The First Descendant is all about efficient farming. Find a good way to get your hands on resources, and you will find success. Here’s how to find every Encrypted Vault in The First Descendant.
Table of Contents
- All Encrypted Vault Locations in The First Descendant
- Encrypted Vault locations in Sterile Lands
- Encrypted Vault locations in Vespers
- Encrypted Vault locations in Echo Swamp
- Encrypted Vault locations in Agna Desert
- Encrypted Vault locations in White-night Gulch
- Encrypted Vault locations in Hagios
- Encrypted Vault locations in Fortress
All Encrypted Vault Locations in The First Descendant
Encrypted Vaults in The First Descendant require Code Analyzers to open, so make sure you have farmed up a lot of them before you start searching for these things. Encrypted Vaults also spawn randomly. Below, you will find maps of known spawn locations that you can check.
Based on our testing, what seems to happen is that if one Vault is opened, it will despawn in that instance, and another random one will spawn in. If another player on the same map as you opens a Vault, it will despawn for you, but if you’re with them at the time, you can get the materials from it. This means that if you farm in groups, you can save a lot of grinding time as you can all share the wealth. This is also why you will sometimes find the blue holograms with no attached Vault, as the Vault has already been despawned.
Finally, it is a really good idea to run Enzo when you are farming these, as he can finish the required mini-game much easier, and he will also get additional resources from them. Also, keep in mind that there are no Vaults in Kingston and only a handful in the Sterile Lands.
Are Vaults Worth Farming
For First Descendant players looking to unlock other playable Descendants and the ultimate weapon collection without paying extra for them, vaults aren’t only worth farming but they’re essential in getting the components to unlock these characters and gear. Virtually every Descendant and major weapon in the game require four components to develop back at Albion, some which have a higher drop probably through decrypting vaults. With that in mind, here is where all the encrypted vaults are in The First Descendant, as of the game’s first season.
Encrypted Vault Locations in Sterile Lands
Classified Area
The northwestern region of the Sterile Lands, the Classified Area is a region full of bottomless canyons with moving platforms to help players traverse the map. The encrypted vaults in the area tend to be off the beaten track, usually in the rocky outcroppings surrounding the industrial facilities throughout the Classified Area. Keep an eye out and rely on your grappling line to reach these parts of the map.
Encrypted Vault Locations in Vespers
Timberfall
One of the largest concentrations of encrypted vaults within a single region, Timberfall has six different spawn points, mostly towards the bottom of the map. The vaults on the far western side of the map require a little more scrutiny to locate, tucked away from the main quests in the region. The vaults in the center of the map are displayed a bit more prominently, sometimes spawning at the top of metal platforms.
Moonlight Lake
Initially, there was only one encrypted vault in the entire Moonlight Lake region of Vespers, located towards the bottom of the map. As the game continued to roll out, The First Descendant added another vault right next to the east bank of the region’s main lake and another smack dab in the center of the map. The new vaults are featured on the above map in a different color than the usual vault markers.
Loot Supply Depot
The Lost Supply Depot region of Vespers initially only had two encrypted vaults, one towards the top of the map and the other in the large outcropping from the west towards the bottom. This has since increased to more vaults, with two more by western outcropping towards the center of the map and one of the far southeastern side of the region. The newer vaults are featured in the above map in a different color.
The Ruins
Like Timberfall, The Ruins has a large concentration of encrypted vault spawn points throughout the region, with several new ones added since launch. There are four vaults strewn across the upper portion of the map while an additional five are in the southern outcropping. These vaults are often located either within alcoves of the ruins or at the top of stony plateaus that can be reached relatively easily through use of the grappling line.
The Lumberyard
The Lumberyard is one of the few regions within Vespers that hasn’t seen a noticeable increase in encrypted vaults since The First Descendant has progressed into its first season. There are five vaults throughout the Lumberyard, three in upper right outcropping, one in the center where the center and right outcropping break off, and one in the far southern edge of the map.
Encrypted Vault Locations in Echo Swamp
Misty Woods
The first major area of Echo Swamp, the Misty Woods region only currently has two encrypted vaults so far. Both vaults are located on the western end of the map and are actually within sight of one another. One vault is located on a ridge overlooking the swampy landscape, with the other nestled next to it under the shade of a tree rooted in the water.
Abandoned Zone
There are four encrypted vaults in the Abandoned Zone, with three of them in the large circular area at the eastern side of the map. Two of the vaults in this part of the map are in the subterranean tunnels around the central structure while the third is on the structure itself. The final vault in this region is on a metal walkway near the void fragment mission marker in the western part of the map.
Muskeg Swamp
There are three vaults in the Muskeg Swamp region of Echo Swamp, with two by the Tree of Truth on the eastern end of the map. These two vaults, in particular, are separated, with one on the north side of the tree and the other on the south side in the network of tunnels by the tree. The third vault in this region is on the western side of the map, on the banks of the large lake.
Derelict Covert
There are three encrypted vaults in the Derelict Covert, all strewn quite far from each other in this particular region. One vault is on the raised wooden walkways above the swamp towards the upper center of the map while another is in a cave towards the lower center of the map. The other vault is in the chapel at the far eastern side of the map.
Encrypted Vault Locations in Agna Desert
Vermillion Waste
Agna Desert is the fourth hub in the game and, as the name suggests, is an orange-hued sandy landscape in the basin of a mountain range. The Vermillion Waste has four encrypted vaults, with two smack dab in the center of the region, visible from the rolling hills. The other two are on the skirts of the map in the mountains, with one on the southeastern side and the other in a cave on the southwestern side.
The Remnant
The largest concentration of encrypted vaults in Agna Desert is in a region known as The Remnant, itself a sort of Wild West ghost town where several gunfights in the main story unfold. Three of the vaults are in bombed out buildings in the southwestern side of the map while the fourth is in a building towards the center of the map. The fifth vault is tucked away from the other side of a cave on the northeastern side of the map.
The Storage
The Storage is a region built around a large drilling station at the center of the map, with the region featuring two encrypted vaults. With the drilling station having four spokes from the diagonal points coming from its center, there is one vault by the northwestern end of one of these spokes. The other vault is beyond the southeastern spoke, in an alcove towards the border of the map in this direction.
The Mining Site
The Mining Site also only has two encrypted vaults, one on the northern bend of the map on a ridge overlooking the rest of the region. The other vault is towards the southern end of the region, by the orange surveillance tower at the foot of a metal ramp, out in the open, but easy to miss if you’re not looking for it.
Miragestone
Miragestone is the final region in Agna Desert, with a plateau giving way to a bunch of cube-shaped platforms suspended in midair. There are three encrypted vaults in Miragestone, with two on the ridge overlooking the platforms, one higher up and one on an outcropping substantially lower down. The third vault is on the big platform where the last story mission in Agna Desert ends, concealed inside of the rocky structure.
Encrypted Vault Locations in White-Night Gulch
Moongrave Basin
White-Night Gulch is a hub marked with verdant mountain ridges and plunging canyons, while boasting a significant difficult jump compared to prior regions. The Moongrave Basin region has four encrypted vaults, with two on the eastern side of the map near the waterfall, with one in a cave by the waterfall itself. Of the other two vaults, one is in a cave on the far western side of the map while the other out in the open on the region’s twisting path through the mountains.
Observatory
The Observatory region is full of porcelain structures and platforms where a number of fierce battles against the Vulgus take place. There are two encrypted vaults in this region, one towards the north in a massive cave, while the other is located on the southeastern end of the map by the region’s void fusion reactor.
Shipment Base
There are a staggering seven encrypted vault spawn points throughout the Shipment Base region, with the first due right after exiting the region’s main outpost. The next two are on the north bank of the map, one near the center of the map and the other by the tactical transporter. The final four vaults in the region are on the southern bank of the map, with two towards the center and two on the western end.
Hatchery
The Hatchery is the subterranean region where Descendants mount a daring raid on Vulgus operations, with the region containing eight encrypted vaults. These vaults are often tucked against the shadowy walls of caves easy to miss for those breezing through the area. The latter five vaults are in the hatchery itself, usually off to the side in alcoves and small platforms that players should keep an eye out for.
The Mountaintops
There are seven encrypted vaults in The Mountaintops region, two in the southeastern most outcropping and two in the outcropping on the map just to the northwest. There are two vaults by the stone arches in the center of this map. The last vault is at the mouth of a cave towards the center of the map, due west from the region’s main outpost.
Encrypted Vault Locations in Hagios
Starfall Road
In a nice change of pace, there are only three encrypted vault locations in Starfall Road, though they are each quite far from one another. The first is just northeast of the starting outpost, towards the edge of a plateau. The second vault is approximately in the center of the map, on a rectangular stone structure, while the last is towards the northernmost portion of the map, on a larger stone structure.
Forward Base
There are five encrypted vault locations around Forward Base, all within the main southwestern portion of the map. The first vault due east of the starting outpost, in the backroom of the industrial building. The remaining four vault locations are in the various buildings along the northwest side of the map, usually just tucked away to the side.
Dune Base
There are currently six encrypted vault locations around Dune Base, with three along the far right side of the map, two towards the southwest at the bottom of the region, and one just to the left of the Vulgus outpost. For the most part, as denoted on the map, the vaults are around rock formations, waiting out in the open. For the two northernmost vaults in Dune Base, the far west one is in an underground tunnel while the far north one is in a small cave.
Fractured Monolith
There are six encrypted vault locations in the Fractured Monolith, with the region marked with an enormous gulf towards its western side. The first vault is just due east of the starting outpost, positioned just around the corner, while another in a cave near the middle of the map. The remaining four vault locations are strewn across the northeastern portion of the map, in caves along the region’s border.
The Corrupted Zone
The Corrupted Zone is the region to the northwest of Hagios and filled with abandoned, decrepit buildings. There are five encrypted vault locations in all throughout the region, mostly in these ruined buildings, with the sole exception being a vault at the southern end of the region near the Vulgus outpost. The remaining four vaults are towards the central part of the map, with the northernmost vault located deep within a basement.
Encrypted Vault Locations in Fortress
The final region in the base game, Fortress is a snowy landscape in the mountains full of some of the most formidable enemies in the entire game. The encrypted vaults here tend to be on the outskirts of the map, usually nestled on the edge of mountains or, in the case of the vault on the top right, inside the massive refinery. When accessing these vaults, make sure the coast is clear, with no patrolling enemies to interrupt you.
UPDATE: This article was updated on 3/25/25 by Sam Stone to include more information about the vaults in First Descendant.
Published: Mar 3, 2025 6:11 PM UTC