Nexon announced on the 17th that it has rolled out a fresh update for The First Descendant, featuring the new 'Invasion' mode. The patch notes also detail balance adjustments for Descendants and Ultimate weapons, alongside a handful of new trigger modules to tinker with.

Let's dive into the 'Invasion' mode, shall we? It is essentially a defensive mission where you must halt waves of monsters charging toward a target point. You’ll need to play tactically, utilising turrets and barricades; you can construct or upgrade these defenses using currency earned by slaughtering foes. Along the way, you can choose from various ability modifiers at specific stages to buff your stats. The mode spans three distinct zones, each offering a unique combat flavour, culminating in a boss battle against a Colossus. While the beta version wrapped up on April 29th, the full, polished experience arrives on May 21st.

As for our Descendants, Viessa and Hailey have received some necessary TLC. Viessa retains her identity as an area-of-effect powerhouse, but her overall kit feels snappier. The 'Glacial Cloud' skill module has been reworked to pierce through enemies, dealing damage over time from a safer distance, while 'Hypothermia' now stacks up to 30 ice thorns. With four other modules like 'Cold Snap' and 'Cold-Blooded' receiving buffs, there is plenty of room for fresh build experimentation. Hailey, on the other hand, gains a health-based damage multiplier, and her skill power, along with the damage and pull range of 'Storm Snare', have been significantly expanded.

Three Ultimate weapons have also been given a bit of a facelift. The sniper rifle 'Piercing Light' has been retooled into a multi-hit weapon that deals extra piercing damage and packs a wallop against single targets. Its unique ability, 'Purification of Light', now triggers a 'Chain Explosion' when you hit a 'Target of Light' mark, raining down area damage on enemies standing behind your primary victim. Meanwhile, the explosive launchers 'Sigvore’s Proof' and 'Exterminator' have seen their DPS pushed up, making them far more efficient in the heat of battle.

To round out the combat changes, two new trigger modules have been added. 'Gun Cooling' is a tailor-made pick for Viessa; landing status effects with persistent or projectile skills will now reduce the cooldown of your firearm-buffing abilities. Then there is 'Laceration', which is perfect for damage-over-time specialists like Esiemo and Lepic. It procs when you pull enemies while using a persistent skill or land shots with penetrating projectiles.

Nexon is also celebrating the update with a raft of events. The 'Special Cleaning Service Request II' attendance event runs until May 28th, offering various growth materials and the 'Viessa Cleaning Service' skin. Furthermore, the 'Transcendent Module Dismantling Week' is live until May 21st, allowing you to break down Transcendent Modules into shards, which can then be traded for your desired modules at the shop run by 'BB-On'.

For a deeper dive into the latest content updates for The First Descendant, you can head over to The First Descendant official website to get the full scoop.