Hailey’s Cold Heart Build: From Sniper to Close-Combat Monster in TFD

The Cold Heart Transcendent module just transformed Hailey from a long-range sniper into an aggressive close-combat destroyer capable of dealing 50 million damage per hit to bosses. This game-changing build removes movement penalties, converts all abilities to Chill Singular, and turns Storm Snare into a boss-melting monster. Here’s your complete guide to dominating The First Descendant with the ultimate Hailey Cold Heart setup.

Cold Heart Build Overview

What Makes Cold Heart Revolutionary

Cold Heart completely redefines Hailey’s gameplay. The Transcendent module removes the crippling movement penalty from Cold Fury (third ability) and instead grants 5% movement speed per stack—turning Hailey into a speedy assassin rather than a stationary sniper.

The module replaces Zenith sniper functionality with Arctic Domain, an AoE freezing burst dealing massive damage and inflicting Frostbite. Your passive shifts from weak point damage to Skill Critical Hit Rate and Damage, perfectly complementing the close-combat aggressive style.

Essential Module Setup

Core Modules (Priority Order)

• Cold Heart (Transcendent) – Game-changing transformation
• Focus on Singular – Maximizes Chill Singular damage
• Focus on Chill – Amplifies cold damage output
• Skill Concentration – Boosts skill power
• Skill Insights – Increases skill effectiveness
• MP Conversion – Sustains ability spam
• Front Lines – Close-combat survivability

Utility & Flexibility

• Mid-Air Maneuvering – Enhanced mobility
• Emergency Measures – Defensive backup
• Nimble Fingers – Faster cooldowns
• Increased HP – Survivability buffer
• Dangerous Ambush – Flex slot (replace with quality Ancestor module)
• Power Beyond – Trigger module synergy

Optimal Reactor & External Components

Reactor Choice: Frozen Singularity This reactor perfectly matches Cold Heart’s Chill Singular transformation. Priority sub-stats include Critical Damage as essential, plus either Chill Skill Power or Skill Cooldown depending on your Ancestor module stats.

External Component Options

• 4-Set Slayer: Grants 26% Skill Power for maximum damage
• 2-Set Hunter + Ascending Armory: Provides 4% Skill Cooldown and 6.5% Skill Cost Reduction for ability spam

Choose based on whether you prioritize raw damage or ability frequency.

Arche Tuning Configuration

Your Arche Tuning board should enable Ultra Cryogenic Rounds spam while using Arctic Domain every five seconds. Focus pathing toward Enhanced Skill Cooldown (mandatory for build functionality) and Enhanced Skill Power (optional but recommended).

The crucial Mutant Cell is Arche Concentration, which grants up to three stacks of Skill Critical Damage when debuffing enemies. Each stack increases crit damage by 12.5%, totaling 37.5% bonus damage—absolutely devastating when combined with your kit.

Combat Rotation & Strategy

Opening Sequence Start every mission by activating Cold Fury immediately. Build to 16 stacks for maximum movement speed, Critical Hit Rate, and Damage. Once fully stacked, you’re operating at peak efficiency.

Mob Clearing Spam your first ability on regular enemies. The high damage plus slow debuff makes them vulnerable, allowing effortless crowd control while repositioning.

Elite & Boss Combat Apply Ultra Cryogenic Rounds debuff first, then unleash Arctic Domain for concentrated burst damage and freezing. For boss nuking, Storm Snare now deals double damage following The First Descendant’s Patch 1.3.9. Testing confirms 50 million damage hits on Level 260 elites—enough to one-shot hard-mode Void bosses.

Ancestor Module Priorities

If you obtain a Hailey Ancestor module, replace Dangerous Ambush when you roll these stats:

• Critical Damage (highest priority)
• Chill Skill Power (essential damage scaling)
• Skill Cooldown or Cost Reduction (ability spam enabler)

Important: Readjustment costs increase with each change, so carefully evaluate before swapping low-tier stats for gold-tier upgrades. Sometimes a good low-tier stat beats a mediocre gold-tier.

Why This Build Dominates

The transformation from sniper to close-combat unit makes Hailey incredibly versatile for The First Descendant’s endgame content. Movement speed bonuses eliminate her traditional vulnerability, while the damage output lets you handle any content confidently.

The Storm Snare buff combined with this optimized setup creates genuinely broken damage numbers. Fifty million per hit isn’t theoretical—it’s consistently achievable with proper execution.

Frequently Asked Questions