Looter shooters aren’t precisely a dime a dozen nowadays, so seeing titles like Nexon’s The First Descendant is all of the extra intriguing. Launching on July 2nd for Xbox One, Xbox Sequence X/S, PS4, PS5 and PC, the free-to-play title is ready in a post-apocalyptic future the place gifted people battle the invading Vulguri. After going hands-on with a preview construct and having an opportunity to pattern the story and end-game, listed here are 15 issues it is best to learn about The First Descendant earlier than leaping in.
Descendant Skills and Unlocking Others
From the outset, you may choose one in every of three Descendants – Lepic, Viessa and Ajax. Lepic is an all-rounder, able to surviving deadly harm as soon as each 10 minutes, whereas Viessa makes use of ice to crowd-control enemies. Ajax is your defensive powerhouse, creating partitions and boundaries to tank harm from enemies. Apart from weapons and talents, you even have melee assaults and a grappling hook for getting round. The latter additionally permits for closing the space on enemies for melee strikes.
You possibly can unlock different Descendants by finishing duties and gathering the blueprint and supplies to craft every half. As soon as all of the components are gathered, there’s a Analysis Time and value, and the Ascendant is yours.
Essential Quests
Following the preliminary story mission, gamers achieve entry to completely different Battlefields. These are like Patrol areas, with numerous duties to finish in that space (denoted by pink waypoints). Full all of them to open up the subsequent space, and ultimately, the Battlefield is cleared sufficient to progress the story. It’s additionally attainable to carry out different actions in between, together with…
Sub Quests
Because the title signifies, Sub Quests are separate from the targets mandatory to finish a Essential Quest. They award Credit and XP, with an opportunity to drop Modules to customise your Descendants and weapons. Consider them because the Patrol missions from Future and a method to garner XP between Essential Mission targets.
Goal Sorts
Whether or not you full the steps required for a Essential Quest or mess about within the fields with completely different Sub Quests, there are a number of targets. These contain defending a reactor from waves of enemies, whereas others require slaying foes and depositing the sources they drop. There’s additionally the same old “Slay X quantity of enemies”, adopted by an Elite to get rid of. Nothing too difficult, although you additionally encounter particular missions like Zone Reconnaissance, Void Missions, Void Fusion Fusion Reactors and Encrypted Vaults to additional boost the gameplay.
World Problem
Whereas enjoying via, the World Problem is on Regular, however as you progress, Onerous mode turns into obtainable, upping the problem alongside the rewards obtained. It additionally unlocks new content material, like Infiltration Operations on Onerous mode. Cruising via the story on Regular to get your bearings is the best way to go initially.
Weapon Sorts
The First Descendant has a number of weapon varieties, together with the same old Assault Rifles, Submachine Weapons, Pistols, Shotguns, Sniper Rifles, Machine Weapons, Scout Rifles, and so on. They’ve completely different stats and rarities, with the end-game Final weapons having signature perks. Every additionally has distinctive ammo varieties, however not like the same old common, Particular and Final ammo (which is named Final ammo), you even have Affect Rounds. Balancing your loadout to make sure you’re not working out of ammo in the course of fight is thus key.
Ascendant and Weapon Modules
These are mods you may slot into your weapon and Ascendant to enhance them in numerous methods. These vary from elevated firearm assault and demanding hit harm to extra rounds per journal and elevated harm relying on the standing ailment bothered on an enemy. The variety of Modules you may equip is dependent upon your Grasp Rank, which impacts the capability.
As you acquire increased rarity weapons, Module slots can have completely different Polarities – slot the matching Module into it, and the fee is halved, permitting for much more. Descendants even have Transcendent Modules which might alter their talents. As an illustration, Lepic can change his Overclock to inflict Weaken Regeneration as a substitute of Burn or modify his Grenade Throw to cost it as much as 3 times. Just one Ability Module could be outfitted at a time, although it’s also possible to have Sub Modules, which modify melee assaults.
Reactors and Parts
You even have Reactors and Exterior Parts, the previous rising Ability Energy and Sub Assault Energy whereas boosting the harm of sure Ability Sorts. They’ve sure optimization circumstances, like equipping a sure weapon sort and reaching a particular Ability Energy, however can present large bonuses to your talents if matched appropriately. Parts supply flat will increase to statistics like max HP, Protection, Resistance, and Shields.
Workbench
Together with enhancing Modules to enhance their effectiveness, gamers can use the Workbench to regulate their weapons whereas strengthening Reactors and Final Weapons. What in case you discovered a gun with nice stats however its stage isn’t excessive sufficient? Weapon Stage Transmission permits for consuming a distinct weapon and transferring its stage, thus elevating the brand new weapon’s effectiveness.
Beauty Customization
There’s a good bit of beauty customization obtainable, from altering hairstyles and make-up to choosing completely different Descendant skins – from the modern to the ridiculous, like panda fits. Inside these choices is the power to recolor particular components individually for the helmet, adjusting the arms, legs, highlights and extra for a novel look. There’s an odd lack of patterns, however maybe we’ll see extra of these sooner or later. Different cosmetics embody completely different weapon skins, emotes, title playing cards, spawn animations, UI themes and even the looks of the grappling hook.
Infiltration Operations
With all this speak concerning the base sport and choices for customizing Descendants, what can looter shooter followers sit up for in the long run sport? First, there are Infiltration Operations – instanced dungeons with modifiers like elevated Elite monster HP and motion pace. That’s on Regular issue – select Onerous mode, and the variety of modifiers will increase. You may as well add extra modifiers like lowered Descendant protection and well being, elevated enemy HP and whatnot to extend the Kill Rating. The upper the Kill Rating, the extra possible you may earn the chosen rewards. There’s no matchmaking on Onerous, so be warned (or make your personal group, whichever works).
Particular Operations
Particular Operations even have distinctive modifiers however operate in a different way by way of rewards. Upon reaching a set variety of waves, you obtain one in every of 4 drops. The possibility of a reward dropping will increase on additional waves, although you may select to go away the mission after receiving rewards.
Void Intercept Battle
The Colossus are towering bosses all through the marketing campaign, and Void Intercept is your technique of farming them. Every has completely different elemental assault attributes and resistances, although it’s also possible to destroy sure components of their our bodies to reveal weak factors. Alongside the loot drops, it’s also possible to use the Reconstructing Gadget on the finish to open Amorphous Materials Patterns. The place do you get these Patterns? Why, from Infiltration Operations and Particular Operations, in fact, making a steady end-game loop. Some Colossus have to be tackled with different gamers, however matchmaking is accessible, fortunately.
Put up-Launch Plans
Irrespective of how a lot content material a looter shooter has on launch, the query is all the time: What’s subsequent? Although Nexon didn’t explicitly define its plans for post-launch or present a roadmap, it confirmed new Descendants and weapons sooner or later. Maybe, these new Descendants might have quests related to them. As all the time, time will inform.
Battle Go and Seasons
Nevertheless, two issues are obvious from the preview – Battle Passes and seasons. You obtain numerous rewards relying on the tier, from new emotes and badges to elevated gold achieve, weapon skins and even Final weapons. Free and Premium tracks can be found, however there’s additionally the Provide Store. Upon finishing Seasonal Weekly Challenges, you’ll internet Provide Cash, used to buy cosmetics from a separate store like weapon skins, head skins (together with hairstyles and masks), spawn animations, and so on.
