You must finish the main story to unlock Hard Mode in The First Descendant. Read on to learn how to unlock Hard Mode, how to change difficulty, its rewards, and its differences when compared to Normal Mode.
List of Contents
- How to Unlock Hard Mode
- Hard Mode Rewards
- How to Change Difficulty
- Differences Between Normal and Hard Mode
- Related Guides
| Late Game Guides | ||
|---|---|---|
| Post-Game Guide | Hard Mode Guide | Advanced Tips and Tricks |
How to Unlock Hard Mode
Complete Heart of the Fortress
To unlock Hard Mode, you must finish the Heart of the Fortress quest in the Fortress Region. To unlock the quest, you must progress through the main storyline as this is the last mission in the main storyline.
Main Quest Walkthrough
Hard Mode Rewards
Target Farming Rewards
Rewards change in
| Map | Area | Rewards |
|---|---|---|
| Kingston | The Destruction | Reactor |
| The Fallen Theater | Reactor | |
| Grand Square | Auxiliary Power | |
| Sterile Land | Rockfall | Reactor |
| Repository | Reactor | |
| Restricted Zone | Reactor | |
| Ironworks | Reactor | |
| Classified Area | Reactor | |
| Vespers | The Lumber Yard | Reactor |
| The Ruins | Reactor | |
| Lost Supply Depot | Reactor | |
| Moonlight Lake | Reactor | |
| Timberfall | Reactor | |
| Echo Swamp | Misty Woods | Reactor |
| Abandoned Zone | Reactor | |
| Muskeg Swamp | Reactor | |
| Derelict Covert | Reactor | |
| Agna Desert | Vermilion Waste | Reactor |
| Remnant | Reactor | |
| The Storage | Reactor | |
| The Mining Site | Reactor | |
| Miragestone | Reactor | |
| White-night Gulch | The Mountaintops | Memory |
| Moongrave Basin | Reactor | |
| Observatory | Reactor | |
| Shipment Base | Reactor | |
| Hatchery | Reactor | |
| Hagios | Dune Base | Reactor |
| The Corrupted Zone | Reactor | |
| Fractured Monolith | Reactor | |
| Forward Base | Reactor | |
| Starfall Road | Reactor | |
| Fortress | The Aurora Forest | Reactor |
| Frozen Valley | Reactor | |
| Fallen Ark | Reactor | |
| Convertor Facility | Reactor | |
| Defense Line | Reactor |
Reward Target Farming
| Key | ||
|---|---|---|
| Character | Ammo | Skill |
 Fire |  General Rounds |  Tech |
 Chill |  Special Rounds |  Singular |
 Electric |  Impact Rounds |  Fusion |
 Toxic |  High-Power Rounds |  Dimension |
 Non-Attribute | - | - |
When you are out to do Battlefield Missions, you can get items with your desired specific compositions by checking the Difficulty Level Rewards on the World Map. Each week, there is a different item rotation for each location. Refer to the list above for this week's rotation!
Ultimate Amorphous Materials
On Infiltration Operation missions, you can now get Ultimate Amorphous Materials! These materials contain most of the better blueprints with high acquisition chances!
Amorphous Materials Guide
How to Change Difficulty
Select World Difficulty
| Key | Command |
|---|---|
 | Opens the Map |
To change to Hard Mode, first open up the World Map. After doing so, select the World Difficulty found on the bottom right of the World Map. From there, you can choose between the two difficulty options: Normal and Hard Mode!
Differences Between Normal and Hard Mode
Exclusive Rewards in Hard Mode
The main difference between Normal and Hard Mode is that Hard Mode has exclusive rewards for Void Intercept Battles and Infiltration Operations.
Completing these missions will reward you with some highly coveted Ultimate Amorphous Materials and Shape Stabilizers with better acquisition chances!
All Void Intercept Battle Bosses
Enemy Modifiers
In Hard Mode, the enemies you encounter in open areas will have additional modifiers that either strengthen or weaken them. For efficiency's sake, you are incentivized to build around these modifiers.
Infiltration Operation Reward Selection
In Infiltration Operation missions, you can change the reward pool before you start. This additional option allows you to have a better agency with the items you want to get!
Score System and Additional Options
Depending on your team's kill performance, you will have increased chances or downright guarantee a specific reward. Each reward pool will have different options where you can apply a debuff to your team or strengthen enemies.
The more you apply options, 10% will be added to the base 100% of the Kill Score. Optionally, you can choose to reroll the options by spending 1000 Gold!
The First Descendant Related Guides
All Tips and Tricks
| Starter Guides | |
|---|---|
| Best Starter Character | How to Increase Mastery Rank |
| How to Fast Travel | How to Add Friends |
| How to Set Up a Controller | How to Recover HP and MP |
| Is There Fall Damage? | How to Change Player Name |
| How to Climb High Places | Status and HUD Explained |
| How to Change Weapons | How to Destroy Void Fragments |
| Weapon Farming Guide | Recommended Caliber Uses |
| What is Frame Generation? | How to Equip or Unequip Reactors |
| Cause of Crashes and Possible Fixes | How to Increase DPS |
| How to Refill Ammo | How to Emote |
| What Does DBNO Mean? | How to Farm Gold |
| All Arche Echo Locations | Enemy Weakness Chart |
| How to Access Cash Shop | How Long to Beat |
| Combat Guide | - |
| Advanced Guides | |
| EXP Farming Guide: How to Level Up Fast | How to Increase Mastery Rank |
| List of All Trophies | Best Module Enhancements |
| How to Find Encrypted Vaults | Ultimate Descendants Explained |
| What is the Max Level? | What to Research at the Research Institute? |
| How to Increase Inventory Space | Hard Mode Guide |
| Weapon Proficiency Explained | Battle Pass Guide |
| How to Increase Module Capacity | How to Obtain Higher Rarity Weapons |
| How to Infiltrate Outposts | How to Reset Descendant Level |
| What is the Defense Cap? | Post-Game Guide |
| How to Add Elements | How to Upgrade Weapons |
| Advanced Tips and Tricks | How to Combine Modules |
