactors for a Valby build are Skill Power and Sub Attack Power because they increase your effectiveness with your skills and all-around damage. A secondary choice is reactors that boost Dimension or Fusion skills.
In The First Descendant, reactors are powerful enhancements significantly impacting a character’s abilities, stats, and overall performance. They function as core components that provide substantial boosts and unique effects, enabling players to tailor their characters to specific playstyles and strategies.
Weapons for Valby Build
The best weapons for Valby are the Thunder Cage Submachine Gun and the Afterglow Sword Sniper Rifle. Thunder Cage has a high rate of fire and an overcharge bonus. Overcharge grants the following special bonus: defeating an enemy prompts that enemy to unleash an electric shockwave, dealing firearm ATK to nearby enemies within 3 meters, with additional damage. Therefore, with Thunder Cage, you can gain even more AOE damage and boost weapon attacks as well.
The following list presents the best weapon choices for Valby Build:
- Thunder Cage – Submachine Gun
- Blue Beetle – Scout Rifle
- Afterglow Sword – Sniper Rifle
Thunder Cage Submachine Gun
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 highest DPS weapon for a Valby build due to its secondary Overcharge effect and rate of fire. Below are the best weapon mods for the Thunder Cage Submachine Gun:
- 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
- Fire Rate Up – Significantly improves your Fire Rate
Blue Beetle Scout Rifle
Blue Beetle Scout Rifle features in the First Descendant:
- Firearm ATK: 62
- Fire Rate: 199
- Reload Speed: 2 seconds
- Effective Range: 35 meters
- Arcane Wave: when using a fusion skill, grants self the unique arcane energy with a set chance. When using a singular skill, it grants the self the unique ability of purification with a set chance.
This scout rifle is a versatile choice for Valby because we have a lot of Fusion skills. Arcane energy helps with skill critical hit rate and adds to her overall burst potential. Moreover, the range is nice if you plan on not using a sniper rifle or want something medium-range application.
Afterglow Sword Sniper Rifle
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.
Valby’s Story in the First Descendant
A dealer of continuous damage who moves around freely through her Water Arche. A terrifying torrent to her enemies, she’s always a refreshing ocean wave to her teammates.
Valleys, oceans, and lakes that are drying…As a member of Ingris Environment Watch, Valby was always saddened to see Mother Nature become polluted by war. When she traveled outside Albion on pollution investigation missions, she saw rivers in Ingris disappearing one after another. The White-night Valley, where the sun never set, was now a gulch, and the Echo Plains had long turned into a swamp because of the Vulgus Kuiper mining…
From the way things were going, would there even be a place left where humanity could live in peace if they won the war? She wondered, “Was that why?” Valby found a shimmering lake somewhere in the Vespers Woodland. Calling it the ‘Last Emerald,’ she swore to protect this small glimmer of hope. Making it a home for plants and animals so that the ecosystem of Ingris could be restored… To Valby, the Last Emerald was truly her last hope.
But in times like these, hope was such a fragile gem. On that fateful day, Valby was gazing out over the lake as usual when she encountered the Order of Truth that entered into Vespers Woodland… Having completed advanced military training, Valby fought off the Vulgus, as well as requesting support from the Descendant Corps. But the lack of an Arche teleportation device in the area meant that help was delayed, leaving Valby no choice but to defend the lake alone. However, even the lowest-ranked Vulgus was too much for a non-Descendant. After being brutally attacked, Valby was thrown into the lake.
Valby Story Contiuned
As she sank into the water, Valby thought to herself, at least she could meet her end in the bosom of the Emerald… She was grateful to the lake for letting her dream of hope, even if for a little… But in the final moments, when her consciousness began to fade, Valby could not control her instincts to survive. “I want to fight again. I want to protect this lake. No… I want to become a great ocean that will swallow up every Vulgus there is…”
At that moment, a massive wave arose from the center of the lake, devastating the surrounding area. The enemies were crushed by the immense pressure of the water and vanished without a trace. And where the lake once was, a mass of water in the shape of a human was thrashing wildly. It was Valby. At death’s door, she had awoken her Arche, and her ability enabled her to merge with the water and swim without end… She had become the Last Emerald itself.
Looking For More?
Thank you for reading The First Descendant: Best Valby Build Guide. We also provide the latest news and create guides for Baldur’s Gate 3, Starfield, ARK Survival Ascended, and more. Additionally, watch me play games on Twitch or visit my YouTube channel!
