The First Descendant developer livestream held on December 1 laid out a packed list of changes coming to the game on December 4 and a roadmap stretching into the first half of 2026. Players should expect a new Ultimate Descendant, a fresh Infiltration Operation, a Void Abyss Colossus, multiple new modules and components, balance adjustments, system improvements, and seasonal cosmetics.
Ultimate Yujin is the new addition. The update adds the new Descendant Ultimate Yujin and a short story segment, plus the premium skin Extreme Savior and two exclusive Modules that reshape how the character plays. One Module called Combat Protocol trades HP for skill damage and recovers health through buffs and debuffs, while Battlefield Medic boosts party-focused play by increasing attack as Yujin fills a support role. The devs also buffed Yujin’s party support, added a movement speed bonus to the base kit, and smoothed several skill conveniences.
The new Infiltration Operation Forbidden Sanctuary is set in an Order of Truth experimental facility in Axion and includes a redesigned difficulty scaling for party size to avoid sharp difficulty spikes seen in other multiplayer activities. The operation introduces a new boss called Abandoned Fusion Form, an experimental human Vulgus hybrid with toxic attacks. Forbidden Sanctuary will be the main source for Ultimate Yujin blueprints, drop new Trigger Modules, and offer up to 10 Ancestors Modules as Weekly Completion Rewards.
On the endgame front, the update adds a new Void Abyss Colossus called Grim Reaper, a toxic variant of Death Stalker. The battle runs in Void Space and leans on AoE attacks that reward precise evasion and quick responses. The release also includes Grim Reaper-themed skins and Colotoys. New External Components and Modules arrive with this patch. A Bunny exclusive External Component called Sprint Accelerator aims to be an alternative to the commonly used Slayer set. Three Trigger Modules are added: Infected Weapon to apply Arche Infection via continuous damage and boost unique-weapon damage; Ground Eruption which triggers extra damage for Global DoT setups; and Instant Acceleration which grants movement speed after ending movement restriction skills. The update also adds three melee weapon Modules, Execution, Overpower, and Eye of Morvalde, that increase critical damage and enable tempo-based burst windows.
Balance adjustments target several playstyles. Ajax gets changes to encourage more firearm use and reflection damage interactions including an auto-reload when shooting foes hit by Orbit Barrier or reflection effects, a larger Taunt range for Expulsion, defensive tweaks in Hyper Cube, and a reworked Barrier Charge that now dashes forward while dealing damage. Minor numerical tweaks are planned for Freyna, Valby, and Viessa with further mechanism reviews later. In January the game will add a smart casting option for placement skills like Viessa’s Blizzard and Valby’s Plop Plop. Firearm and weapon unique effects were also adjusted to improve synergy with DPS builds and DoT setups.
Systems and quality of life changes are significant. Ancestors Module Trading begins on December 4 and the Caliber limit per transaction rises to 10,000. The Web Marketplace gets a new statistics menu so players can check transaction volume and average prices, and the Party Finder UI will be revamped to allow in-lobby chat while recruiting. Other technical improvements include FSR 4 support for Radeon RX 9000 series and higher and the addition of Field Colossus Devourer incursions to the Axion Field.
Cosmetics for December include 2025 Special Winter Skins on December 4 for Viessa, Freyna, Gley, Serena and an Arctic themed men’s skin, followed by additional men’s and women’s outfits on December 18 along with winter decorations for Albion. Lounge 2.0 was scaled down in favor of incremental additions to the existing Lounge. New spaces such as a Bar, Garden, Additional Figurine Display Room, and a Tactical Equipment Room will be added along with Lounge Guide customization via Collec-T purchases, a jukebox LP mode, a Photo Mode, and improved figurine detail views. The team said visiting other players lounges will be considered as a separate future improvement.
The stream also sketched a first half of 2026 roadmap. Plans include a Breach Tracking Field in January under Episode 2 for gold farming and special rewards, an Onslaught Mode in Episode 3 that serves as end game content with increasing difficulty and a beta during Episode 3 ahead of an expected full release in May, and new Void Intercept Battles toward the end of Episode 4. New Descendants Dia and Ultimate Esiemo are slated for Episodes 3 and 4 respectively. The team said it will invest more into improving existing Descendants and weapons rather than adding more ultimates, and Season 4 in Summer 2026 will center on a final battle against Karel with a reworked weapons framework.
December events kick off with the Warm Albion Winter login event on December 4 offering two event skins, Ultimate Weapon Selection Boxes, Crystallization Catalysts, Descendant Purchase Ticket Selection Boxes and more. A second wave of events and the BB-On Time Shop start on December 18 along with weekend Training Week boosts and a web based Year End Lounge Party that hands out assorted items and faction tokens.
The developer pointed out that some content related to December and early 2026 remains subject to change before release, so expect tuning and timing adjustments as the team finalizes the builds. You can watch the developer livestream on YouTube:
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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
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Age Rating:
ESRB M / GRAC 19+ / ACB M / PEGI 12 / CLASS_IND 12 / USK 16
- IGDB Rating: 59.3/100
