Launch as a Phenomenon in 2024: The First Descendant – A Game That Attracted Over 264,000 Concurrent Players
However, the current player count has drastically dropped, with only around 11,000 players remaining during peak hours. The major patch that triggered this decline was hotfix 1.2.13, released on April 3rd, aimed at balancing character classes – a move that the community felt was more of a “nerf” than a genuine improvement in the game experience.
Nexon Developers Face Criticism for Continuous Character Releases Like Ines and Serena, Which Overwhelm Game Content
This situation has also led to ongoing updates aimed at further balancing issues. Yet, the community has expressed dissatisfaction with this direction. Ines – the latest character – has faced scrutiny for being overpowered across all skill sets, while also having her cooldown times significantly reduced, making her nearly invincible. Other characters, Serena and Freyna, are also under observation and may face further adjustments.
The result has been a wave of negative reviews flooding Steam. On April 3rd, there were 475 negative ratings, followed by an additional 430 negative reviews the next day. This backlash originated from a community backlash during a survey in June 2024, where the developers were criticized for failing to balance character strengths adequately or creating characters that felt balanced upon release. Following the 1.2.13 patch, Nexon has only released one subsequent hotfix – primarily to fix connectivity issues – without making any substantial changes to character balance.
The narrative surrounding The First Descendant has drawn comparisons to Helldivers 2, where Arrowhead struggled with balance, leading to player dissatisfaction and subsequent changes. Many successful games on PC allow players to relieve stress without the burdens of strict balancing requirements, and The First Descendant still finds itself in this challenging category.
