Summary
The First Descendantjust received itsfinal major updatebefore it heads into its first season. The update includes a bunch of bug fixes, a new Void Intercept boss, and, most importantly, two new characters, Luna and Ultimate Valby.
WhileUltimate Valbyis just the Ultimate form of an existing Descendant, Luna is a brand new, musically-orientated character. Unfortunately, the excitement of a new Descendant seems to have worn off pretty quickly, as players took to the internet to call her “Clunky”, “Poorly Designed”, And “Garbage”.
“The Beat You Need To Shoot To Is Off”
Part of what makes Luna unique is her rhythm-style minigame used in combat. To “maximize the power of her skills,” players will need to shoot to a beat with the character. It feels like the recent indie hitMetal Hellsinger, minus the demons and heavy metal.
At first glance, this seems like an interesting new mechanic. However, more than a few players have struggled with it.
“The rhythm feels off,“one player said. In a second thread, another player declared that “The beat you need to shoot to is off,” with athird adding that the beat is"far too slow and doesn’t have enough notes.” The slower gameplay style also meant that players' DPS was “in the gutter.”
Casting the timing aside, other players have found the experience of playing Luna “stressful and overstimulating.” The combination of “constantly timing shots and skills while aiming” and managing “bullets, mana, special resources, focusing on who teammates are and where they are, and what abilities they have,” brings the character to a “tipping point.”
The combination of the above points led toher being calleda “terribly designed character for a fast-paced shooter looter game.”
“Luna’s Buffs Are Underwhelming”
For the players who could get to grips with Luna’s rhythmic gameplay, things still didn’t seem right.
Her CD reduction buff was called “lackluster”, the fact she’s excluded from her own group buff was panned, and, overall, the buffs were slated for “only lasting for 5-6 seconds”
OfNexon’snew addition, one player declared that “they cooked, but this needs to go back in the oven,” with others suggesting that a full rework wouldn’t be too far down the line.
“I didn’t think I would be into Luna, but yeah…”
While the general sentiment around the new character was pretty underwhelming, Luna does seem to be carving out a small fan base.
Many of the positive comments about the character were broader,along the lines of"Luna is clunky, poorly designed, and awkward to use, so how has she already become one of my favorites?” But it does show that there is a vocal minority in her corner.
The First Descendant
WHERE TO PLAY
The First Descendant is a next-generation third-person co-op action RPG looter shooter featuring high-quality graphics created in Unreal Engine 5.Players become a Descendant whose mission is to combat alien invaders – The Vulgus who crossed dimensions over 100 years ago and brought with them the devastating Colossi and destruction – for the survival of humanity and to protect Albion and the continent of Ingris. Players will encounter spectacular stories of forces fighting over the Iron Heart as they grow stronger through various missions and raids.Encounter features that make The First Descendant’s gameplay unique: a variety of characters with unique concepts and combat styles, massive boss battles with up to four player co-op, free movement and coordinated action with grappling hooks, a variety of weapons and compelling customization options.
