You've finally unlocked her. After grinding those Hard Mode Invasions until your eyes bled, you finally have the icy sniper herself. But then you take her into a Void Intercept, pop your fourth ability, and the damage numbers... well, they aren't exactly the millions you saw on YouTube. It's frustrating. Honestly, it's enough to make you want to go back to Bunny and just run in circles.
The thing about a hailey build first descendant players often miss is that she isn't just a "plug and play" character. She’s a math problem disguised as a tactical sniper. If you don't get the interaction between her Cold Fury stacks and your weapon's base stats right, you're basically leaving 60% of your damage on the table.
The Cold Fury Secret: Why Skill Insight is a Trap
Most players see "Skill Critical Hit Rate" and immediately slap on Skill Insight. Stop. Just don't.
Because of how Hailey's third skill, Cold Fury, works, she gains a massive amount of base critical hit rate. When you're at 16 stacks, you're already hitting the crit cap on most builds. Adding Skill Insight is like pouring a cup of water into the ocean—it's redundant. You're wasting a module slot that could be used for Skill Concentration or Front Lines to actually make those crits hurt.
You want to focus on Critical Hit Damage and Weak Point Damage. That's the secret sauce.
👉 See also: Why 3d mahjong online free is actually harder than the classic version
The Best "Stat Stick" for Zenith
Your 4th skill, Zenith, is unique. It doesn't just use its own stats; it cannibalizes your currently held weapon. This is why everyone tells you to use Piercing Light or Afterglow Sword.
- Piercing Light: Best for raw, one-shot potential. It has the highest base attack for the skill to scale off.
- Afterglow Sword: Better if you struggle with consistent weak point hits, as it’s a bit more forgiving with its crit-on-hit passive.
- Silly Weeper: A weirdly viable "budget" alternative if you're using the Payout module to cheese extra shots out of your Zenith magazine.
Crafting the Perfect Hailey Build First Descendant
If you want to delete Gluttony or the newer Season 3 bosses, you need a specific setup. We're moving away from the old "all-in" sniper builds and looking at something more balanced for the 2026 meta.
The Boss Killer Setup
Forget defense for a second. If the boss is dead in 10 seconds, you don't need 50,000 DEF. You need Emergency Measures and Front Lines. These are your bread and butter. Combine them with Chill Specialist—not the blue one, the purple one (Glacial Syncytium) if you need that extra bit of crit resistance.
Actually, let's talk about Supercooled Kuiper Rounds. This Transcendent module is polarizing. It nerfs your raw Firearm ATK but sky-rockets your Weak Point damage. If you can aim, it’s the best module in the game. If you’re playing on a controller and struggle with shaky hands? Stick to the standard Cold Heart or even Cryogenic Cluster Shot for mobbing.
✨ Don't miss: Venom in Spider-Man 2: Why This Version of the Symbiote Actually Works
Mobbing is Actually Possible Now
For a long time, Hailey was "the bossing girl." You brought her to Colossus fights, and that was it. But with the Cold Heart rework, she’s actually a decent room clearer.
Basically, you keep your 3rd skill active for the movement speed buff (yes, it does that now if built right) and spam your 1st and 2nd skills. You’ll want Nimble Fingers and MP Collector. Without MP Collector, you’ll be out of juice in thirty seconds, standing there like a statue while the Vulgus swarm you.
The Gear Most People Ignore
Your Reactor and External Components are half the build. Period.
For your Reactor, you absolutely need a Frozen Singularity (Chill/Singular) with a Piercing Light or Afterglow Sword mounting. If you’re using a General Rounds weapon for some reason, you’re killing your damage. Look for sub-stats like Skill Critical Hit Damage and Damage to Colossus.
🔗 Read more: The Borderlands 4 Vex Build That Actually Works Without All the Grind
External Component Sets:
- Slayer Set: Still the king for skill damage. The 4-piece set bonus is a massive damage multiplier, though it makes your skills cost more MP.
- Polar Night: The "comfy" choice. Better MP management and slightly more survivability. Great for the newer, longer dungeons where you can't just one-shot everything.
Actionable Next Steps for Your Build
Don't try to max out every module at once. It's a waste of Gold and Kuiper.
First, get your Increased HP and Emergency Measures to max rank. Survivability first, then the big yellow numbers. Next, focus on your weapon's Magazine Size rolls. Getting an 8th shot in your Zenith magazine via the Expand Weapon Charge module is a bigger DPS increase than almost any other single upgrade.
Go to the Laboratory. Turn on the "Invincible" setting for the AI. Practice your rotation: Activate 3, wait for stacks, hit 1 to debuff, then pop 4 and aim for the head. If you aren't seeing those numbers climb with every shot, check your weapon's Weak Point sub-stat. That's usually the culprit.
Once you've got the rhythm down, start farming for the Marksman’s Resolution Ancestor module. It's a rare drop, but the Skill Critical Hit Damage boost it provides is the final piece of the puzzle for a truly optimized setup.