The First Descendant is a brand-new third-person co-op action RPG loot shooter from Nexon. This game was released on June 30th for PC, PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4, Xbox Series, and Xbox One. The game is also playable with GeForce Now. It is completely free, but there are some in-game purchases, which we will discuss in more detail later.
In The First Descendant, you play as a “Descendant” tasked with protecting the continent of Ingris and its inhabitants from invaders. You must travel to various areas on the continent and complete missions there. Mission lengths vary and can sometimes take only a few minutes. You don’t have to play these missions alone. The First Descendant can be played in a group of up to 4 players, allowing you to complete missions and level up together. You can set your group to either public or private. In a private group, you won’t have any strangers joining your team.
The game runs on Unreal Engine 5, making it look good and run smoothly on most hardware. A minimum of a 1050TI graphics card and an i5-3570 processor is recommended for the game. The setting is a sci-fi world with slightly futuristic buildings. The invaders arrive on the continent via airships.
At the beginning of the game, you can choose between three different characters, but as you progress, you will unlock new Descendants. These Descendants all have unique abilities that are very useful in combat.
In addition, the game features a variety of weapons and weapon types. There are, of course, DMRs, but also sniper rifles, shotguns, and more. You can always carry three weapons with you and should aim for a good distribution. There are different types of ammunition: regular ammunition for your DMR, special ammunition for certain weapons, and extra strong ammunition for specific weapons. However, don’t get too attached to one weapon. In the game, you will receive new weapons after almost every mission, and there may soon be a better one that becomes your new primary weapon.
You can also further enhance and strengthen your weapons with weapon mods. Additionally, you have up to 4 secondary accessories. These can also be found through missions in the world. You need to continuously develop your combat techniques and weapons to stand a chance against later enemies in the game.
In combat, you also have a grappling hook. This allows you to move more freely in the world and get into a better position to fight your enemies. You can also use it to move faster across the map, which is effective and a lot of fun.
You and your group can expect exciting battles in various missions. There are defense missions, extraction missions, and of course, thrilling boss fights where you need to use your strengths wisely to win. There is also a higher difficulty level later on, which makes the game significantly more challenging. To succeed at a higher difficulty, you need to grind even more than before. And that is the core essence of a loot shooter.
Story of The First Descendant
As mentioned earlier, in The First Descendant, humanity is threatened by alien invaders called Vulgus. A century ago, the invaders were almost destroyed, but humanity was also at the end of its strength. However, the humans found a way to use the powers of their ancestors and thus transform into “Descendants.”
You take on the role of one of these Descendants and are tasked with fighting the renewed threat from Karel, the leader of the Vulgus. To save humanity, Karel must be defeated at all costs. As mentioned before, the game takes place on the fictional continent of Ingris. Each character has a small backstory that is shared with you in the game.
Is The First Descendant Pay To Win?
In addition to skins, The First Descendant allows you to buy some useful items in the shop. Let’s first discuss the skins. Unfortunately, there are very few skins obtainable through gameplay, but since this is a free-to-play game, it is justified. However, you can also buy progress in the game, specifically weapons. At certain points in the game, your weapon’s DPS will no longer be sufficient to progress in the story.
And that’s the point of loot shooters, that you need to grind at certain locations to get better weapons and levels. If you just go to the shop and buy better equipment, you only lose playtime of the game. So, it is only pay to progress and not pay to win. This is mainly because there is no PvP in the game. So, you can only use the better weapons against the invaders.
What’s Coming in the Future?
The First Descendant is still in its early stages and continues to receive new updates. For such games, it is common to have new events over time where players can unlock new weapons and equipment. Additionally, Nexon has announced that they want to bring more skins into the game, allowing you to further customize your character. Speaking of characters, it is very likely that Nexon will add new characters with new abilities to the game. New missions and raids are also conceivable, where you get to fight especially strong bosses.
Other Games Like The First Descendant
Next, we want to talk about some alternatives to The First Descendant. The loot shooter genre has been around for many years, and there are many free or paid alternatives. Today, we want to give you a quick overview of five games similar to The First Descendant.
The first alternative to The First Descendant that we want to discuss today is Destiny 2. Destiny is a loot shooter from 2017, developed by Bungie. This game was initially published by Activision but was taken over by Bungie in 2019. Destiny 2 was initially a paid game but eventually became free to play. It has very positive reviews on Steam, with more than 600,000 reviews, 80% of which are positive.
Destiny 2 is also a loot shooter, but it is played from a first-person perspective. In this game, you and your group must fight against an alien force. The game offers a lot of content and has several paid DLCs that add even more to explore. However, Destiny 2 also has some differences. For example, this game has a multiplayer mode where you can also fight against other players.
Next, we want to discuss Warframe. This game is also available for all newer consoles and is completely free. Warframe was released in 2013 and offers both PvE and PvP modes. In Warframe, you travel to various planets where you can find different resources. With these resources, you can build and improve your armor and equipment. The planets offer various missions that you can complete alone or in a group of up to 4 players, just like in The First Descendant.
This game also features alien technologies, and your hub is a spaceship. Some planets offer a large open world where you can also encounter other players. In Warframe, the different characters have different abilities that recharge over time and can deal significant damage to enemies. The movement in this game is very fast, even though there is no grappling hook.
Next, we come to the paid game Outriders. This game was released in 2021 and is available on PC, PlayStation 4/5, and Xbox One/Series. Outriders is also a loot shooter that you can play alone or with a group of up to 4 players. PvP is not possible in Outriders, just like in The First Descendant. The different characters have different abilities that are very useful in combat.
In Outriders, humanity is trying to find a new home on the planet Enoch, but unfortunately, this planet is not entirely safe. In this game, it is very important to constantly move and change your cover. Otherwise, you will quickly be overwhelmed and defeated by your enemies.
Now let’s move on to Tom Clancy’s The Division 2. This game is available for PC, PlayStation 4, and Xbox One and is unfortunately not free. This game is set on Earth as we know it, specifically in a post-pandemic Washington DC. You and your team, consisting of up to 4 players, form an elite unit that roams through Washington.
The equipment in the game is somewhat futuristic, and you need to restore order after the pandemic. In this game, you don’t fight against aliens but against other humans and their robots. Many of these battles are quite challenging, and you need to be tactical to win. Unlike The First Descendant, this game also has PvP elements.
Finally, let’s talk about Borderlands 3. This loot shooter from Gearbox was released in 2020 for PC, PlayStation 4/5, Xbox One/Series, Nintendo Switch, and even Mac OS. Unfortunately, this game is not free. Borderlands 3 stands out with its comic-like art style and the various weapons. The game also features a funny and somewhat dark humor that characterizes the game. You can play Borderlands 3 alone or in groups of up to 4 players.
The different characters in this game also have unique abilities. In this game, you play as a Vault Hunter, fighting against various villains and creatures on the planet Pandora and other worlds. You receive new loot and better weapons through missions and vaults.
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I really wish i hadn’t played all of these already