Just days after its launch, Nexon has released the first official update for The First Descendant. The patch, version 1.0.2, implements the promised changes, makes an unexpected tweak to an annoying party mechanic, and increases the chances of receiving certain materials.
While many players expected the patch to also nerf (or rather tweak) some of the game’s very powerful meta builds, Nexon actually decided to leave them alone.
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The biggest addition in Hotfix 1.0.2 is matchmaking support for Infiltration in Hard Mode, which will now allow you to choose a match even if you change your selected reward. This is a welcome remedy for a glaring flaw that made performing Infiltration at this level more frustrating than it should be.
In terms of reducing frustration, especially when it comes to annoying and poorly implemented mechanics, the patch also makes it so that players no longer have to hit immunity balls in sequence when fighting named monsters. Going forward, you’ll be given the standard option or the extermination option.
The named monster battles themselves have been called bland and monotonous by players, something Nexon has acknowledged. While this new patch doesn’t change anything about that, the developer is working on new modes for each named monster to make the battles a little more interesting.
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Like it or not, farming is a major part of playing The First Descendant. However, players have found the drop rates of rare base materials to be a bit stingy. The patch triples the amount of rare base materials in the crypto vaults.
This also makes it possible to get them outside of Crypto Vaults, though they’re still your best bet. El ite Vulgus in Field Missions and Infiltration Operations will now drop them, which should hopefully diversify the sources a bit.
The patch also includes a number of CPU and GPU optimizations to improve performance. The game has a nasty habit of randomly stuttering – or requiring a full restart to resolve when you play for too long. We’ve made some changes to this, so hopefully we’ll see fewer stutters.
What’s most surprising, however, is that Nexon has not nerfed any of the super-powerful builds that have appeared in the days since launch. More specifically, the Tamer and Gley infinite mag builds will remain as powerful as they were. The reason? Nexon expected them to be that powerful.
However, the developers intend to develop this game for the long term, allowing players to discover more powerful builds and weapons in the game. This is a refreshing attempt, so it will be interesting to see how long the team can stick to this strategy.
The First Descendant’s aggressive monetization approach has been criticized for in-game item prices being too high, especially compared to Warframe, which The First Descendant seems to be mostly inspired by. In the days since, players have noticed some oddities, such as an icon design that’s almost identical to Destiny 2. However, it’s hot right now, so most players are currently happy to continue discussing how hot the game’s characters are.
