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Excava weapon in The First Descendant
Screenshot by Dot Esports

Best EXCAVA build in The First Descendant

Can it compete with the Thunder Cage?

EXCAVA is one of the more underwhelming battle pass weapons in The First Descendant. However, with the introduction of the weapons cores and several new Modules, this weapon has more potential than ever before.

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EXCAVA comes with a Unique Ability called Voltage Accel Energy Grenade Launcher. Hitting an enemy grants Voltage Charge, and at the maximum of 24 stacks, you get an Energy Grenade. Energy Grenades grant a stacking Firearm Critical Hit Rate (up to three stacks), and if you shoot while ADS, you can fire the grenades at the enemy, reducing their Electric Resistance.

The Unique Ability makes the weapon confusing to build, so here’s the best EXCAVA build in The First Descendant.

Best Modules for EXCAVA in The First Descendant

Excava Module loadout in The First Descendant
Back to the basics. Screenshot by Dot Esports

Despite the Energy Grenade granting bonus Firearm Critical Hit Rate, it’s not worth building into crit damage unless you’re playing a Descendant who further increases Firearm Critical Hit Rate, like Hailey or Valby.

Instead, prioritize Firearm ATK and Electric ATK because Energy Grenades scale with Firearm Damage and reduce Electric Resistance. New Modules, like Charge Amplification, can also further increase Firearm ATK at the cost of Firearm Critical Hit Damage.

Here are the recommended Modules for EXCAVA:

ModuleEffect
Action and ReactionIncreases Firearm ATK
Rifling ReinforcementIncreases Firearm ATK
Charge AmplificationIncreases Firearm ATK but reduces Firearm Critical Hit Damage
Electric EnhancementIncreases Electric ATK based on Firearm ATK
Electric PriorityIncreases Electric ATK but reduces Reload Speed Modifier
Expand Weapon ChargeIncreases Rounds per Magazine
Weapon TuningIncreases Rounds per Magazine and Firearm ATK
Fire Rate UPIncreases Fire Rate
Firing FiestaAfter reloading, rounds are not consumed for three seconds
Weak Point SightIncreases Weak Point Damage

Most of the Modules focus on increasing Firearm ATK and Electric ATK. You also need Modules to increase the mag size. The base mag has 36 rounds, requiring you to land 66 percent of your shots to get the Energy Grenade. Firing Fiesta is another great Module to help you get Energy Grenades without reloading and risking losing your stacks.

While EXCAVA doesn’t have a great Weak Point Damage multiplier, it’s worth using Weak Point Sight to spread out your damage and take advantage of those occasional weak point hits.

Best stats for EXCAVA in The First Descendant

A promising start. Screenshot by Dot Esports

Stats on EXCAVA follow the same logic. Since you don’t need Firearm Critical Hit, aim to get as much raw DPS as possible through Firearm ATK, Electric ATK, Rounds per Magazine, and Hip Fire Accuracy.

Here are the recommended stats for EXCAVA:

  • Firearm ATK
  • Electric ATK
  • Rounds per Magazine
  • Hip Fire Accuracy
  • Weak Point Damage

As always, Bonus Firearm ATK (vs. Colossus) is useful if you want to make Excava your go-to weapon for Void Intercept Battles.

Best EXCAVA Cores in The First Descendant

EXCAVA weapon core menu in The First Descendant
There are three slots to increase the base damage. Screenshot by Dot Esports

Weapon Cores, introduced in Season Two, Episode Two, can further enhance your firearms with additional stats. These are similar to regular weapon stats but have more options and range from level one to level 10.

Grinding for Core Binders to use this feature can be tedious, but when you decide to commit to EXCAVA, here are the cores you can look to add:

  • Free Augmentation: Firearm ATK / Electric ATK
  • Free Augmentation: Firearm ATK / Electric ATK
  • Attribute Augmentation: Electric ATK
  • Tactical Augmentation: Rounds per Magazine
  • Tactical Augmentation: Reload Time Modifier


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Author
Image of Edward Strazd
Edward Strazd
Freelance News and SEO Writer for Dot Esports, covering everything from live service games like Destiny 2 and Fortnite to new releases. Writing about games since 2021. When he's not writing, he's probably grinding for loot in Destiny 2.