The First Descendant was only released in late June, but one player has already unlocked all of the Ultimate Descendants currently available in the game without paying any money.
Nexon’s free-to-play co-op looter shooter has become hugely popular with over 10 million players in just 10 daysBut it has been heavily criticized for its ultra-aggressive monetization, including the cost of the Ultimate versions of the playable characters, called Descendants.
The grind involved in unlocking Ultimate Descendants without paying money is immense, as players have to deal with extreme drop rates for essential items, but that hasn’t stopped players from giving it a try. One player, however, has taken the grind to extreme levels, putting in 200 hours in just a few weeks to unlock all of the Ultimate Descendants. That’s an average of 14 hours of playtime per day.
Redditor chicha112 showed off their stunning feat with a series of screenshots and a spontaneous ‘ask me anything’ moment, as players of The First Descendant reacted in disbelief.
Chicha112, who plays on PC, explained that they are veterans of Warframe, a looter shooter that The First Descendant takes inspiration from, and Korean MMOs in general (Nexon is a Korean developer). After that, it was just a matter of “raw grinding.”
“There are a lot of questions throughout the thread that I’ve tried to answer, but honestly, when it comes to tips, it all comes down to being strong enough to tackle the content efficiently and then execute it,” Chicha112 said. “No special tricks or super tips to get ahead, as far as I know.”
“A lot of these systems aren’t surprising and I like to do things efficiently,” Chicha112 explained. “I also just have a lot of free time at the moment, so I’m lucky to be able to grind so much.”
“My playtime is 200 hours, I’m sure I have some AFK time due to maintenance day two and leaving the game on. I’m sure it’s a bit late for others, but a good tip to keep in mind is that a good base to grind these characters is very important. A strong weapon and a decent build will reduce your farming time tremendously! For example, I used my first Energy Capacitor and a few Crystallization Catalysts on my base non-Ultimate Bunny when I was going through the game very early on to minimize my time.”
Chicha112 admitted that they had to purchase character slots (another part of The First Descendant that is sold for real money) to house the Ultimate Descendants they unlocked. “Hope they add a way to get them for free,” they added.
Some players have advised Chicha112 to take a break from the game now, which they apparently plan to do. “I’m completely out of my mind,” they said. “Yeah, it’s time to touch some grass.”
What does this tell us about The First Descendant and its grind? Nothing we didn’t already know. This is a free-to-play game from Nexon, and so the grind to unlock coveted virtual items for the game’s characters was always going to be punishing. But at least now the community knows the true time value of the money they’re spending, should they choose to release all of the Ultimate Descendants into the game.
On a related note, this week Nexon asked the First Descendant community to stop AFK farming, or going AFK during co-op missions, after it became a major issue shortly after launch. Nexon was also accused of copying Destiny 2 icons for the icons used in The First Descendant, something the company has now said it will address in-game issues.
Last week Nexon released a major update for The First Descendant This brings some major changes to the game, but leaves some aspects that have been under discussion within the community alone.
from IGN The First Descendant review gave it a 5/10. We said: “The First Descendant has all the building blocks of a fantastic looter shooter, but they’re buried under a pile of monotonous quests, a terrible story, and a frustrating free-to-play model that has influenced the game design in the worst possible way.”
Wesley is the UK News Editor for IGN. Find him on Twitter at @wyp100. You can reach Wesley at wesley_yinpoole@ign.com or confidentially at wyp100@proton.me.