Welcome to the Piercing Light Weapon Build Guide, If you’re diving deep into The First Descendant, you’ve likely noticed that not all weapons are created equal. Some weapons require careful planning and theory crafting to maximize their potential. Today, we focus on one of the unique and versatile sniper rifles in the game—the Piercing Light. This sniper rifle isn’t your typical weapon; it comes with a set of features and stats that make it both challenging and rewarding to use effectively.
Understanding the Piercing Light
The Piercing Light sniper rifle stands out in The First Descendant for several reasons. When you first get your hands on it, you might think it operates similarly to other sniper rifles in the game, but that’s far from the truth. This weapon has a unique stat distribution that demands a different approach to optimization, especially when it comes to DPS (damage per second).
Core Stats Overview
Before diving into the best build, let’s look at the core stats that define the Piercing Light:
- Base Firearm Attack: 193,000 at level 100
- Crit Rate: 40%
- Crit Damage: 120%
- Weak Point Damage: 200%
At first glance, these stats may seem unbalanced, especially for a sniper rifle. Typically, you’d expect a sniper to have higher crit damage, but the Piercing Light deviates from this norm with its exceptionally high base firearm attack and weak point damage. These stats create a unique scenario where traditional sniper builds may not be as effective.
Unique Abilities and Passive Effects
The Piercing Light also comes equipped with some interesting abilities:
- Extra Penetration: This allows you to pierce through multiple enemies with a single shot, which is rare and can be highly effective in specific situations.
- Dispel Effect: This ability is particularly useful against bosses that have self-buffs. For instance, it excels in encounters with the Pyromaniac Executioner, where removing buffs can significantly reduce the difficulty of the fight.
- Conditional Passive: When you pierce two or more targets, all shots in that hit become guaranteed crits and gain a small amount of additional crit damage.
This combination of abilities makes the Piercing Light both powerful and tricky to use. The key to mastering this weapon lies in understanding when and how to leverage its unique strengths.
Optimal Piercing Light Weapon Build
Now that we have a solid understanding of the weapon’s stats and abilities, let’s delve into the best build for the Piercing Light. This build is designed to maximize your DPS while taking full advantage of the weapon’s unique features.
1. Focus on Descendant Role
The Descendant Role is a game-changer for the Piercing Light. Here’s why:
- Free Reload: When maxed out, the Descendant Role gives you a 100% chance to automatically refill your weapon to max rounds when you roll, with a 15-second cooldown. This effectively allows you to maintain a high rate of fire without the usual downtime caused by reloading.
- Increased Fire Rate: Because the Piercing Light already has such a high base damage, focusing on shooting more often rather than increasing the damage to each shot becomes more effective.
2. Strengthen First Shot
This module adds significant value, especially when paired with the Descendant Role. It provides a burst of damage on your first shot, which is perfect for quick, high-impact engagements.
3. Real Life Fighter
This is another essential module for the Piercing Light. It adds raw damage, further amplifying the weapon’s already high base firearm attack.
4. Weak Point Expansion
Given the Piercing Light’s 200% weak point damage, Weak Point Expansion is a must. It increases the size of weak points, making it easier to land those crucial shots.
5. Elemental Conductor
Elemental Conductor adds extra damage based on the elemental type of your weapon. This is particularly useful in situations where you’re facing enemies with specific elemental weaknesses.
Playing to the Piercing Light’s Strengths
To get the most out of the Piercing Light, you need to play to its strengths. Here are some tips to help you maximize your damage output:
- Aim for Weak Points: Given the weapon’s high weak point damage, always aim for the weak points on enemies. The Weak Point Expansion module makes this easier, but you’ll still need to practice your aim to consistently hit these spots.
- Use the Dispel Effect Wisely: The Piercing Light’s ability to remove buffs from enemies can be a game-changer in certain encounters. Save this for when you’re facing tough bosses or enemies with powerful self-buffs.
- Take Advantage of Penetration: When facing groups of enemies, line them up to maximize the Piercing Light’s penetration ability. This will allow you to hit multiple enemies with a single shot, all of which will be guaranteed crits if you pierce through two or more targets.
Alternative Build: Quick Swap Piercing Light
While the Descendant Role build is highly effective, there’s also a viable alternative— the Quick Swap build.
1. Module Setup
- Dopaminergic Sight
- Weak Point Expansion
- Strengthened First Shot
This setup allows you to maximize your damage in short bursts before swapping back to your main weapon. It’s particularly useful if you prefer a hit-and-run playstyle or if you find yourself in situations where you need to switch weapons frequently.
2. Why Quick Swap?
The Quick Swap build falls short in sustained damage compared to the Descendant Role build, but it excels in scenarios where you need to deal a significant amount of damage in a short period. This build is ideal for players who prioritize flexibility and adaptability in their gameplay.
The Future of the Piercing Light
Given the Piercing Light’s unique stat distribution and abilities, it’s possible that future balance changes could alter its place in the meta. However, as of now, it remains one of the most interesting and powerful sniper rifles in The First Descendant.
Conclusion
The Piercing Light is more than just a sniper rifle; it’s a weapon that challenges conventional gameplay and rewards those who take the time to master it. Whether you prefer the sustained damage to the Descendant Role build or the flexibility of the Quick Swap build, the Piercing Light offers a unique experience that sets it apart from other weapons in The First Descendant.
If you enjoyed this guide, don’t forget to leave a comment and share your thoughts. And for more guides and tips, be sure to check out our other articles on The First Descendant.
Final Thoughts
Mastering the Piercing Light takes time and practice, but the payoff is well worth the effort. As you experiment with different builds and strategies, you’ll discover just how versatile and powerful this weapon can be. So gear up, take aim, and let the Piercing Light guide you to victory in The First Descendant.
