NEXON is celebrating a milestone as ten million “Descendants” hopped on to play The First Descendant during its first week. The free-to-play co-op action RPG shooter launched on July 2 and while it wasn’t the best of launches the game did attract ten million players which isn’t the worst way to start. NEXON posted about the achievement on its social media page where it thanked everyone for their support.
“We’ve reached 10 million Descendants in just 7 days! Thank you all for your tremendous support and love. It means everything to us. We will do our best to bring you great experiences. Can’t wait to continue this journey together!”
Microtransactions, Pay to Win?
Nexon has received criticisms over its microtransaction/monetization practices with its games and The First Descendant is no exception. The game also experienced a stumble when it went offline on its 2nd day due to technical issues. However, as GameRant points out the game does have a pay-to-win feel to it, similar to other looter shooters, but generally speaking most purchasable items are cosmetic or able to be found in the game. The lack of PvP also serves as a way to ensure that players cannot gain an edge over each other with weapon upgrades since they are not combating each other despite premium weapons being available to be purchased in the in-game store.
Director Comments from the latest Hotfix
A Hotifx was released on July 11 and in the highlights, the game’s director updated on some of these concerns including rare item drops and more on Steam. Players there have been very vocal about the many microtransactions within the game. Presently Steam users have given it a mixed rating with over 52,000 posted reviews.
Per Hotfix Highlights:
- Increased the quantity of rare basic materials dropped from Encrypted Vaults three-fold. The Elite Vulgus that appear in Field Missions and Infiltration Operations will now drop them too.
- The most efficient way to farm rare basic materials is still through Encrypted Vaults, but for those who prefer hunting monsters, we have updated Field Missions and Infiltration Operations to drop these materials too.
- The Dev Team will closely monitor the overall farming status and do our best to create a joyful environment for all our Descendants.
- Reduced the time from two 90-second to two 60-second occupations for the Kingston ‘Vulgus Data Transmitter’ Hacking Mission.
- Improved the Battle Pass Battle Supply Shop button’s visibility by redesigning it in the format of the Bonus Shop banner.
- You can get season-limited skins for free from the Battle Supply Shop. Complete pre-season challenges to claim your special skins!