Developer Nexon has released the first post-launch update for The First Descendant, which brings some much-needed improvements to the game after its rough start.
Hotfix 1.0.1, out now on PC, PlayStation and Xbox, improves performance on the PlayStation 5 specifically (the PS5 version has significant frame rate issues), makes various gameplay tweaks and bug fixes, and adjusts the volume of logo sound when starting the game.
In-game, hit and hit cooldown times have been sped up by 1.5x, and the maximum use of Eterllick’s shield ability per phase has been reduced from twice to once. However, there are no changes to the much-criticized monetization of The First Descendant, which some have called “microtransaction hell.”
Nexon’s free-to-play co-op-focused heist sketch, a fusion of the likes of Warframe and Destiny, launched on June 30 and has seen huge player numbers on Steam (Sony and Microsoft don’t disclose player numbers on PlayStation and Xbox). On Valve’s platform, The First Descendant has seen 239,513 concurrent players so far, enough to put the game in Steam’s top five most played games. Check out the IGNs First Descendant review ongoing to find out what we think of the game so far.
But the launch has endured significant hiccups, including the aforementioned framerate issues and crashing issues, with many players still waiting for the promised rewards, including Twitch’s downfall. Nexon has issued multiple apologies and compensation in the form of in-game resources and items, but that hasn’t stopped the complaints. Nexon even had to ask the players to stop multiple purchases of the same item through Steam or the PlayStation or Xbox platform stores because players weren’t getting what they paid for.
Descendant 1.0.1 first fix patch notes in full:
Platform and System
- Fixed the issue where the logo sound volume was too loud when launching the game.
- Server and client stabilization is done.
- (PS5) Removed unintentional factors that were degrading performance.
- (PS5, XSX) Fixed the issue where FSR Upscale was malfunctioning.
Content improvements
- Hit and hit recovery times have been sped up by 1.5x.
- Eterllick shield skill max usage per phase reduced from 2x to 1x.
Bug fixes
(1) UI/UX
- Fixed the issue where the back button did not work after closing the capacity overflow popup in the module upgrade UI.
(2) Descendants
- (XB1) Fixed the issue where the heads of other players wearing skins would not appear intermittently.
(3) Module
- Fixed the issue where the “Skill Power Modifier” number was not applied correctly after level 5 upgrade of the Deadly Infection module.
- Fixed the issue where the final module drop animation was used when the normal High Power Rounds Capacity Increase module was removed.
(4) Field
- Fixed the issue where object destruction animations were not showing in Strategic Post.
- Fixed the issue where the name and description of NPC Dominique in the Hagios region were displayed incorrectly.
(5) Equipment
- Fixed the issue where the Guided Round of the Ultimate Weapon “Restored Relic” did not apply the effect of the “Ancient Fire” status.
- Fixed the tooltip error for the fire ability power of the external components effect ‘Active Volcano’ with 2 groups.
- Fixed the tooltip bug for the weak point damage of the external components effect ‘Frozen Heart’ with 4 groups.
Wesley is the UK News Editor for IGN. Find him on Twitter at @wyp100. You can contact Wesley at wesley_yinpoole@ign.com or confidentially at wyp100@proton.me.
