The First Descendant Update 1.4.5 Will Add Onslaught Stage 5 and Rework 3 Descendants

The October 15 update will also introduce the Monster Hunter rifle, a second Trials dungeon, and a Halloween Pass.

0 2 6 minutes read

Update 1.4.5 is scheduled for October 15 on Steam, Xbox, and PS5, bringing a new Onslaught stage, another Trials dungeon, and major changes for Freyna, Gley, and Enzo. Nexon’s official Steam update notice also details a new rifle, reward adjustments, and several seasonal events. Nexon’s October 13 preview had outlined a planned 12-weapon Transcendent Weapon drop pool beginning in November, a separate change not detailed in these final notes.

Onslaught Stage 5 adds a six-wave challenge that ends with a Colossus encounter. Players must first complete Stage 4 once to unlock it. Public Operations require an Arche Activity value of 93,300, while Private Operations remain available below that threshold.

The stage adds a defensive wrinkle: a Tyrant advances toward the Energy Concentration Point, and players must stop it before it gets there. Barricades can block its path. If it reaches the point, the team loses 10% Energy. Defeating the Tyrant also takes out nearby Normal and Elite Vulgus, but the Tyrant, Commanders, and Colossus have added Weak Point Damage Resistance.

Stage 5 rewards include Transcendent Weapon Loot with weapons ranging from Quality 301 to 400. The mission-completion reward table gives that loot a 10.7% chance. The stage also enters the weekly Onslaught rotation, with one Ancestors Module Loot III guaranteed per run and at least one Transcendent Tier Option guaranteed on the Stage 5 module reward. The new tier adds another route alongside the other activities for farming 400-Quality Transcendent Weapons.

Trials adds a second dungeon

Trials will alternate between two dungeons, each tied to a different legion. The existing Trials: Protocol 001 features the Order of Truth, while the new Trials: Protocol 002 centers on the Legion of Immortality. The available dungeon changes daily at 00:00 PDT, and each has its own Descendant Group records. Entry rules, Arche Activity requirements, and rewards stay the same across both.

Two Descendants inside a rocky Trials dungeon

Monster Hunter targets Colossi

The new Monster Hunter is an Assault Rifle that uses General Rounds. Its Hunter’s Sense ability increases Additional Weapon ATK against Colossi while the rifle is held. Landing critical hits on Normal Monsters, Elite Monsters, or Tyrants grants Hunter’s Sense, while critical hits against a Tyrant, Commander, or Colossus apply Monster Hunter to the target. Critical damage against a marked target deals additional damage.

Firing enough shots triggers a chain explosion that damages nearby enemies and can spread through the surrounding area. Critical hits count toward the required shots faster. Repeated explosions on the same target deal reduced damage.

The Monster Hunter assault rifle displayed on a weapon wall

A new Trigger Module, Prepping in the Dark, links Ground DoT and Concealment skills. Ground DoT damage grants Gap, and using a Concealment skill while Gap is active grants Ambush Setup, which reduces Skill 4’s cooldown and raises Toxic Skill Power for its duration.

Freyna, Gley, and Enzo receive broad changes

Freyna’s rework raises damage across several skills and extends several damage-over-time effects from 4 seconds to 8. Toxic Trigger now grants Active Camouflage and Catalyst Zone, while changes to her Transcendent Modules adjust how her poison effects, damage conversion, and Necrosis stacks work.

Gley’s update increases damage and changes how several builds use Skill Power. Blood and Iron raises the passive trigger rate when a melee weapon is equipped from 50% to 80%, and Rampage damage increases from 3,264.8% to 4,244.2%. Explosive Life also receives lower HP costs and new Skill Power and Skill Critical Hit bonuses in place of some firearm bonuses.

Enzo needs fewer rounds to activate Firing Specialist, with the requirement cut in half for General and Special Rounds and reduced for Impact and High-Power Rounds. His Explosive ATK increase rises from 75% to 105%. Changes to his Focus Fire module also raise several skill damage values and add a Non-Attribute Skill Power buff.

Events and reward changes run into November

The Halloween Pass begins after the October 15 update and runs through November 16 at 22:59 PST. Players can earn Pass EXP and select free rewards without buying it. The 30-level pass also has paid upgrades purchased with Caliber, with rewards including the Little Red Riding Hood Costume and Big Bad Wolf Mask.

A 33-day Tactician Medical Support login event also starts after the update and runs through November 23 at 22:59 PST. It uses Attendance Mementos that can be exchanged for past attendance rewards, alongside items such as Nell’s Medical Support Box. The Battlefield Monster Hunter event adds a 15% Transcendent Weapon acquisition chance boost to selected content each day through November 16 at 22:59 PST.

Descendant’s Weekend begins October 16 at 00:00 PDT and runs on Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays through November 15 at 22:59 PST. Its bonuses include 20% more Descendant EXP, Weapon Proficiency, and Unique Arche Factor EXP in the covered activities, plus 20% more Gold in Special Operations and 20% more Gold and Kuiper Shards from enemies in Breach Tracking.

The First Descendant Update 1.4.5 Patch Notes

The update also adjusts loot distribution, ammunition capacity, melee weapons, and several interfaces. The following notes cover its main additions and player-facing changes.

Onslaught and Trials

“Onslaught” Stage 5 has been added.
“Onslaught” Stage 5 is unlocked upon completing “Onslaught” Stage 4 once.
It consists of 6 waves, and a Colossus appears upon completion of the final wave.
“Public Operations” can be started once the required Arche Activity reaches 93,300.
“Private Operations” can still be started even if your Arche Activity is below the required level.
If the Tyrant enters the Energy Concentration Point, Energy is reduced by 10%.
You can block the Tyrant’s movement using barricades.
Transcendent Weapons with a Quality of 301-400 can be acquired from “Transcendent Weapon Loot” obtained in “Onslaught” Stage 5.
“Onslaught” Stage 5: You can obtain an Ancestors Module with at least one guaranteed Transcendent Tier Option.
A second dungeon for “Trials” has been added.
Existing dungeon: Trials: Protocol 001
New dungeon: Trials: Protocol 002
Trials: Protocol 001 – Order of Truth
Trials: Protocol 002 – Legion of Immortality
The available “Trials” dungeon changes daily at 00:00 PDT.

Weapons and Trigger Modules

A new Transcendent Weapon “Monster Hunter” has been added.
While holding a weapon, attacking a Colossus increases Additional Weapon ATK.
When a certain number of shots are fired, a chain explosion occurs at the point of impact, dealing damage to nearby targets and spreading to the surrounding area.
Dealing Critical Hits accumulates more number of shots fired.
Landing a Critical Hit on a Tyrant/Commander/Colossus inflicts Monster Hunter on the target.
Dealing critical damage to a target inflicted with Monster Hunter deals additional damage.
Using a Ground DoT type skill to deal damage to an enemy grants Gap to self.
While Gap is active, using a Concealment type skill grants Ambush Setup.
Decreases the Cooldown of Skill 4.
Increases Toxic Skill Power for the duration.

Descendant balance

Synchronization Value is adjusted from 1.752 → 1.602.
A damage increase based on Max MP is applied to all damage.
Damage Increase: Max MP x 30.8%
Max Damage Increase: 200%
Using Toxic Trigger grants Active Camouflage and Catalyst Zone.
Active Camouflage: Hides from enemy’s sight.
Duration: 15s
Movement Speed +20%
Firearm Critical Hit Rate: 10% → 15%
Picking up Life Spheres increases HP Recovery.
Max HP × 4.0% → 12.0%
Equipping a melee weapon increases the passive effect trigger rate from 50% to 80%.
Damage: 3,264.8% → 4,244.2%
Reduced the amount of Rounds consumed per type required to activate Firing Specialist.
General Rounds: 56 → 28
Special Rounds: 56 → 28
Impact Rounds: 14 → 7
High-Power Rounds: 14 → 6
Firearm (Explosive) ATK Increase: 75% → 105%
Effect Range: 9.0m → 12.0m

Other adjustments

Quests that require defeating enemies with skills have been improved to count kills made with passive skills as well.
A new Event Pass, the Halloween Pass, has been added.
A new Login Event, “[Login Event] Tactician Medical Support”, has been added.
A +15% Transcendent Weapon Acquisition Chance Boost applies to specific zones and content daily.
If a Core is included in the Mission Completion Reward, that Core reward has been moved to the drop rewards.
The tier of Cores dropped when defeating monsters has been upgraded, and the number of drops decreased.
The max carry amount for General Rounds increases from 400 to 600, Special Rounds from 270 to 400, Impact Rounds from 90 to 150, and High-Power Rounds from 75 to 100.
The acquisition chance for Transcendent Weapons upon Mission Completion will increase from 14.5% to 15.2% on Normal Difficulty and from 14.5% to 16.9% on Hard Difficulty at the Ship Boarding Point.
Changed the zone reward distribution method for Onslaught and Trials.
The Cooldown of the “Tactical Acceleration” Trigger Module has been reduced from 18s to 12s, and the restriction that prevented the effect from being received again for a certain period of time has been removed.

Which addition do you expect to change your regular runs most? Follow the continuing changes to Onslaught and Descendant builds on X, Bluesky, YouTube, Instagram, Steam, and Telegram.

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
Perspective Third person
Modes Single player, Multiplayer, Co-operative
Release July 2, 2024
Publisher Nexon Korea
Age Rating