This week, publisher NEXON ran their first Descendant Fest 2025 online event for their ongoing free-to-play looter shooter ‘The First Descendant’, celebrating the game’s first anniversary and going over the coming content and collab with the ever-present ‘Nier: Automata’. New details for the Season 3: Breakthrough update were revealed during the livestream, including a look at the massive Axion Plains field, the Hover Bike vehicle, the Colossus Field Raid, and the new Descendant Nell. Plus, you can bag some Spotify-styled goodies starting today.
Season 3 will have a playable demo beginning on the 24th and the full thing will launch on the 7th of August. In addition, the game’s soundtrack is also available on streaming services, composed by Stephen Barton.
Per the press release:
Axion is a vast new field that serves as the main stage for the Breakthrough update. In this expansive area, players can engage in large-scale battles, explore new dungeons and more. The Colossus Field Raid is a new 8-player activity featuring a powerful boss, the Wall Crasher, a slow-moving but devastating enemy that unleashes shockwaves, wide-range strikes and AoE attacks. Players will need to strategically form teams using diverse Descendants to take it down.
In addition, to navigate Axion’s open terrain, players can ride the new Hover Bike, offering greater speed and freedom in exploration. The update also introduces a new Descendant, Nell, who uses telekinetic abilities to mark enemies, deal enhanced damage to marked targets and support allies with shields and buffs. Depending on her build, Nell can excel in both offensive and support roles.
The development team also showcased the first collaborative crossover, featuring NieR: Automata’s iconic protagonists 2B and A2, who lend their likenesses and animations to the roster of playable Descendants. These powerful androids were built for warfare against machine lifeforms and their stunning skins, animations and decorations can be seen within The First Descendant’s game world in an all-new collaboration trailer:
“We’re proud to celebrate one full year since launch and incredibly grateful to all the players who’ve supported The First Descendant over the past year,” said Beom-Jun Lee, Executive Producer of The First Descendant. “Your feedback has been invaluable as the game has continued to evolve since release. We’re committed to listening, improving and delivering more exciting gameplay content moving forward. There’s still so much more to come and we hope you’ll continue this journey with us.”
Adding to the festive atmosphere, The First Descendant is collaborating with Spotify to bring players a special celebration. The First Descendant’s original soundtrack will be available on Spotify and other major streaming services. Players who log in to the game after the 3 July update will receive a special Spotify Name Card and two new Paints. Additionally, exclusive first anniversary merchandise and in-game items will be offered through the ‘Grab the Breakthrough’ event on the game’s official website.
Starting Thursday, July 24, players can jump into the Season 3: Breakthrough demo, where they’ll be able to play as Nell, face off against the Legion of Breach and the Wall Crasher and experience the thrill of riding the Hover Bike across the vast field of Axion. As a condensed gameplay experience, the demo offers an exciting teaser into the action and excitement of the upcoming season.
Also, to support new and returning players, The First Descendant will launch a limited-time Descendant Boost Up and Descendant Boost Path event starting August 7. The Descendant Boost Up event allows players to skip early-game content and begin directly in the mid game Sigma Sector on Hard mode, with appropriate settings and gear provided.
The Descendant Boost Path offers a step-by-step guide to help players quickly adapt to key systems and develop their Descendants. Designed to lower the entry barrier and encourage co-op play, this event ensures that both new and veteran players enjoy the latest content together.
A detailed monthly roadmap for the rest of 2025 was revealed, including new dungeons, Descendants and more. Lastly, to help players access game information more easily, The First Descendant Companion App is now available. The app allows players to view Descendant details, track research progress, receive completion alerts and check item information and acquisition sources. The app provides convenient access to player information and key game features, with future updates planned to add interactive functions such as initiating research directly from the app. The First Descendant Companion App will be released on iOS and Android devices.
Descendants can dive deeper into the world of The First Descendant by joining the conversation over on Discord. This channel was created as part of The First Descendant’s ongoing commitment to improving communication and gathering valuable feedback from the community. Players have responded positively, appreciating that their feedback is being heard and reflected in the game’s development.
Stay connected by following on X (formerly Twitter), liking on Facebook, catching updates on YouTube or keeping up with the latest news on tfd.nexon.com.
The First Descendant is available on PC via Steam, Xbox Series, and PlayStation 5 consoles.
