If you’ve jumped into The First Descendant’s 2026 content update full of new co-op raids and boss fights, you’ve probably realized most high-difficulty content is way more fun (and winnable) with a group. I spent three fumbling runs trying to beat the new Void Queen boss solo last week before I finally looked up how to add people on The First Descendant, and it completely changed how I enjoy the game. Whether you’re trying to team up with real-life friends or match with skilled random players you meet in public lobbies, adding contacts makes it far easier to build a consistent team that fits your playstyle. The 2026 patch also added a few new quality-of-life features for friend management that most players haven’t found yet, so we’ll cover those too.
How to Add People on The First Descendant: 2026 Crossplay-Compatible Steps
The process works the same across PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, PC, and even the new portable cloud version that launched in 2026, so you don’t have to adjust steps for different platforms. Before you start, make sure you’ve linked your Nexon account to your platform profile, or you won’t be able to send or receive friend requests. The steps are simple and only take 30 seconds if you have your friend’s account details handy:
Note that 2026 crossplay settings are turned on by default for all new accounts, but if you can’t find a friend, double check that both of you have crossplay enabled in your Settings > Account menu. I ran into this issue when I tried to add my little brother who plays on Xbox, and it turned out he’d turned crossplay off by accident after a toxic run a few days prior. You can also filter search results to only show players on your platform if you don’t want to play with crossplay users for any reason.
Best Practices for Sending Friend Requests That Get Accepted
Once you know how to add people on The First Descendant, you’ll probably want to make sure most of your requests get accepted, especially if you’re reaching out to skilled players you meet in random lobbies. Most players don’t accept random friend requests from accounts with blank profiles or no clear context, so putting in a tiny bit of extra effort goes a long way. Always add a short custom message with your request if you’re reaching out to someone you don’t know IRL. For example, if they carried your team through the new level 80 Ice Wyrm raid, mention that: “Loved your build for the Ice Wyrm fight, want to run it again tomorrow for the rare drop?” You’re way more likely to get a yes than if you send a blank request.
Also, make sure your own profile shows your main character’s build and your most recently completed content, so other players can tell you’re an active, skilled player. Avoid sending requests to players who have their profile set to “Do Not Disturb” – that status usually means they’re grinding solo for a specific drop or playing with a pre-made group, and they probably won’t see or accept your request for a few days, if at all. If you’re looking for regular teammates, you can also post in the official 2026 The First Descendant Discord server’s LFG channels, and send requests to people who are looking for players with your exact skill level or main role.
2026 Friend Management Features You Might Have Missed
The 2026 spring content update added a handful of new friend management tools that make it far easier to organize large groups of teammates for different types of content, instead of having a messy, uncategorized friends list. You can now sort your friends list into custom groups like “Raiders”, “Casual Mission Players”, and “IRL Friends” so you can find the right people for the content you want to run in seconds. There’s also a new schedule sync feature that lets you mark times you plan to play, so your friends can see when you’ll be online without having to message you directly. This was a game-changer for my group, since we all have different work schedules and used to waste 10 minutes every session trying to coordinate who was available when.
If you run into any bugs with friend requests not sending or showing up, you can check the official Nexon support page for The First Descendant for up-to-date fixes for known bugs, which are usually patched within 24 hours of being reported. Another underrated feature is the “favorite friend” toggle, which sends you a push notification (if you have them enabled) whenever that friend comes online, so you never miss a chance to play with your best teammates. You can also turn on auto-join for favorite friends’ lobbies if you don’t want to wait for an invite every time you log on, just make sure you toggle that off if you’re planning to play solo for a while.
What to Do If You Can’t Add Someone on The First Descendant
Even if you follow all the steps correctly, you might run into issues adding people occasionally, especially after big 2026 content updates when servers are running a little slower. The first thing to check is that you typed their display name and 4-digit tag exactly right – capitalization doesn’t matter, but the numbers do, so even one wrong digit will bring up the wrong profile or no result at all. If you’re sure the name is right, check if either of you have hit the friends list limit: as of 2026, the maximum number of friends you can have on The First Descendant is 200, so if you’re at that cap, you’ll have to remove some inactive accounts to add new ones.
If requests are going through but not showing up for the other person, ask them to restart their game and check their Social tab again – temporary server glitches after updates often cause notification delays that are fixed with a quick restart. If the problem persists for more than a day, you can submit a support ticket to Nexon, but 9 times out of 10, the issue is a simple typo or crossplay setting that’s been turned off. I’ve had this happen twice after big updates, and a quick restart always fixed it for me, so don’t panic if your request doesn’t show up right away.
Adding friends makes every part of The First Descendant more fun, from running casual story missions to grinding for rare character skins and high-tier raid loot. Once you know how to add people on The First Descendant, you can build a solid team of players that match your playstyle and schedule, so you never have to struggle through high-difficulty content solo again. The 2026 quality of life updates make the entire process smoother than ever, so you can spend less time messing with menus and more time actually playing the game with people you enjoy running content with. If you try out any of the tips we shared, feel free to drop a comment below and let us know how it works for you!