The First Descendant Season 2 will introduce two new characters to the free Steam looter shooter, as developer Nexon gives us a comprehensive look at what’s to come when it begins on Thursday December 5. Producer Beom-jun Lee and director Minseok Joo sit down for a deep dive into the second season, and among the highlights are the pair of additional Descendants, new Void-themed endgame content, more story and an Ultimate form for Sharen, and an adorable dog companion that helps you stay on top of your loot drops.
While the two new Descendants, Keelan and Ines Raya, along with Ultimate Sharen, will certainly bring a new dynamic to the free Steam game, it’s German Shepherd companion Fellow that is likely to get the most attention. This very good boy will now accompany you through your adventures in The First Descendant, and he’s actually capable of helping you farm faster by grabbing items for you and automatically dismantling those that don’t meet your requirements. He’ll also have a range of alternative looks and outfits, and the team promises interactions such as petting, handshakes, and high-fives.
The first of the two new descendants, Keelan Ayodele is a fresh face who is part of the HOUND specialist search unit that is venturing into the Void. His abilities include a piercing dash skill, Onslaught, that can be used either on the ground or in the air. It also applies his Acidic Decay debuff, which causes his other skills to deal more damage as he stacks up the toxin. With no MP restrictions on his skills, he’ll be a valuable asset in dungeons.
Ines Raya is our other newcomer, another member of the HOUND squad, and she makes use of electric abilities in battle. Ines is featured in the Season 2 story, but she won’t arrive with the start of the season, and instead lands in week seven of the update. As such, we don’t get a lot more than a brief teaser for now, but keep her in mind for the future.
Part of the narrative we’ll be getting in Season 2 is centered on stealth specialist Sharen, and as such we’re getting her in a new Ultimate form much as we saw for Freyna in Season 1. She’ll have access to two new modules – Area Suppression amplifies her area-of-effect abilities, allowing Sharen to throw out a circle of damaging swords around her, while Ambush enables her to build more into her sneaking skills with the ability to re-hide each time you successfully kill an enemy from stealth.
Season 2 will also see us face off against Vulgus Legion boss Dread Armor, a giant warrior that switches between fighting with a handgun and shield, a split double-shield melee form, and dual-wielding pistols. We’ll get to explore the new dungeon, Void Vessel, where Ancestors have become stranded and the paths through the map shift and change with every attempt.
Scout drones patrol the halls, and must be evaded or quickly disabled, or you’ll find yourself against a far more numerous enemy force. The Void Vessel mission becomes available from Mastery Rank 8 regardless of how far you’ve progressed through the main story of The First Descendant, and it’s where you’ll discover both Keenan and Fellow.
The Void Abyss Intercept Battle will see you entered into a showdown against several Colossus mutations with enhanced abilities and the power to regenerate destroyed parts. Rather than demanding complex teamplay, this encounter is focused on putting your builds to the test – you’ll be able to switch between loadouts for each boss, and must ensure your defensive and offensive capabilities are suitable to bring each of them down.
New Hard Special Operations will introduce more high-level monsters and adjusted layouts to provide a greater challenge that’s “on another level from the previous Special Operations.” The final endgame element of Season 2 is called Void Erosion Control, and Nexon says it requires a well-geared, co-ordinated party of four players with “perfect teamwork” to overcome the 30 stages it lays before you. Manage to do so, however, and you’ll get materials to further customize your weapons through a new system called Weapon Core Unleash.
Also joining in Season 2 are new Ultimate weapons. There’s a beam rifle called Voltia, which implements Bunny’s chaining lightning discharge and is the only weapon capable of damaging anti-void shields, which normally require the use of skills to deal with. Hammer and Anvil, meanwhile, is a potent shotgun that’s excellent for up-close encounters where you need to quickly move and hipfire in its wide-spread ‘hammer’ mode, but also allows you to aim down sight and enter ‘anvil’ mode, where you fire explosive, long-range single shots.
Additionally, Ultimate weapons will no longer suffer penalties until they’re upgraded, making them more accessible to use as soon as you get them. That’s a welcome benefit, and it’s just the start of the new features coming in The First Descendant Season 2 to help you farm the gear you want – you can also look forward to the Focus Strategy system and the High-Shape Stabilizer.
Focus Strategy is a way of mitigating drop rates by guaranteeing specific targeted drops when you have completed a given mission enough times. This essentially acts as a pity check to ensure that if you’re particularly unlucky, you’ll still get the items you’re after without struggling for too long. The High-Shape Stabilizer, meanwhile, allows you to swap the drop chances of items when opening Amorphous Materials, making it much more likely you’ll get your hands on the rarer outcomes.
Season 2 also introduces a range of new cosmetic upgrades. Paint can now be applied to the default character and weapon skins, allowing you to tweak them to your heart’s content. Nexon is also planning to release bundle items individually to ensure you can get the specific cosmetics you want without having to stump up for the full package.
The First Descendant Season 2 begins Thursday December 5. You can play the game for free on Steam. Download it here if you’re eager to get your hands on that loot.
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