The First Descendant Launches to Mixed Reviews and Server Issues
Nexon's highly anticipated free-to-play looter shooter, The First Descendant, has made its debut on Steam and consoles with a rocky start. Despite reaching Steam's Top 10 chart on launch day, the game has faced mixed reviews and significant server downtime.
Launch Day Success and Subsequent Challenges
The Unreal Engine 5-powered game initially saw promising numbers, peaking at around 217,000 concurrent players on Steam. However, user reviews have been lukewarm, with only 42% of the 5,349 reviews recommending the game at the time of writing.
The situation worsened on the second day when the game's servers went offline for most of the day. Nexon attributed the connection issues primarily to Microsoft Azure network errors, leaving many players unable to access the game.
Game Features and Improvements
The First Descendant boasts several key features:
- 19 playable characters, including 14 original and 5 ultimate Descendants
- 11 weapon types and 22 Ultimate weapons
- 560 modules for character customization
- Support for NVIDIA DLSS 3.5, AMD FSR 2.2, and Intel XeSS 1.1
- Three graphics modes on consoles: Fidelity, Balanced, and Performance
Nexon has emphasized their commitment to player feedback, implementing numerous changes based on community requests from the open beta, which saw over two million participants.
Looking Ahead
As The First Descendant struggles with its launch issues, the development team faces the challenge of addressing server stability and improving player satisfaction. The game's initial popularity suggests potential, but its longevity will depend on how quickly and effectively Nexon can resolve these early problems.
For now, players and industry observers alike are watching closely to see if The First Descendant can overcome its launch hurdles and establish itself in the competitive looter shooter market.