AFK But Deadly: How to Maximize the King’s Guard Lance After the 1.2.23 Update
Welcome, Descendants. Today, we’re diving deep into one of the most underappreciated, yet surprisingly lethal, weapons in The First Descendant: the King’s Guard Lance. Once a fringe favorite, this beam rifle received a boost in Hotfix 1.2.23 that made it not just viable—but frighteningly efficient. When paired with the right Descendants like Blair, Hailey, and Valby, this beam weapon transforms from a gimmick into a silent, cold-blooded killer.
Whether you're pushing through Special Ops or roaming the void in Erosion Purge, the King’s Guard Lance offers something few weapons can: autonomous power with a semi-AFK playstyle. Let’s dissect its full potential, its quirks, and how to unlock devastating synergy across Descendants.
What Makes the King’s Guard Lance Stand Out in The First Descendant
In a game brimming with hard-hitting guns and flashy skills, why choose a beam rifle that plays by its own rules? The King’s Guard Lance isn’t your typical pew-pew weapon. It has an identity crisis in the best way—equal parts weapon and autonomous skill. Here’s why:
After the 1.2.23 Hotfix, the damage of the Guardian Lances was tweaked upward just enough to make them deadly. These autonomous lances act like summoned turrets, firing at your enemies while you reposition, cast skills, or simply watch your enemies freeze and shatter. It’s not about spraying bullets; it’s about strategy, timing, and overwhelming presence.
The magic lies in the weapon’s ability to deploy three Guardian Lances. Place them smartly, and they create a minefield of beam death. Their damage snapshot is based on your stats at the time of deployment, so proper timing during buff windows is absolutely crucial.
Mechanics of Guardian Lances: A Dance of Ice and Light
The Guardian Lances have a unique rhythm. When you fire the King’s Guard Lance, you place a stationary beam cannon that independently attacks enemies in its field of vision. These lances operate on a timer, vanishing after a set duration unless extended by interactions.
Lifetime and Behavior
Up to Three Active Lances: Deploying a fourth will automatically remove the oldest.
Damage Snapshot: All active buffs and damage stats are locked in at the moment of placement.
Targeting AI: While not perfect, they acquire targets quickly and can effectively suppress choke points.
Frostbite Debuff: They apply Chill Damage natively, eventually inflicting Frostbite—ideal for control builds.
Crucially, any buffs or procs you benefit from (like Critical Hit effects) are mirrored in the Lances. For example, using the Lethal Infection module? If a Lance scores a crit, it counts toward your stack. Same with Decimator stacks. It’s you, just ghosted into hardware.
Beam Rifle Scaling: Charge Tiers and Damage Curves
One misunderstood aspect of beam rifles is their charge scaling. The King’s Guard Lance in particular ramps up across three tiers:
Tier 1: 100% base damage
Tier 2: ~30% increase from base
Tier 3: ~80% increase
However, Chill Damage is static across all charge tiers. Even with Chill Enhancement, your elemental tick doesn’t scale beyond a flat value. That makes standard Elemental Enhancement a lower priority, though not entirely useless—especially if you’re running supporting Cores.
Limitations to Watch
Before diving into builds, let's clarify a few restrictions:
No Multi-Hit: Guardian Lances don’t benefit from Multi-Hit bonuses.
No Weakpoint Damage: Their beams rarely connect with weak points, making those stats redundant.
Reload Time and Magazine Size: Horrendously slow. It's not your main DPS weapon—it’s a support killer.
Static Deployment: Once placed, that’s it. The AI won’t follow you. Plan accordingly.
Despite these quirks, the Guardian Lances offer immense crowd control and pressure when paired with a capable damage-dealing Descendant.
Blair Beam Build: The Chillfire Powerhouse
Blair is an explosive caster who excels in wide-area control and sustained AoE damage. With his capacity to boost Critical Hit Rate and Skill Power, Blair naturally synergizes with the King’s Guard Lance.
Build Philosophy
Let the Lances apply Frostbite, then capitalize with Blair’s explosive skill rotations. Use his second skill to buff Critical Rate, creating windows where newly deployed Lances snapshot higher values.
Suggested Modules
Sweeping Squad: Great for ramping up lance damage after each kill.
Backdraft: For increased output during AoE engagements.
Brisk Walk: Mobility + synergy during non-combat phases.
Spray and Pray: If you want a free burst window after a crit lands.
Components & Arche Tuning
Use Acrobat or Polar Night Components to amplify crit stats.
In Arche Tree, prioritize:
Affinity Damage (if running Fire affinity)
Critical Hit Rate and Damage
Reduced MP cost to spam second skill
Place lances during his power windows for optimal damage. Blair’s kit allows a balance of pressure and pace, turning the battlefield into a freezer-bomb hybrid.
Hailey Chilltrap: Erosion Purge Control Queen
Hailey isn’t just fun to play—she’s surgical in her ability to manage zones and debuff enemies. The Lance makes her even more efficient in content like Void Erosion Purge.
Build Strategy
Use Guardian Lances to freeze enemies in place while you chain your Cryogenic Cluster Shots. Go for cooldown reduction over damage, and let frequency outdo raw power.
Key Modules
Cryogenic Cluster Shot: The bread and butter.
Cooldown Reduction Mods: Stack these to keep a near-infinite uptime.
Mobility Mods: Helps reposition to manage line of sight.
Arche & Core Planning
Focus on Movement Speed, Cooldown Reduction, and Frostbite Triggers.
Weapon Cores: Slot a Chill Core, one Fire Rate Core, and a Critical Damage Core.
Hailey’s rapid pace complements the stationary nature of the Lances, creating a slow death zone that punishes aggression and rewards spacing.
Valby: Crit Chaos and Control
Valby thrives in chaos, and what better tool than autonomous laser turrets causing Frostbite while she crits her way through mobs?
Strategy Breakdown
Valby’s modules increase Crit Rate, making it easier to optimize the Lances. She also adds a second layer of CC, controlling large engagements with little effort.
Build Highlights
Maximize Chill Damage & Crit Rate.
Modules that increase status effect trigger rates help freeze enemies more reliably.
Tuning Tips
Use Arche tuning to emphasize Skill Damage and Affinity Scaling.
Chill-enhanced Cores with Firearm Attack boost both her skills and the Lance passively.
Valby doesn’t just clear enemies—she stuns and isolates them, making her one of the most synergistic matches for the King’s Guard Lance.
Core and Module Optimization for the King’s Guard Lance
Best Weapon Cores
Chill Core: Essential for scaling native elemental damage
Fire Rate Core: Improves both main gun and Lances
Critical Hit Damage Core: Amplifies snapshot burst
Weapon Options
Flat Chill Damage: Must-have
Crit Rate/Crit Damage: Choose based on Descendant synergy
Firearm Attack: Great all-round stat
Legion-Specific Damage: For Special Ops, tailor to the active faction
A note on budget: You can dominate even with mid-tier rolls. The scaling is forgiving, but min-maxing will make this setup shine in higher-tier content.
Special Ops Synergy: Lance + Ajax
Ajax might seem out of place, but Special Ops missions turn him into a frontline distraction while Guardian Lances clean house.
With high mobility and survivability, Ajax can taunt enemies into line of sight of your lances. Use arche tuning for AoE and radius boosts, and let the lasers do the talking.
Closing Thoughts: Should You Use the King’s Guard Lance?
If you enjoy tactical play, autonomous damage, and watching enemies freeze mid-animation, this is your weapon. While it won’t be the centerpiece of every build, it excels as a companion weapon for Descendants who deal burst or DoT-based skill damage.
In its current state post-1.2.23, the King’s Guard Lance is no longer a quirky sidearm. It’s a legitimate threat—a silent sentinel with deadly potential.
Equip it. Place your Lances wisely. And watch as the battlefield turns to ice.
Good game. Good hunting.
FAQ: King’s Guard Lance Beam Rifle in The First Descendant
Q: Is the King’s Guard Lance viable after the 1.2.23 Hotfix?
A: Yes. The 1.2.23 Hotfix increased Guardian Lance damage, making it far more effective in Special Ops and Void Erosion Purge.
Q: How many Guardian Lances can I deploy at once?
A: You can have up to three active Guardian Lances. Placing a fourth will automatically remove the oldest one.
Q: Do Guardian Lances benefit from my character’s stats and buffs?
A: Yes. The damage snapshot taken at the time of placement includes your active buffs, Crit Rate, and Skill-enhancing modules.
Q: Do Multi-Hit and Weak Point bonuses apply to Guardian Lances?
A: No. Guardian Lances do not benefit from Multi-Hit or Weak Point Damage stats.
Q: Which Descendants work best with King’s Guard Lance?
A: Blair, Hailey, and Valby provide strong synergy due to their ability to boost Crit Rate, apply Frostbite, or control wide areas.
Q: Does Chill Damage scale with Beam Rifle charge levels?
A: No. Chill Damage remains static across all charge tiers, though the beam’s base damage increases significantly.
Q: What Cores and Modules should I focus on for this build?
A: Prioritize Chill Cores, Crit Damage, and Fire Rate. Use modules like Sweeping Squad, Backdraft, and Lethal Infection for optimal synergy.
Q: Is the King’s Guard Lance good for AFK-style or passive play?
A: Absolutely. Its autonomous nature allows it to kill while you reposition or use skills, making it ideal for semi-passive gameplay.
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