The first official season ofThe First Descendantis now live, and with it comes a host of changes. These include thenew Descendant Hailey, along with anew ultimate weapon, Excava. However,there are also many changes which aim to address community feedback, and one of these issues is slow experience gain for weapons and Descendants.
One ofThe First Descendant’smajor grinds is adding module slots to gear. These require the use of aCrystallization Catalyst, which can be obtained through research, or purchased using the game’s premium currency, Caliber. However, they also require that a weapon or Descendantreach the maximum proficiency level of 40.
Experience Grinding Takes Too Long In The First Descendant
Leveling Up Proficiency On Weapons
Each weapon has up to 10 module slots, while each Descendant has 12 module slots. While some Descendants and weapons do start with pre-filled sockets, the player can still expect to need about 8 Crystallization Catalysts per Descendant and weapon. That meansthe player has tolevel up their proficiency on that weapon or Descendant around eight timesbefore they can really start to consider a high-power build.
Enemies eliminated as part of a Void Fragment mission do not drop gear, gold, or Kuiper Shards.
Currently,one of the fastest ways players have found to increase experience for weapons is to run the “bunny cave,“an electric Void Fragment which is in a small space and can be cleared in the space of 30–45 seconds. However, even using this method is painfully slow, and it comes with other downsides. Enemies eliminated as part of a Void Fragment mission do not drop gear, gold, orKuiper Shards, and the nature of the mission means the player can only level up electricity-based Descendants using this method.
Farming weapon experience exclusively using this method will still take the better part of an hour or more to reach the maximum proficiency level. Relying on more organic methods of increasing experience can make the process take two or three hours, and that compounds with each weapon and Descendant the player tries to improve.It can easily take dozens of hours to max out a single loadoutand Descendant.
The First Descendant Season One Aims To Address Experience Gain
Daily Challenges Rewards The Player In Many Ways
Along with all its other changes, season one ofThe First Descendantadds daily events to the game. While the pre-season had daily challenges, they mostly just increased the player’s battle pass level. Now,completing those challenges will reward the playerwith various items like gold, Kuiper Shards, research materials, and experience boosters. These are sent to the player’s mailbox upon completion and act as a great incentive to complete the daily challenges, even if they are outside the player’s comfort zone.
With daily event rewards, research materials are also acquired.One of the more recent rewards was designed around Crystallization Catalystsand provided multiple blueprints along with some parts used in the item’s research. Combined with the change which allows players to assign multiple sockets to a weapon or Descendant, these extra boosters and materials should make players ofThe First Descendantbreathe a sigh of relief.
Other Quality Of Life Improvements Are On The Way
Coming With Second Major Season Update
The launch of season one came with several quality-of-life improvements, such as the ability to add multiple socket types for a module or additional settings for the junk filter. However, these are not the only changes that Nexon is aiming to make with season one. Hailey is the first Descendant in a new approach to reducing randomization in blueprint farming. Rather than farming amorphous materials and reconstructing them after a boss fight,theHailey-specific materials drop from invasion missions. This will hopefully prevent the frustration of trying for the same 6% part for hours straight.
The First Descendant 1.1.0 Patch Adds New Hailey Descendant, Solo Dungeons & QoL Improvements
The patch notes for The First Descendant’s 1.1.0 Patch are live and the update features some fantastic improvements and an ultra-cool sharpshooter
There are other minor updates in the works as well. Characters like Freyna and Blair who focus on damage-over-time effects will be reworked to boost their damage output. Outposts will also be updated so players can restart them immediately rather than waiting a minute between runs. Additionally,Nexon plans on introducing a system which will make improving a normal Descendant useful even if they have an ultimate variant.
While changes to the UI have already been mentioned, there is another improvement which will likely come with the second major season update. This will allow players to switch directly from the inventory menu to the map menu. Originally, players were forced to close the menu, wait for the screen to load fully, then open the other menu. This should streamline the process of checking different menus, but it will also help when players ofThe First Descendantchange their presets before switching to another map or void battle.
The First Descendant
Nexon Games presents The First Descendant, a third-person action RPG shooter set in a distant future where Humanity fights for survival against a hostile alien race. As a Descendant, players will embark on various missions and quests as they learn about the origins of the Descendants and partner up with up to four players to engage in expansive boss battles, unlocking new gear and skills.
