If you’ve been grinding Void Chasers, farming upgrade materials for your favorite descendants, or waiting for that long-requested Bunny buff, you’ve probably asked when is the next first descendant update more than once over the last few weeks. Nexon’s third-person looter shooter has built a loyal fanbase thanks to its fast-paced combat, wild character abilities, and constant stream of free content, but the gap between patches can feel endless when you’ve cleared all current endgame content. I’ve been covering The First Descendant since its global launch, and I’ve pulled together every official hint, developer livestream clip, and community leak to break down exactly what we can expect from the next update, and when it’s likely to drop.
When Is The Next First Descendant Update? Official Timeline Hints
Nexon follows a pretty consistent patch schedule for The First Descendant, with major content updates dropping every 6 to 8 weeks, and smaller hotfixes rolling out as needed between big patches. The last major update, which introduced the ice-based descendant Viessa and the Frozen Void Raid, launched in early April, so we’re currently right on track for the next big patch to drop in mid to late May. Devs confirmed this timeline in a recent official Discord Q&A, noting that they don’t expect any delays as long as final testing goes smoothly.
Nexon typically releases all First Descendant updates at 2AM UTC for global servers, so you can plan your playtime around that if you want to jump in as soon as the patch goes live. The team always posts a full official patch preview 3 full days before the update drops, so you’ll have plenty of time to read through all the changes before they go into effect. Minor hotfixes for small bugs and server issues usually drop every 7 to 10 days with no prior notice, so if you’re dealing with a small glitch, it might be fixed sooner than you think.
Just keep in mind that release dates can shift at the last minute if the dev team finds critical bugs during final testing. It’s always a good idea to check the official X (Twitter) account or Discord server for last-minute announcements if you’re planning a play session around the update launch.
Expected New Content Coming In The Next First Descendant Update
Devs have teased a ton of new content for the next patch, starting with a brand new playable descendant codenamed Ember. Ember is a fire-based melee brawler that builds heat stacks as she deals damage, which boost her attack speed, survivability, and ultimate ability power. She’s designed for players who prefer close-quarters combat instead of long-range sniping or support play, and she’ll be unlockable both via free story progression and for direct purchase with Void Crystals.
We’re also getting a brand new endgame Void Raid called the Obsidian Colossus, which is being billed as the hardest content added to the game so far. The raid will have 3 difficulty tiers, with exclusive legendary mods and ascension materials dropping only from the highest difficulty level. Players will also get access to 12 new legendary weapon skins and 3 new descendant costumes as part of the free battle pass track, so you don’t have to spend real money to customize your loadout.
The dev team has also shared a list of the top community-requested features that are being considered for the next update, including:
- Cross-platform save support for PC, PlayStation, and Xbox players, one of the top requested features since global launch
- Reduced material costs for ascending descendants from level 100 to level 120, which currently takes dozens of hours of grinding to complete
- A new "quick match" filter for Void Raids that lets you search for teams based on specific difficulty levels and desired loot drops
- Option to skip cutscenes for story missions you've already completed, which will cut down on farm time for story-exclusive materials
Not all of these features are 100% confirmed for the next patch, but devs noted that all four are high priority and will roll out over the next two updates if they don’t make it into this one.
Balance Changes You Can Expect To See In The Next Patch
After every major update, the dev team runs a community balance survey to collect feedback on which characters, weapons, and mechanics need adjustments. The results from the Viessa patch survey are already in, and we have a pretty clear idea of what changes are coming in the next update.
First up, Bunny is finally getting the buff mains have been asking for for months. Her base ability damage is going up by 20%, and her ultimate ability will no longer be interrupted by heavy enemy attacks, fixing one of her biggest weaknesses in endgame content. Viessa, the newest descendant, is getting a small nerf to her freeze duration in PvP mode, since she’s been dominating competitive matches since her launch with almost no counters. All shotgun type weapons are getting a 15% damage boost against mid-range enemies, to make them more viable outside of close-quarters combat and give players more build flexibility.
Legendary mod drop rates are also getting adjusted, so you’re far less likely to get duplicate mods that you can’t use or sell. I’ve been running Void Chasers on hard mode for three weeks straight and only got one usable legendary mod, so this change is going to save a lot of players a ton of frustrating grind time. Lesser-used characters like Gley and Ajax are also getting small ability tweaks to make them more viable in endgame raids, so if you have those characters parked in your roster, you might want to dust them off after the update drops.
How To Prepare For The Next First Descendant Update
A new update means a ton of new content to grind for, so there are a few simple steps you can take now to make sure you’re ready to jump in as soon as the patch goes live. First, start saving up your Void Crystals if you want to unlock the new Ember descendant immediately. She’ll cost 1200 Void Crystals to purchase directly, or you can unlock her for free by completing the new story mission that launches with the update, but buying her lets you skip the story grind if you want to play her right away.
Next, farm extra Obsidian Shards if you have extra time right now. Those are the main material used to ascend fire-type descendants, and they’ll be in extremely high demand right after the update drops, so stocking up now will save you hours of grinding later. Make sure you clear all your weekly battle pass challenges before the update drops, because the battle pass will reset when the new update goes live, and you’ll lose any unclaimed rewards you worked hard to earn.
It’s also a good idea to hold off on upgrading any low-tier weapons or characters you don’t use regularly right now. The new legendary weapons coming in the update have much higher base stats than most current endgame weapons, so saving your upgrade materials for the new gear will be far more useful than wasting them on gear you’ll replace immediately. If you have any active bug reports, submit them to the official support team at least a week before the expected update date, so the devs have time to fix them in the upcoming patch.
At the end of the day, we’re all just as excited as you are to get our hands on the new content, and we’ll update this post as soon as we have official confirmation of when is the next first descendant update. For now, you can expect the patch to drop in the next 3 to 4 weeks, with plenty of new content, balance changes, and quality of life fixes to keep you occupied for months. If you have features you’re hoping to see in the next update, drop a comment below, we’d love to hear what you’re most excited for.