Summary
- The First Descendant received a new update to fix players being kicked out of the main hub, Albion.
- The game, known for its many microtransactions, has seen a decline in popularity due to complaints of it being derivative and overly monetized.
- Despite player count drops, ongoing updates enhance the game for its committed fanbase, with improvements like weapon balance and enemy spawn adjustments.
The First Descendant is getting a fresh April update to address an annoying bug that has been plaguing players. The free-to-play looter-shooter launched last year to mixed, but mostly positive reviews, with much of the criticism leveled at the game's microtransactions, which many players deemed excessive and even predatory. The First Descendant represents the first triple-A release from Korean publisher Nexon and regularly receives updates and patches, with the latest one set to resolve a frustrating issue that has been disrupting gameplay.
Upon its initial release, The First Descendant saw impressive player numbers, surpassing 10 million in its first seven days. However, following this massively successful launch, multiple grievances quickly arose, including claims from many fans that the game was merely derivative of other hit titles like Destiny 2 and Warframe. Additionally, the sheer number of monetization practices hurt the game's popularity, resulting in a significant drop in its player count. Despite the title’s popularity waning over time, Nexon continues to work on improving the game, with the latest update being the most recent effort.
The First Descendant Ending Support for Some Platforms Soon
Within a year of its launch, The First Descendant announces it is set to pull the plug on certain ports of the looter shooter game.
Hotfix 1.2.13b for The First Descendant is now live, with the update appearing as version 1.062 on current-gen consoles. The hotfix is designed to address an intermittent issue where players entering Albion would sometimes be sent back to the title screen for no reason. The patch was deployed across all platforms, including Steam, Xbox Series X/S, Xbox One, PS4, and PS5, and required no maintenance downtime.
In the game, Albion serves as the main hub city and central narrative anchor for its sci-fi-heavy setting. It’s a safe zone that facilitates progression and is packed with plenty of important features, including gear upgrades, resource management, Descendant research, and more. Frequently visiting and exploring Albion is crucial in The First Descendant, especially since it’s the location where players unlock new missions.
The First Descendant features a solid roster of missions that drive the story forward and reward players with loads of valuable resources and gear. But being kicked out of Albion makes getting access to these missions a challenge and at times impossible, so for many, the latest hotfix will be welcome news.
The game has already received its fair share of updates and hotfixes this year. In February, The First Descendant got a helpful update that addressed weapon balance and made significant adjustments to enemy spawns and difficulty levels in the Void Erosion Purge endgame content. The latest update is set to bring further improvements to the game's reduced but dedicated fanbase.
The First Descendant Update 1.2.13b/1.062 Patch Notes
- Fixed an intermittent issue where entering Albion would sometimes cause the game to return to the title screen.
-
OpenCritic Reviews
- Top Critic Avg: 56 /100 Critics Rec: 26%
- Released
- July 2, 2024
- ESRB
- Mature 17+ // Violence, Blood, Suggestive Themes, Strong Language
- Developer(s)
- Nexon Games
- Publisher(s)
- Nexon
- Engine
- Unreal Engine 5
- Multiplayer
- Online Multiplayer
WHERE TO PLAY
- Genre(s)
- Action RPG, Third-Person Shooter
