What you need to know
- Nexon has taken the wraps off The First Descendant: Season 1 "Invasion," and it looks amazing in the new trailer.
- A new Descendant, Hailey, as well as the Ultimate form of Freyna headline the major content update, but there's a lot more besides that.
- Season 1 will debut a new form of seasonal progression to help players make their Descendants more powerful, as well as a unique storyline for Freyna.
- New Invasion Dungeons, more Ultimate Weapons, a new Void Intercept Battle, an upcoming Trade Agent, and so much more is also in store for the Season 1 update.
We all knew that Nexon would be releasing The First Descendant Season 1 "Invasion" toward the end of August, but now we have our first official look at what the update will include — and more info beside that. The First Descendant players are in for a serious meal, as the Season 1 update is packed with new content, new challenges, and new ways to play and grow more powerful.
First, let's take a look at the new trailer unveiled by Nexon. In the first few moments we're introduced to Hailey, the brand-new Descendant that isn't at all blatantly slapping her butt (I guess Nexon does know how some of its player base is). We also get a sneak peek into Freyna's new original storyline and her Ultimate Freyna variant, as well as plenty of looks at the brand-new gameplay and story content. There's a lot here, and it's an exciting trailer if you're at all looking forward to the update.
Of course, I happen to have a ton of information that's not strictly laid out in that trailer, so let's dive into all of that next.
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The First Descendant's proper beginning with Season 1
I don't want to keep you waiting any longer. Here's a list of the new features we know are coming in The First Descendant Season 1, including a teaser for what Nexon is planning during the hit free-to-play looter shooter's proper kick off. The Pre-Season was a great introduction to the game and a great opportunity for Nexon to collect community feedback (and much of that actually resulted in real change), so now the game's real life begins.
- Season 1 "Invasion" Battle Pass. Of course, The First Descendant will be offering a brand-new Battle Pass alongside a fresh wave of challenges and rewards. Nexon has promised it took criticism from the Pre-Season Battle Pass and worked to both improve the rewards of Season 1 and make the challenges more fair and worthwhile.
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"Inversion Reinforcement" Seasonal Progression. Perhaps in a similar vein as Diablo IV, Nexon is introducing a new ways for players to progress and evolve their Descendants with each season.
- After encountering the Iron Heart for the first time, players' Descendants can undergo a powerful Arche resonance to enhance their abilities
- Players can then use Inversion Reinforcement to gain incremental upgrades for hunting, attribute, recovery, and survival, making their Descendants more powerful over the course of a season
- It's not clear if this Inversion Reinforcement will reset with each season, or if Nexon will let players carry upgrades forward (perhaps to encourage players to switch Descendants in order to upgrade each one)
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A new Descendant, Hailey. Season 1 will introduce two new Descendants to Albion, including Hailey, a guerilla soldier that became a legendary sniper through her exploits.
- Hailey is a Chill Attribute Descendant equipped with an anti-material sniper rifle, sub-zero bullets, and a storm snare, and is focused on delivering single, immensely powerful shots
- She also has a unique ability to lower her body temperature and actively emit cold air
- An Ultimate Descendant, Freyna. Another existing Descendant is also getting the Ultimate treatment, and this time it's fan-favorite Freyna. On top of obtaining an Ultimate variant, players will also be able to play Freyna's new exclusive story questline exploring her past trauma, part of Season 1's narrative content.
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New Invasion Dungeons. A new way to play, Invasion Dungeons will randomly replace two Hard Mode Infiltration Operations on a rotating schedule, and present brand-new and unique obstacles for players to overcome.
- These are apparently solo missions (for some reason, unless my press briefing was mistaken), and are catered toward speed running enthusiasts
- The faster you clear an Invasion Dungeon, the greater the rewards you'll obtain
- Invasion Dungeons play differently than existing game content, with new mechanics and objectives
- Another Void Intercept Boss Battle. Another Colossi has appeared in the Void, replacing Gluttony as the most challenging boss in the entire game. Death Stalker specializes in hunting down Descendants, and is a Toxic Attribute monster that strikes from the shadows. There will be new mechanics here that players will have to unravel in order to have a shot at winning.
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Two more Ultimate Weapons. The First Descendant armory is increasing with the arrival of two new Ultimate Weapons, including Excava and Frost Watcher.
- Excava is Season 1's Battle Pass reward Ultimate Weapon, and is a modified Assault Rifle that accrues charge as you fire it, eventually culminating in a powerful energy grenade
- Frost Watcher is a new Chill-focused Scout Rifle that can be obtained by playing Season 1 content, and both reduces Chill resistance of enemies and enhances the damage of Chill Attribute skills, making it perfect for Viessa and Hailey
There's actually more than this coming, as well, as Nexon has already confirmed that, like with the Pre-Season, Season 1 will enjoy mid-season content updates and additions. New features, quality-of-life improvements, and fresh content are all expected. One thing we know will be arriving is the long-awaited Trade Agent in Albion, which will hopefully give us a way to offload our extra valuable Research Materials.
If you're still not satisfied with what you've seen, you can peruse the catalog of images and screenshots from The First Descendant: Season 1 "Invasion" above. As for when we'll be able to play, the biggest update yet for The First Descendant is rolling out across Xbox Series X|S, Windows PC, and PlayStation 5 on Aug. 29, 2024. We may be able to see more at Gamescom 2024, as well, as Xbox has confirmed that The First Descendant will be part of Xbox's Gamescom stream on Aug. 23.
Honestly, I've been enjoying The First Descendant far more than I thought I would, and it's now one of my favorite Xbox games of 2024. If Nexon keeps updating the game and actually listening to community feedback, then The First Descendant stands a great shot at remaining fun and engaging for years. Season 1 seems to be a great start, although we'll have to wait for the full update to know for sure if Nexon is on to another winner in The First Descendant.
