If you’ve spent any time browsing looter shooter game forums or scrolling gaming TikTok feeds lately, you’ve probably come across clips of players taking down giant, alien bosses with over-the-top weapons in The First Descendant. A lot of new players are asking one core question before they download the 50+ GB game: is the first descendant an mmo, or is it just another small-scale co-op shooter? I’ve sunk over 120 hours into the game since its full launch, playing both solo and with a full group of friends, so I’ve got a clear picture of how its multiplayer systems work, and where it falls on the spectrum between single-player RPG and full massive multiplayer online game. We’ll break down all its features, compare it to standard MMOs, and help you decide if it’s the right fit for the type of gameplay you’re looking for.
Core MMO Traits Most Players Look For
Before we dive into The First Descendant’s specific features, it helps to set a clear baseline for what most gamers mean when they call a title an MMO. There’s no official industry rulebook, but after talking to dozens of MMO fans and playing over 15 different massive multiplayer titles over the last 10 years, I’ve found there are 4 non-negotiable traits most people look for:
- Persistent open world that stays active even when you log off, with shared space for dozens or hundreds of players at the same time
- Massive player count support for activities like raids, world bosses, or PvP battles that include 20+ players at once
- Social systems built for long-term community like guilds, in-game trading hubs, public chat channels for all players on a server
- Regular content updates that expand the shared world rather than just adding isolated missions or character skins
Some players also include cross-server play or player-driven economies as part of the MMO definition, but those are more divisive. For this breakdown, we’ll stick to the four core traits above to avoid nitpicking edge cases. It’s also important to note that a lot of modern games blend MMO traits with other genres, so classification often isn’t black and white.
Is The First Descendant an MMO? Breaking Down the Core Classification
The short answer is no, The First Descendant is not a full, traditional MMO, but it does borrow several core MMO features that make it feel far more expansive than most standard 4-player co-op looter shooters. Let’s go through each of the core MMO traits we listed earlier to see where it fits.
First, its open world is partially shared, but not fully persistent. You’ll run into other random players when you’re exploring the open world zones, and you can team up with them to take on world bosses or public events, but the world doesn’t progress when you’re offline, and you can only see up to 16 other players in a single zone instance at one time. That’s way more than a standard 4-player co-op game, but far less than the hundreds of players you’d see in a full MMO like World of Warcraft or Black Desert Online.
It also doesn’t support large-scale 20+ player activities right now. All mission content, including the hardest endgame raids, only supports up to 4 players total. The only exception is public world boss fights, which can have up to 16 players at once, but those are limited to specific scheduled events rather than being a core part of regular gameplay. There are also no player-versus-player open world modes or large-scale battlegrounds available at launch, which are a staple for a lot of popular MMOs.
That said, it does hit two of the four core MMO traits pretty well. It has full guild systems, global chat channels for all players on your server, and a shared in-game market where you can buy and sell items with other players. The devs also release regular large content updates that add new open world zones, boss fights, and story content that all players can access together, rather than just isolated paid DLC for individual players. So while it’s not a full MMO, it’s definitely MMO-adjacent, which is where a lot of the classification confusion comes from.
Key Multiplayer Features You Can Access in The First Descendant
A lot of players who come into the game wondering is the first descendant an mmo are surprised by how deep these social features are, especially if they’ve only played single-player or small co-op looter shooters before. Even if it’s not a full MMO, The First Descendant has a surprisingly robust set of multiplayer features that feel right at home in MMO titles, especially for players who prefer PvE content over PvP. The first thing most new players notice is the shared open world, which lets you team up with random players or friends to explore every zone, hunt for rare crafting materials, or take on roaming elite enemies without having to load into a separate mission instance.
The guild system is far more developed than you’d expect for a looter shooter, too. You can create a guild with up to 100 players, set up custom guild ranks, access a shared guild storage chest, and join exclusive guild events that reward rare weapons and character skins. Guilds can also compete against each other in weekly leaderboard challenges for extra rewards, which adds a fun competitive edge without forcing you into open world PvP if you don’t want it. I’m part of a small guild with 12 of my real-life friends, and we do weekly guild challenge runs every weekend to earn extra crafting materials for our endgame builds.
The shared in-game market is another feature that’s usually only found in full MMOs. You can list any extra weapons, crafting materials, or cosmetic items you don’t want for in-game currency, and buy items from other players at whatever price the market supports. There’s no pay-to-win element here, either, since all items on the market are earned through gameplay, not bought with real money. That makes it way easier to get the specific stat rolls you want for your build without grinding the same mission 50 times. I’ve personally used the market to pick up a perfect roll for my main character’s legendary weapon last month, and it saved me at least 10 hours of grinding the same raid mission over and over.
Who Should (and Shouldn’t) Play The First Descendant If They Want an MMO Experience
If you’ve been asking is the first descendant an mmo because you want a low-commitment alternative to full MMOs, it’s an excellent choice. If you’re on the fence about downloading The First Descendant because you want an MMO-like experience, there are a few clear signs it’s a good fit for you. First, if you mostly play MMOs for PvE co-op content, world boss fights, and guild community rather than large-scale PvP or fully player-driven worlds, you’ll probably love what it has to offer. It’s also a great pick if you don’t have 20+ hours a week to dedicate to a full MMO grind, since its progression system is way more forgiving, and you can make meaningful progress even if you only play a few hours a week.
On the other hand, if you’re looking for a traditional MMO experience with hundreds of players in a single shared world, large-scale PvP battlegrounds, or a fully player-driven economy, you’ll probably be disappointed. It also doesn’t have any roleplaying focused features like in-game housing or custom character backstory tools, which are a big draw for a lot of MMO players. If that’s the type of experience you want, you’re better off sticking to a traditional MMO like Final Fantasy XIV or Guild Wars 2.
One thing to keep in mind is that the devs have already teased they’re looking into adding larger-scale 8-player raids and more open world shared content in future updates, so it might move closer to a full MMO experience over time. But right now, it’s firmly in the MMO-adjacent looter shooter category, and it’s best to go in with that expectation to avoid disappointment.
At the end of the day, the question of is the first descendant an mmo comes down to what you personally look for in a multiplayer game. It’s not a traditional full MMO by most standard definitions, but it borrows enough of the genre’s best features to feel far more connected and expansive than most other looter shooters on the market. If you want a game that lets you team up with friends, join a guild, trade with other players, and take on challenging co-op content without the overwhelming grind of a full MMO, it’s absolutely worth checking out. Just don’t go in expecting the massive shared world or large-scale PvP of a traditional MMO, and you’ll have a great time.