Looter shooters have become increasingly popular over the last several years. Many players enjoy the grind and the rush to find something new, which is why many players are looking forward to The First Descendant being widely available next month. It looks to be a rather promising title, learning from Destiny 2 and Warframe to deliver a worthwhile fantasy meets sci-fi experience unique to The First Descendant.

The First Descendant allows players to experience the game as 19 unique characters, with many weapons and modifiers added to the mix to inspire players to strategize differently between missions. Just like many looter shooters before it, The First Descendant is going to be a live-service game with a Battle Pass of sorts alongside a seasonal structure. However, where many games emphasize the grind or microtransactions, The First Descendant seems to be putting a focus on the players in a way that sounds very promising, if what director Minseok Joo had to say during a recent interview with Game ZXC is anything to go by.

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The First Descendant Understands the Importance of Community

Live-service games are nothing without their player base. Returning and regular logins, the success of limited-time events, and reliable monetization are critical to the success of any live-service game, and the only way to keep all three going is with a living, breathing community. This is why other MMORPG titles like Final Fantasy 14 have managed to stay active for ten or more years, and The First Descendant has kept that in mind throughout all of its public tests with future players, as stated by the director:

We've run three public tests already, and we are having conversations with our players regarding feedback. Just honest feedback, back and forth. We've been doing this in community spaces such as YouTube or our Discord server. On one hand, we make it a point to showcase our game at such a big event like [Summer Game Fest], but on the other hand, we also like to have a small AMA session with users online.

Minseok Joo also tells Game ZXC that The First Descendant is aiming to keep all players in mind, making the looting experience possible in single-player while making tougher challenges easier in multiplayer. The First Descendant doesn't want the grind of looting to be too much, with the director stating that each mission playthrough should earn players a sizable amount of loot. If fans want a challenge or possibly a higher chance of rarer item drops, The First Descendant players can turn up the difficulty with modifiers which help cut down on things feeling like a chore rather than a game.

Feedback Has Allowed The First Descendant To Give Players the Shirt Off Its Backs

Even as The First Descendant aims to make looting less of a chore and make it so that all players can experience the game together, it's still a live-service game. It's understandable as to why potential fans might have reservations about picking it up as a result, as it's yet another title with a battle pass and microtransactions. However, The First Descendant's developers have evaluated these live-service aspects after the open tests with players, and the approach that was adopted after the fact has been considerably more understanding to players.

We've run technical tests, and in those tests, we've had discussions about microtransactions. We've received a lot of feedback especially regarding microtransactions, and we've decided to terminate the microtransactions that players are not satisfied with. We made sure to share that information within our community almost instantly.

Battle Pass frustrations won't be a thing with The First Descendant, either, as all of them won't have a deadline or vanish. Instead, they'll remain there for players who wish to continue it, waiting for when they come back, no matter how frequently they play. Ultimately, this ties in well with how the team wants seasonal content to reveal the story and lore about all the Descendants.