I’ve spent most of my free time over the past few weeks diving into The First Descendant, testing out every character, farming for the best legendary gear, and tweaking every graphics setting I can find to run the game smoothly on my mid-range PC. I’ve seen dozens of questions pop up on Reddit, Discord, and official game forums asking does the first descendant have jiggle physics, so I decided to test every character and setting to put together a full, no-fluff answer for anyone curious. It’s a fair question, too: modern looter shooters put a lot of work into character animations, and small, dynamic details can make a huge difference in how immersive the game feels while you’re running through open world zones or fighting massive boss raids.
Does The First Descendant Have Jiggle Physics? The Short Answer
The short answer is yes, but it’s not the over-the-top, exaggerated physics you might have seen in some older anime-style games. All of the dynamic movement effects in The First Descendant are designed to feel grounded and match the game’s gritty sci-fi aesthetic, so you won’t see any cartoonish, unrealistic bouncing that pulls you out of the action. Jiggle physics in The First Descendant are tied entirely to character design and cosmetic choices, not a separate toggle you can switch on or off by default.
I tested all 11 playable characters across both male and female designs to confirm, and every character has at least some form of dynamic physics tied to their base design. For example, Bunny’s long twin tails bounce and swing as she uses her speed boost ability, and Lepic’s heavy combat cape flows behind him when he jumps off a cliff or dodges incoming enemy fire. Even smaller characters like Sharen have subtle movement for the loose straps on her combat suit.
What Types of Jiggle Physics Are Included For Characters?
Not all dynamic physics are created equal, and The First Descendant splits its character movement effects across four main categories, each reacting to different in-game actions. You’ll notice these effects most when you’re moving fast, using abilities, or standing in open world zones with active wind effects, like the coastal Valtan area. These small, dynamic details are exactly why so many players ask does the first descendant have jiggle physics in the first place, and the dev team did a great job making them feel intentional instead of tacked on.
- Hair and fur animations: Dynamic movement for long hair, braids, and animal-style fur accents that react to running, jumping, and combat actions. Characters with longer hair will have far more noticeable effects than those with short cuts or helmets that cover their head entirely.
- Cloth and fabric physics: Flowing capes, loose jacket hems, and skirt layers that move with directional changes and wind effects in open world zones. This is one of the most noticeable effects, especially for characters who wear long outer layers as part of their base design.
- Accessory movement: Hanging keychains, headset mics, ammo pouches, and decorative shoulder charms that bounce naturally during fast movement. You can even add custom accessories in the character customization menu that have their own small physics effects.
- Articulated armor parts: Segmented shoulder plates, knee guards, and detachable gear pieces that shift position when you dodge or use character abilities. This is a more subtle effect, but it makes heavy armor sets feel far less stiff and static than they do in many other looter shooters.
One thing I was surprised to find is that even paid cosmetic skins have the same level of physics detail as base character skins. I bought the new winter-themed skin for Viessa last week, and her fur-lined hood and long coat have even more dynamic movement than her base design, which was a nice touch that I didn’t expect from a paid cosmetic. You don’t have to spend real money to get cool physics effects either, as many of the free earnable skins from raids and battle passes have unique dynamic details too.
Can You Adjust Jiggle Physics Settings In The First Descendant?
A lot of players ask if they can turn these effects off to save frame rate, or turn them up to get the most immersive experience possible. Right now, the game doesn’t have a dedicated toggle for jiggle physics specifically, but you can adjust your overall graphics settings to control how these effects show up. I tested every graphics preset to see how they impacted physics, so I can give you a clear breakdown of what to expect.
If you want to enable the full range of character physics effects, you’ll need to set your overall graphics preset to High or higher, and make sure the "Dynamic Objects" setting is toggled on. If you’re running the game on a lower-end PC, setting your graphics preset to Medium will keep most basic physics effects intact, but it will simplify some of the more complex cloth and hair movement to save processing power. If you set your preset to Low, almost all dynamic physics effects will be turned off entirely to prioritize frame rate.
One common concern I’ve seen from PVP players is whether these physics effects give any sort of competitive advantage, or make it harder to hit enemy players. I tested this extensively in both PVE raids and the 3v3 PVP mode, and I can confirm that the effects are 100% visual only. All jiggle physics effects are purely cosmetic, so they have no impact on hit detection, ability damage, or PVP balance whatsoever. Even if you turn all physics effects off on your end, you’ll still hit enemy players the exact same way, and their character’s hitbox won’t change at all.
If you’re struggling with frame rate while playing with high settings, you don’t have to turn off all physics effects to get a smoother experience. Try turning down shadow quality or post-processing effects first, as those have a far bigger impact on frame rate than character physics do in my testing. I run the game on a RTX 3060, and I can keep all physics effects enabled while holding a steady 60 FPS at 1080p, even during busy 8-player raids.
How Community Mods Expand Physics Options For PC Players
PC players who want more control over their game’s physics effects have started creating community mods that tweak or expand the base game’s animation settings. These mods range from small tweaks that make hair movement look more natural, to full overhauls that add physics effects to character parts that don’t have them in the base game. Some mods also let you adjust the intensity of physics effects, so you can make them more or less noticeable depending on your preference.
That said, there are some very important caveats you need to know before you download any of these mods. We don’t recommend using third-party physics mods for online play, as Nexon’s anti-cheat system may flag them as unauthorized modifications and lead to a temporary or permanent account ban. The game’s anti-cheat scans for any changes to core game files, and even purely cosmetic mods can trigger a ban if they modify the game’s animation files.
If you only play the game offline, or you’re willing to take the risk for private play, you can find most of these mods on popular modding sites. Just make sure you download them from trusted sources, and always back up your game files before installing any mods. Many players have also been requesting that Nexon add an official toggle for physics effects in future updates, and the dev team has mentioned in recent community streams that they’re considering adding this option in a later patch, so we might see official controls soon. It would be a nice quality of life update for both players who want to save frame rate and players who want to customize their visual experience.
So, if you’ve been asking does the first descendant have jiggle physics, the answer is a clear yes, with subtle, well-designed effects that add to the game’s immersion without feeling over the top. You don’t have to do anything special to enable them if you’re running medium or higher graphics settings, and you don’t have to worry about them impacting your gameplay performance or competitive balance. If you want to get the most out of your character’s animations, try experimenting with different cosmetic accessories and skins to see which ones have the most noticeable dynamic effects as you play. At the end of the day, these small details are just one of the many little touches that make The First Descendant feel so polished and fun to play for hours on end.