Here’s Everything Coming to The First Descendant With Season 1 Invasion

Nexon has unveiled The First Descendant Season 1, called Invasion, alongside fresh details on a new playable character, lore, and plenty more coming to its popular free-to-play co-op focused looter shooter.

The new Descendant is Hailey, a legendary sniper who stars in the trailer, below. Also coming with Season 1 are new Invasion Dungeon challenges and seasonal power scaling. Here’s the story setup:

Following the disappearance of Karel’s fleet, the Vulgus altered their strategy, targeting the depths of Ingris’s dungeons. As they raid the Ancestors’ facilities in a bid to reclaim their lost outpost, the defenders of Ingris have deployed their latest scout, Hailey, to intercept and counter these new threats.

Season 1 starts on August 29 and will be available via a series of three updates across PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, Series X and S, and PC via Steam.

The First Descendant Season 1: Invasion’s three big updates will introduce:

• New Descendant: Hailey – Rising from a supply soldier in the guerilla unit is Hailey, a legendary sniper.
  • Armed with an anti-material sniper rifle, sub-zero bullets, and a storm snare, Hailey eliminates enemies with a single, devastating shot.
  • Her unique ability to lower her body temperature and emit cold air gives her a chilling edge in battle.
• New “Invasion Dungeon” – Occurring randomly in two dungeons of the Hard Difficulty Infiltration Operations, players will have a choice between the existing operations or the all-new Invasions. Designed to disrupt the Descendent’s operations, these dungeons are perfect for speedrunning enthusiasts. = The faster players clear the Invasion, the greater the rewards.
• New Season Growth: Inversion Reinforcement – Upon encountering the Iron Heart, Descendants undergo a powerful Arche resonance phenomenon, unlocking new potentials and abilities known as Inversion Reinforcement. With Inversion Reinforcement, Descendants will be granted new incremental powers in hunting, attribute, recovery, survival and seasons that increase as players progress through the season.
• New Descendant: Ultimate Freyna – Freyna has harnessed the power of Arche’s toxicity, evolving it into a formidable weapon. Now, as the newest Ultimate Descendant, she makes her powerful entrance into Albion.
• New Descendant Story: Freyna – This season, players can delve into the gripping backstory of Freyna and her haunting “Room Zero Trauma” skill. Will Freyna conquer her inner trauma? Discover her journey in the Season 1: Invasion update.
• Void Intercept Boss Battle: Death Stalker – In the darkness of the Void, Death Stalker, a being far more powerful than any Colossus encountered before, lurks and hunts down the Descendants. Emerging from the shadows, it unleashes attacks laced with venom and horror. To protect Albion from Death Stalker’s threat, players must uncover the mysteries hidden in the darkness and intercept Death Stalker.
• Ultimate Weapon: Excava and Frost Watcher –
  • Excava is a versatile weapon that combines the unique versatility of an assault rifle with a powerful charged shot. As you attack enemies, it charges voltage, which can then be converted into an energy grenade with a precise shot. This powerful weapon can be obtained as a Battle Pass reward and is also available through the free Battle Pass rewards.
  • Frost Watcher is a scout rifle obtainable through Season 1 content. Ideal when paired with Viessa and Hailey, it reduces chill resistance and enhances the damage of the player’s chilling skills.
• Many more updates and additions, including a mysterious trade agent, are making their way to Albion.

The First Descendant has enjoyed enormous popularity with over 10 million players in just 10 days. But it has been heavily criticized for its ultra aggressive monetization, which includes the cost of Ultimate versions of its playable characters. IGN has reported on one player who spent an eye-watering 200 hours to unlock every Ultimate Descendant currently available in the game without paying money.

Wesley is the UK News Editor for IGN. Find him on Twitter at @wyp100. You can reach Wesley at wesley_yinpoole@ign.com or confidentially at wyp100@proton.me.