The First Descendant lays out a long road ahead with Raven, a Colossus form, and more

The First Descendant is pushing well past its current roadmap, and Nexon used an April 3 livestream to spell out where the game is headed next. The talk covered a three-phase long-term plan, a new Descendant named Raven, and early concepts for both a resource-collection mode and a Colossus transformation feature.

The livestream came after Nexon’s recent capital markets briefing drew concern around the game’s long-term momentum. In the April 3 dev talk, director Minseok Joo and community manager Jason addressed that response and pointed to a roadmap the team is calling “Completing the Game.” Nexon’s own briefing said The First Descendant had a strong launch but no staying power, and Joo said the team took that warning seriously.

Joo said the studio had held deeper discussions with management late last year and was now working on a long-term plan that tackles some of the game’s biggest pain points. The roadmap focuses on content gaps, endgame structure, balance, and the early learning curve.

The plan is split into three phases. The first phase centers on rebuilding the game’s core systems, including farming loops and endgame structure. Nexon said that work is in progress and will be finished by Season 4. The second phase is aimed at better onboarding and the early mission experience. The third phase will build on that foundation and, in the studio’s words, help deliver what TFD originally wanted to show.

The livestream also teased a new mode where players earn resources during a limited time, power up abilities, and take on the final commander. Nexon said the concept is meant to capture the fun of choosing random abilities, which gives it a roguelite flavor. Another piece of content remains even more unusual. The studio is also working on a mode where players can become a Colossus, though Nexon said the feature is still in early development.

Raven, meanwhile, was shown as a new Descendant likely to arrive after Ultimate Esiemo. Nexon described her as having a darker look and a ghostly gun that may serve as her special weapon. Joo also said the team is thinking about adding a new male Descendant, timed around a future female Ultimate character. The next Ultimate mentioned during the talk was Ultimate Hailey, which would come after Raven.

Some of the broader roadmap had already been laid out in our earlier overview of The First Descendant’s roadmap plans, and the April 3 talk filled in more of the gaps. Nexon said its current roadmap runs through Season 4, where players will face Karel in the final battle, but the studio stressed that Season 4 will not be the end of the game. A new story will begin after that point.

We’ll be watching for more details on Raven, the Colossus mode, and the next update from Nexon. Share your thoughts in the comments, and follow us on X, Bluesky, YouTube, Instagram.

The First Descendant

Developed by Nexon Games

Launched in July 2024, The First Descendant is a next-generation third-person co-op action RPG looter shooter featuring high-quality graphics developed using Unreal Engine 5. In the game, players become a Descendant whose mission is to combat against alien invaders – The Vulgus who crossed dimensions over 100 years ago and brought with them the devastating Colossi and destruction– for the survival of humanity and to protect Albion and the continent of Ingris. Players will encounter spectacular stories as they grow stronger through various missions and raids to finally discover the Descendants' secret. Cooperation is crucial as players team up with one another in strategic multiplayer boss fights where teamwork and tactics are key. New equipment, materials, and items obtained through a myriad of missions and boss fights will contribute to players’ character development.

• Genre: Shooter, Role-playing (RPG), Adventure
• Platforms: Xbox Series X|S, PlayStation 4, PC (Microsoft Windows), PlayStation 5, Xbox One
• Modes: Single player, Multiplayer, Co-operative
• Release: 2024-07-02
• Publisher: Nexon Korea
• Age Rating: ESRB M / GRAC 19+ / ACB M / PEGI 12 / CLASS_IND 12 / USK 16
• IGDB Rating: 59.3/100

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