The First Descendant

Hailey How to Get and Builds

Beginner's Guide and Advanced Tips and Tricks
The First Descendant Roadmap
Season 1 | New Update
★ New Characters: Hailey and Ultimate Freyna
☆ Season Guides: Battle Pass | Invasion Guide | ETA-0
☆ New Void Interception: Death Stalker
☆ New Weapon: Frost Watcher

First Descendant - Hailey

To unlock Hailey in The First Descendant, you must finish Invasion Dungeons daily to research her. Read on to learn how to unlock Hailey, their best hard and normal mode builds, basic info, and skills!

How to Get Hailey

Finish Invasion Dungeons Daily

The First Descendant - Finish Invasion Dungeons Daily
To get Hailey, you must farm Invasion Dungeons daily to obtain the components needed for her research. Keep in mind that farming Hailey will take a considerable amount of time since you will need to finish Hard Mode and have a maxed-out Descendant since Invasion Dungeons are solo missions.

Invasion Dungeon Guide

1.1.0b Hotfix Improved Hailey Drops

As of the recent 1.1.0b hotfix, all of Hailey's research components' monster drop rates have increased for their respective Infiltrate Operations! With this hotfix, you can now go with the option of repeatedly running these operations to farm for Hailey's parts.

To further improve efficiency, the 1.1.0 patch also increased the XP gain of most Infiltrate Operations, meaning that you can also passively level your Descendants while farming for Hailey!

Update 1.1.0 Patch Notes (August 29 Update)

Unlock Using the Research Institute

Research Time Cost
16:00:00 400,000
Required Research Material How to Get
Hailey Data Chip x1 ・Hagios - Invasion: The Haven and Mission Monster
・White-night Gulch - Invasion: Mystery's End and Mission Monster
・Vespers - Invasion: The Shelter
・Kingston - Invasion: Magister Lab and The Slumber Valley
・Agna Desert - Invasion: The Asylum and The Caligo Ossuary
・Echo Swamp - Invasion: Seed Vault and The Chapel
・Fortress - Invasion: The Heart of the Fortress and Quarantine Zone
・Sterile Land - Invasion: The Forgottense and Unknown Laboratory
Hailey Enhanced Cells x1 ・Research
Research Materials Needed:
Monad Shard x246
Compound Coating Material x239
Polyatomic Ion Particle x96
Hailey Reinforced Cell DNA x36
Hailey Spiral Catalyst x1 ・Research
Research Materials Needed:
Repton x422
Carbon Crystal x554
Common Carbon Activator x14
Hailey Spiral Catalyst Ring x36
Hailey Stabilizer x1 ・Research
Research Materials Needed:
Nanopolymers x363
Reverse Charging Coil x455
Negative Ion Particle x47
Hailey Stabilizer Component x36

You can unlock Hailey through the Research Institute in Albion. Note that to acquire a Descendant using research, you need all the required items and gold to unlock this character.

Research Institute

Purchase Hailey Using Caliber

Purchase Descendants Using Caliber
Alternatively, you can unlock Descendants by purchasing them in the Shop. This method only requires Caliber, an in-game currency that you can buy with real money. Purchasing Hailey in the Shop instantly unlocks the Descendant, allowing you to skip the item requirements and research time.

All Microtransactions

Best Hard Mode Hailey Build

Hailey Hard Mode Builds
Descendant Modules Weapons and Modules
Reactor and External Components Playstyle Tips
▼Jump to Normal Mode Builds▼

Hailey Hard Mode Build Showcase

Note: This does not use the optimal reactor, meaning you can reach higher DPS!

Check out this 6-second clear for Hard Mode Pyromaniac using our Hard Mode Hailey build!

Best Hailey Modules (Hard Mode)

This Hailey build revolves around fully speccing into Zenith's high damage capabilities by using Piercing Light as a stat stick. With the help of Dangerous Ambush and stacking as much Skill Power as possible, this build deals about 25,000,000 damage in 6 seconds!

This Zenith build melts bosses without letting the opponent lay a hand on you as you reposition yourself in uncompromised positions! The other modules focus on Skill Criticals and Skill Cooldowns.

Alternative Modules for Mob Clearing

Module Change Explanation
The First Descendant - Dangerous AmbushDangerous Ambush > The First Descendant - Maximize ConservationMaximize Conservation Lessens Skill Cost at the cost of Skill Power Modifiers
The First Descendant - Shot FocusShot Focus > The First Descendant - MultitalentedMultitalented Replaces additional Firearm ATK for the ability to spam skills
The First Descendant - Glacial SyncytiumGlacial Syncytium > The First Descendant - Energy CollectionEnergy Collection More MP Recovery over Chill Skill Power
The First Descendant - Chill SpecialistChill Specialist > The First Descendant - Focus on ChillFocus on Chill Slightly gear more around skill cooldowns than Chill Skill Power

With Multitalented, additional MP Recovery, and more Skill Cooldown, Hailey will be a high-damage mob clearer that can still reliably down bosses with Cryo Rounds and Storm Snare. When you prefer using weapons, you can use Shot Focus instead of Multitalented!

The MP combo between Maximize Conservation and Energy Collection will allow you to use Cold Fury for near indefinite use. When paired with weapons such as the Thunder Cage, you can mow down hordes of enemies quickly!

Best Hailey Weapons and Modules (Hard Mode)

Weapon Substat Priority
The First Descendant - Piercing LightPiercing Light • Bonus Firearm ATK Colossus (vs. Colossus)
• Firearm Critical Hit Damage
• Firearm ATK
• Weak Point Damage

Zenith requires a stat-stick weapon that possesses an absurd amount of base damage, critical values, and weak point damage to scale off of. As of the latest update, Piercing Light possesses the highest base damage out of all the weapons in The First Descendant.

Best Piercing Light Modules

As Zenith also scales off of its stat-stick's modules, including Critical Hit Damage modifiers and Weak Point Expansion will allow you to reach about 3,000,000 from the sniper shots alone, plus the additional Chill damage follow-up if you hit weak points reliably!

Furthermore, you can also increase the amount of bullets you can fire off with Zenith by installing Expand Weapon Charge or Maximize Weight Balance, netting you the possibility of having 7-8 shots!

If you plan on running Solo Missions up until Swamp Walker, you can consider replacing Expand Weapon Charge for elemental modules since you aim on defeating them within 4-5 shots anyway!

Secondary Weapons

Hailey Recommended Secondary Weapons
Thunder CageThunder Cage Enduring LegacyEnduring Legacy

It is best to bring weapons with high base criticals like the Thunder Cage or Enduring Legacy while Zenith is on cooldown as secondary weapons.

With the absurd critical hit rate and penetration Cold Fury provides, you can help a weapon designed around criticals reach their maximum potential in terms of both damage and room clearing!

Best Hailey Equipment (Hard Mode)

Equipment Substat Priority
The First Descendant - Frozen Singularity ReactorFrozen Singularity Reactor • Skill Critical Hit Damage
• Additional Skill ATK When Attacking Colossus
• Chill Power Boost Ratio
• Skill Cooldown
The First Descendant - Slayer Auxiliary PowerSlayer Auxiliary Power • Max HP
• MP Recovery Out of Combat
The First Descendant - Slayer SensorSlayer Sensor • Max MP
• MP Recovery in Combat
The First Descendant - Slayer MemorySlayer Memory • MP Recovery Multiplier
• DEF
The First Descendant - Slayer ProcessorSlayer Processor • Max Shield
• Toxic Resistance

Note that External Components with set bonuses have fixed main stats.

Best Hailey Reactor

The best Reactor for Hailey is the Frozen Singularity Reactor, which boosts Chill and Singular, capitalizing on Storm Snare and especially Zenith's high power scaling. For substats, prioritize Additional Skill ATK When Attacking Colossus and Skill Critical Hit Damage to further hone in on boss melting.

While it is best to use a Frozen Singularity Reactor, you should prioritize a Frozen Reactor with a Piercing Light mounting optimization condition to always keep the additional skill power active.

Please refer to our Hard Mode rewards calendar to see where you can farm Frozen Singularity Reactors with High-Power rounds!

Best Hailey External Components Set

The best External Component set for Hailey is the Slayer set to get their 4-part set bonus, fully kitting out Hailey's capabilities by increasing Zenith's lethality with increased magazine size and skill power, while also slowing down Cold Fury's MP consumption!

For the substats, prioritize Max MP and MP Recovery to keep Cold Fury online while also allowing you to recover more MP with Zenith. Other than that, it is best to hone in on additional HP and DEF for increased survivability!

Hailey Playstyle Tips (Hard Mode)

Hailey Playstyle Tips




Always Keep Cold Fury Active

Hailey's kit revolves around keeping her Cold Fury active while casting her other skills so that they consistently hit crits. Look to always keep Cold Fury online for extended periods by refreshing 15% of your MP reserves by hitting weak points with Zenith!

Remember to Reposition

While it is best to stay stationary and far away from enemy pressure to keep your Cold Fury stacks, there will come a time when you need to reposition to safety.

While you may lose your Cold Fury stacks this way, it is recommended to roll and cover more ground due to your slowed movement. Besides, the skill takes little to no time to stack up!

Use Cryo Rounds While in Zenith

Even if you are stationary while using Zenith, you can still cast Cryo Rounds! Using Cryo Rounds during Zenith becomes beneficial in multiple ways:

  1. Safety: Cryo Rounds slow down opponents that are trying to close in on you, allowing you to snipe them down before they get to you.
  2. DPS Increase: Cryo Rounds inflict a status that increases damage dealt to an inflicted enemy by 50%. Remember to use this as a primer for more damage.
  3. Less Cooldowns: Since Cryo Rounds is a Dimension skill, using Cryo Rounds right before you end Zenith will significantly lessen its cooldown.

Remember Distance Modifiers

With Hailey's passive Safe Strategic Retreat, you will deal increased Weak Point damage the further you are away from an enemy. As a caveat, you will deal less damage the closer you are to your enemy.

Remember to check your passive icon to see the distance between your target for optimal damage. Hailey's weak point damage is at its peak when the passive icon is glowing blue but is affected negatively when labeled red!

Utilize Storm Snare as Disengagement

When you are getting swarmed by opponents, utilize Storm Snare to get enemy pressure away from you. While slow, this skill hinders enemy movement and deals enough damage to guarantee they stay dead in their tracks.

Best Normal Mode Hailey Build

Hailey Normal Mode Builds
Descendant Modules Weapon and Modules
Reactor External Components
▲Jump to Hard Mode Builds▲

Best Hailey Modules (Normal)

Best Hailey Modules
Front Lines ImageFront Lines Skill Critical Hit Damage +X%, Skill Critical Hit Rate +X%
Shock Punch ImageShock Punch Modifies the Charged Sub Attack. Use a Shock Punch to attack when performing a Charged Sub Attack. As the Enhancement Level increases, Max Module Capacity increases. (Currently +X)
Enlightenment ImageEnlightenment Max MP +X%
Energy Collection ImageEnergy Collection MP Recovery +X%
Skill Concentration ImageSkill Concentration Skill Critical Hit Damage +X%
Skill Insight ImageSkill Insight Skill Critical Hit Rate +X%
Singular Specialist ImageSingular Specialist Singular Skill Power Modifier +X%
Chill Specialist ImageChill Specialist Chill Skill Power +X%
Increased DEF ImageIncreased DEF DEF +X%
Increased HP ImageIncreased HP Max HP +X%
Nimble Fingers ImageNimble Fingers Skill Cooldown -X%

Hailey, without the means of fully kitting out weapons, relies heavily on her Skill Power, Skill Criticals, and Skill Cooldown to actively use Cryo Rounds to clear mobs while using Zenith for boss encounters.

Since you can reliably restore your MP with Zenith, you can focus on Max MP and decreasing Skill Costs. This setup can help you maintain a 100% skill critical hit rate with Cold Fury!

Modules Guide: List of Modules

Best Hailey Weapon and Modules (Normal)

Weapon Substat Priority
The First Descendant - Guardian R4Guardian R4 • Explosive ATK
• Bonus Firearm ATK (vs. Colossus)
• Firearm Critical Hit Damage
• Attribute Status Effect Trigger Rate
Best Modules for Guardian R4
Action and Reaction ImageAction and Reaction Explosive ATK +X%, Recoil +X%.
Better Concentration ImageBetter Concentration Firearm Critical Hit Damage +X%
Better Insight ImageBetter Insight Firearm Critical Hit Rate +X%
Rifling Reinforcement ImageRifling Reinforcement Explosive ATK +X%

To fully maximize Zenith's damage potential early on, it is best to equip the Guardian R4 as it possesses the earliest highest base damage out of all the weapons you can obtain early on. It is still best to change to the highest-level Snipers or Launchers as you progress through the game.

As a secondary, you can also equip the Thunder Cage as another means to clear hordes of enemies in conjunction with Cryo Rounds. However, always remember to swap out to your Guardian R4 when you use Zenith!

Best Weapons Tier List

Best Hailey Reactor (Normal)

Reactor Substat Priority
Frozen Singularity Reactor ImageFrozen Singularity Reactor ・Skill Cooldown
・Chill Skill Power Boost Ratio

For the earlier stages of the game, equip any Frozen Singularity Reactor you get. It is best to funnel into Singular as Zenith will be your go-to damage dealer even without MP.

For the substats, look for Skill Cooldown and Chill Skill Power Boost Ratio to actively cast your skills whenever you need while adding more -oomph to their damage output!

Reactors Guide: List of Reactors

Best Hailey External Components (Normal)

Set Set Effect
The First Descendant - GlacialThe First Descendant - GlacialThe First Descendant - GlacialThe First Descendant - Glacial
Glacial Set
2-Set Effect:
・Chill Skill Power Modifier +8.6%
4-Set Effect:
・Skill Cost -2.8%
・Firearm Critical Hit Rate +5.9%
Substat Priority
Auxiliary Power ・Max HP
・Fire Resistance
・Kuiper Shard Drop Rate Increase Modifier
・Module Drop Rate Increase Modifier
Sensor ・MP Recovery in Combat
・Max MP
・Consumable Drop Rate Increase Modifier
・Character EXP Gain
Memory ・DEF
・MP Recovery Modifier
・Electric Resistance
・Firearm Proficiency Gain Modifier
Processor ・Max Shield
・Item Acquisition Distance Increase Modifier
・Toxic Resistance
・Equipment Drop Rate Increase Modifier

Glacial is the best early external component set for Hailey since the set complements her skill set. Not only does it increase your Chill Skill Power Modifiers, but it also lessens Skill Costs and improves Firearm Critical Hit Rates!

The crucial stat here is less Skill Cost so you have more up-time to your Cold Fury! To get and complete the Glacial set, you must defeat the Dead Bride multiple times.

List of External Components

Hailey Basic Info & Stats

Hailey Basic Info
The First Descendant - Hailey IconHailey

Glacial Marksman
Role Burst DPS
Element
The First Descendant - Chill IconChill
Description
"A ranged DPS who uses an anti-material sniper cannon made of frozen moisture. She defeats her enemies with beams and bullets infused with chill."

Stats

DEF Max Shield Shield Recovery Max MP Max HP
2441 537 4.88 300 935

Hailey Skills

Passive Skills

Skill Type
Effect
The First Descendant - Safe Strategic Retreat IconSafe Strategic Retreat Proportional to the distance between the target and Hailey, the Weak Point Damage decreases the closer it is to the target and increases the further it is.

Active Skills

Skill Type
Effect
The First Descendant - Cryo Round IconCryo Round
The First Descendant - Dimension Icon Dimension

Fires a Cryo Round at enemies in front to deal damage and inflict Cryo. Targets with Cryo stacks receive additional damage and lose 1 stack when hit by Hailey's firearm attack.
The First Descendant - Storm Snare IconStorm Snare
The First Descendant - Singular Icon Singular

Unleashes a Chill Vortex around her, knocking back hit targets and firing a massive Freezing Beam in the direction of the crosshairs. Inflicts Cryo on targets hit based on Enemy AoE.
The First Descendant - Cold Fury IconCold Fury
The First Descendant - Dimension Icon Dimension

Grants Hailey Cold Fury every second. The Cold Fury effect gradually decreases her Movement Speed, but greatly increases her Firearm and Skill Critical Hit Rates and Firearm Penetration. When Cold Fury reaches maximum stacks, Hailey becomes immune to Knockdown and gains an increase to her Firearm and Skill Critical Hit Damage. However, when using Roll or Grappling Hook, the stacks decrease.
The First Descendant - Zenith IconZenith
The First Descendant - Singular Icon Singular

Equips her unique Weapon. When hitting an enemy with the Unique Weapon, greatly increases Penetration and Firearm ATK and deals additional Chill skill damage. Recovers a portion of MP upon successfully attacking Weak Points. Partially decreases the Cooldown of the Unique Weapon skill when the skill ends depending on the number of fired bullets.

Hailey Exclusive Equipment

Piercing Spike

Too large to be called a gun and too accurate to be classified as a cannon, this one-off precision weapon was developed exclusively for Hailey and is a last tactical resort for when conventional attacks cannot subdue an enemy.

The specifications requested by HQ at the time of development required the creation of a weapon capable of piercing the armor of any enemy humanity was facing with a single strike.

Naturally, it was a nigh impossible request and seemed unlikely to be fulfilled in the future as well. But Hailey was like a walking ice core and the supercooled cryogenic Arche in her breath could instantly freeze any armor in existence and crush it into particles.

She already had the firepower and precision to achieve the requested specifications.

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Comment

2 Anonymousabout 2 months

This build calls for the Slayer External Component set, stating that it will reduce the cost of cold fury. Slayer INCREASES the cost of skills.

1 Anonymousabout 2 months

This guide is a nonsense. Just seeing Guardian R4 as a recommended weapon is enough to know, that the creator probably didn't even test anything. Zenith doesn't scale with Explosive ATK. The weapon DMG part will do exactly 1 DMG when using Launchers.

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