Developer Nexon has released the first post-launch update for The First Descendant, bringing some much-needed improvements to the game following its rough launch.
Hotfix 1.0.1, now available for PC, PlayStation and Xbox, improves performance specifically on the PlayStation 5 (the PS5 version has significant framerate issues), brings gameplay improvements and various bug fixes, and fixes the volume of the logo sound when the game starts .
In play, knockback and knockdown recovery times have been 1.5x faster, and the maximum use of the Eterllick shield skill per phase has been reduced from two to one. However, the heavily criticized monetization of First Descendant, which some call “microtransaction hell”, remains unchanged.
Nexon’s free-to-play co-op focused looter shooter, a cross between the likes of Warframe and Destiny, launched on June 30 and has seen a huge number of players on Steam (Sony and Microsoft do not disclose player numbers on PlayStation and Xbox). On the Valve platform, The First Descendant has seen 239,513 peak concurrent players so far, enough to place the game in the top five games on Steam. Check out IGN The first offspring is being checked to find out what we think of the game so far.
However, the launch has endured significant issues, including the aforementioned framerate issues and crash issues, with plenty of players still waiting for promised rewards including Twitch drops. Nexon apologized several times and gave out compensation in the form of in-game resources and items, but that didn’t stop the complaints. Nexon even had to ask the players stop buying the same item multiple times through Steam or the PlayStation or Xbox stores because players weren’t getting what they paid for.
Full First Descendant 1.0.1 Hotfix Notes:
Platform and System
- Fixed an issue where the logo sound volume was too loud when starting the game.
- The server and client have been stabilized.
- (PS5) Removed unintended factors that reduced performance.
- (PS5, XSX) Fixed issue where FSR Upscale was not working.
Content improvements
- Knockback and knockdown recovery times have been increased by 1.5x.
- Eterllick shield skill max per phase reduced from 2 times to 1 time.
Error correction
(1) UI/UX
- Fixed an issue where the back button did not work after closing the capacity overflow popup in the module enhancement UI.
(2) Descendant
- (XB1) Fixed an issue where other players’ heads would sometimes not appear in skins.
(3) Module
- Fixed an issue where the ‘Skill Power Modifier’ number was not applied correctly after level 5 upgrade of the ‘Deadly Infection’ module.
- Fixed an issue where the ultimate module drop animation was used when a normal “High-Power Rounds Capacity Increase” module was fired.
(4) Fields
- Fixed an issue where object destruction animations were not showing in the Strategic Base.
- Fixed an issue where the name and description of the NPC Dominique in the Hagios area were displayed incorrectly.
(5) Equipment
- Fixed an issue where the “Restored Relic” ultimate weapon’s steering wheel did not apply the “Ancient Fire” status effect.
- Fixed the tooltip error for the Fire Skill Power effect of 2 sets of external components ‘Active Volcano’.
- Fixed the weak point damage tooltip error for the 4 sets of ‘Frozen Heart’ external component effect.
Wesley is the UK news editor for IGN. Find him on Twitter at @wyp100. Wesley can be contacted at wesley_yinpoole@ign.com or confidentially at wyp100@proton.me.