Key Takeaways
- The First Descendant team addresses player complaints by reworking underwhelming characters.
- Reworks emphasize gameplay improvements over numerical changes, starting in Week 7.
- The team admits difficulty in balancing adjustments and plans to collect data for future updates.
The First Descendant development team is in its Hail Mary era.
After a stunning start, peaking with almost 265,000 players, a series of community complaints and frustrations have seen the game drop to an average peak of less than 10,000 players in the last 30 days.
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The First Descendent Devs Promise To Update “Experience Efficiency” For More Varied Descendant Use
A recent interview has shed light on the game’s future plans.
In its first move designed to bring players back, Nexon confirmed it would be adding the heavily requested ‘jiggle physics’ to the game. This came shortly after it removed fabric from an outfit to show more bum. The team also hinted it would be developing a photo mode for its free-to-play title.
Now, in a move with fewer sexual undertones, the team confirmed it plans to rework five of the game’s most underwhelming or broken characters.
Viessa, Sharen, Valby, Luna, And Jayber All Getting The First Descendant Reworks
Speaking in a four-hour Season 2 preview, which Reddit user NekoPrima broke down, The First Descendant team admitted it needed to make some sweeping balance changes, including major reworks for Viessa, Sharen, Valby, Luna, and Jayber.
These reworks will have an “Emphasis on gameplay improvements over pure numerical changes,” and will be released starting in Week 7 of season 2, with Valby, Jayber and Luna receiving them around this time.
According to NekoPrima, the team also confirmed that “Balance updates will be released more frequently, but they require careful consideration, making the process time-intensive.”
Balance updates will be released more frequently, but they require careful consideration, making the process time-intensive.
It comes as no major surprise that these five characters are being singled out for reworks. Upon release, Luna, who uses a completely unique rhythm-based mechanic, was called “garbage,” and the other characters were similarly slated.
The team conceded that it’s “very difficult to find the perfect solution/balance adjustments” and it plans to “collect important data for other characters and to adjust them too in the future”. Given they were surprised at how badly the game was reviewed when it was first released, it was only a matter of time before they committed to a major overhaul.
The First Descendant is a next-generation third-person co-op action RPG looter shooter featuring high-quality graphics created in Unreal Engine 5.
Players become a Descendant whose mission is to combat alien invaders – The Vulgus who crossed dimensions over 100 years ago and brought with them the devastating Colossi and destruction – for the survival of humanity and to protect Albion and the continent of Ingris. Players will encounter spectacular stories of forces fighting over the Iron Heart as they grow stronger through various missions and raids.
Encounter features that make The First Descendant’s gameplay unique: a variety of characters with unique concepts and combat styles, massive boss battles with up to four player co-op, free movement and coordinated action with grappling hooks, a variety of weapons and compelling customization options.