The First Descendant's staggered Season 1 release is bad news for its player count

Modified Aug 23, 2024 02:57 IST

Hailey is coming to The First Descendant on August 29 — The First Descendant's Season 1 is not looking too flush (Image via Nexon)

The First Descendant's Season 1 is coming later this month—except not all of it. Earlier today, a dev blog post dropped a surprise at the end, but not a surprise of the good kind. Not all of the new features that were teased in the trailer last week will be present in the game during the launch of Season 1.

Instead, Nexon is opting into a triphasic content drop model. A lot of the big highlights of the first official 'Season' will only enter the game a month into its release, and some more at the end of October.

Note: The article is subjective and reflects the writer's opinion.

The First Descendant's player count is dropping lower and Ult Freyna delay could make it worse

It's normal for live-service games to spread out their content plan across a long-term roadmap. However, Nexon may have flattened it too much with The First Descendant Season 1, deflating the hype in the process.

Ult Freyna is not coming till September (Image via Nexon)

The new Descendant Hailey, headliner Invasion Dungeons, as well as the latest 'seasonal growth' mechanic debuts on the day of Season 1 launch. If you were on the lookout for a rejuvenated endgame, this update provides something to work with.

However, those who were hyped about Freyna's Ultimate form and new story quest content will have to wait longer. Here's what the release schedule for The First Descendant Season 1 looks like:

Season 1 Update phases	Release Date	Contents
Season 1 Launch	August 29	Hailey (New Descendant), Hailey Cosmetics, Invasion Dungeons, Inversion Reinforcement (Seasonal Mechanic), Excava (New Ultimate Weapon), Season 1 Battle Pass
Update 2	September 26	Death Stalker (New Intercept Battle), Frost Watcher (New Ultimate Weapon), New Ultimate Skins and Ultimate Descendant Exclusive Spawn Effects
Update 3	October 30	Ult Freyna, Freyna Exclusive Story questline, Ult Freyna red mods, Hailey red mods, Highest Difficulty Invasion Operations

The Season system of this title seems to be trying out the ARPG cycles: new Diablo 4 Seasons, Path of Exile Leagues, or Last Epoch Cycles. They allow for steady organized hooks throughout the year for a player to dive back in. On the development side, this also allows for the perfect hooks to introduce new systems and expand the late-game for veterans.

Also Read: The First Descendant tier list: Best characters to play

Likewise, the player count in these games spikes during the release of a new Season and slowly declines as players tick the seasonal homework checkboxes and take another break from the game. The problem with Nexon's decision to time-gate the Season 1 content is that the hook may not be arresting enough.

For player retention's sake, the idea of a resetting season-wide blessing system — a la Diablo 4 — may work out in theory. Only, there's not enough sand to fill the sandbox.

The situation is exacerbated by the distribution of the content updates. Hailey the playable character releases on August 29, but her build-defining Skill Modules will only present themselves two months later.

The First Descendant's player count has dropped steadily every week since its release. This is to be expected of a fledgling looter-shooter, as players run out of unique stuff to loot. However, with the season-dicing updates, many may choose to take a break and come back in November, when the Season 1 content is well and truly released.

If this is the case, Season 1 will be a flop—at least compared to what it could have been with a more traditional jam-packed seasonal update. Time will tell how this pans out for the game's longevity. For now, players who choose to stay may check out some of our guides on the game:

Edited by Sijo Samuel Paul