Nexon announced on the 2nd the plans for the first half of 2026 for 'The First Descendant', the looter-shooter developed by their subsidiary, Nexon Games.

During a live broadcast on the official YouTube channel, Nexon Games General PD Lee Beom-jun and Director Joo Min-seok walked viewers through the 2026 first-half roadmap and the new content arriving on December 4.

First, the team is expanding the gameplay experience with sequential content updates. January brings 'Rift Tracking', a new field for farming in-game currency. February introduces a new Descendant named 'Dia' alongside new dungeons, 'Undersea Base' and 'Legion Laboratory'.

In May, a new 'Clash Mode' will be added. It is an endgame challenge where a squad of four faces off against progressively stronger enemies, allowing players to utilize resources and deploy turrets for a unique combat experience.

Various improvements are also on the way. February will see the introduction of the 'Operation Order' system, where players can select items and complete missions for rewards, and a 'Descendant Mission Dashboard' to track content status. The 'Mutation Cell' system, which provides additional effects for the 'Arche Tuning' growth system, will also be improved.

In May, the item acquisition experience in 'Hard' mode will be overhauled to establish a new gameplay loop. Towards the latter half of Season 3’s fourth episode, the 'Hard Intercept Battle' will be revamped to offer endgame content with various difficulty levels.

In Season 4, scheduled for next summer, the final story arc featuring the invader 'Karel' and a corresponding 'Mega Dungeon' will be revealed. A new dungeon system will be implemented to provide a fresh challenge. Additionally, the weapon system will be intuitively improved, and new Transcendence-grade weapons focused on item acquisition will be released to offer a new experience.

New content will also be updated on December 4. First, 'Ultimate Yujin' and the accompanying Descendant story for Yujin will be added. Ultimate Yujin is a high-performance version of the support character Yujin, featuring a new 'Combat Protocol' style that allows him to consume his own HP to deal damage, debuff enemies, and heal. He also features the 'War Medic' module, which enhances his offensive performance as he performs his support role.

A new dungeon, 'Forbidden Sanctuary', will also be added. Located in the massive 'Axion' field, it can be accessed via the Infiltration Operation menu. It features a swarm of monsters and a new boss, 'Leftover Fusion', who uses toxic skills. Defeating it grants Ultimate Yujin blueprints, new Trigger modules, and Arche modules.

Following this, the defense-specialized Descendant 'Ajax' will be improved. His defensive and offensive play will be strengthened, and skill module changes will enable more diverse playstyles.

Three weapons are also being revamped. 'Afterglow Sword' will receive an effect that increases skill power when using fire properties and damage-over-time skills. 'Fallen Hope' will have its unique effects adjusted to perform better for Descendants using toxic and ground-based skills. 'Hive Mind' will receive improvements to its unique effects and performance.

Additionally, personal trading for 'Arche Modules', which enhance Descendant stats, will become available.

Year-end and New Year events are also planned. From December 4 to January 22, the 'Albion’s Winter Prep' event will allow players to earn boosts and gold by completing various challenges.

Furthermore, from December 4 to February 5, the 'Albion’s Warm Winter' event will offer Ultimate Weapon Selection Boxes and Descendant Purchase Vouchers based on cumulative login days.

From December 18 to January 22, all users who log in will receive an invitation to the 'Lounge Party', where they can choose one of two factions and compete every weekend to earn rewards.

More details can be found on the 'The First Descendant' official website.