Yesterday, NEXON and The First Descendant development team revealed the roadmap for the first half of 2026 in a special livestream, unveiling plans for the next year of content.
The First-Half 2026 Roadmap
The First Descendant has unveiled its roadmap for the first half of 2026, focusing on expanding combat content, improving balance and enhancing the overall farming loop to completely reinvent the core fun of the game. To support these goals, new content updates will roll out monthly, alongside ongoing adjustments to Descendants and weapons.
A first look at what’s ahead for 2026 was revealed during the livestream, showcasing plans to reorganize the cycle from setting goals, to farming and to challenging endgame content. Players also received a first glimpse of new content, including the new Breach Tracking. This opens up a wide gold-farming region where fields and missions rotate randomly, helping reduce repetition. For players seeking high-intensity endgame action, the new Onslaught Mode offers a separate challenge. Parties of four face waves of increasingly powerful enemies, strategically placing turrets and buffs using resources gained during battle.
“Beyond just adding more content, we’re taking community feedback to heart by expending the best elements of the game and reorganizing and rebuilding the core experience to make it more compelling and welcoming for players as the game enters its next phase,” said Minseok Joo, Creative Director of The First Descendant. “As players reenter the world of The First Descendant, we hope they will discover a new vision of the game they knew.”
The new Descendant Dia will also finally make her debut in Season 3 Episode 3, arriving in February 2026, which features a main storyline centered around her. Upcoming plans also include a major overhaul of the farming loop with features such as the Operation Command System and Descendant Mission Dashboard, improvements to the early-game experience including Boost Path 2.0, monthly balance updates for Descendants and weapon reworks, and optimization and service stability enhancements including new performance and optimization settings. The Hard Mode of the Void Intercept Battle will also be renewed into a new endgame content.
Updates Coming to Season 4
Season 4, set to arrive next summer, will explore Karel’s story and the final battle, culminating in the introduction of a new Mega Dungeon designed to match the scale of its narrative. Players can expect missions featuring larger-scale combat and more dramatic presentation than previous Infiltration Operations and Void Vessels.
Season 4 will also introduce a complete overhaul of the weapon system. The current progression structure of research, readjustment, and augmentation cores has become cumbersome for players, and will be renewed with a more streamlined system. Transcendent-tier weapons will be restructured around farming content, with the goal of delivering an entirely new weapon system experience.
Details of the December Update
Additionally, players received an overview of the upcoming December Update, which includes an ultimate version of Descendant Yujin, ‘Ultimate Yujin.’ The update also includes the new ‘Forbidden Sanctuary’ Dungeon, the new Abyss Colossus ‘Grim Reaper,’ new items and more.
More information on the upcoming December update can be found below:
-
New Descendant: Ultimate Yujin
-
The update introduces the new Descendant Ultimate Yujin, revealed through Yujin’s Descendant Story.
-
Features a hybrid playstyle with two Ultimate Skill Modules: Combat Protocol, which introduces a new combat-focused playstyle that lets him to sustain his HP while dealing damage, while Battlefield Medic offers a support-oriented style that grows stronger the more he assists his allies.
-
-
New Dungeon: Forbidden Sanctuary
-
Players can also explore the Forbidden Sanctuary, an experimental facility in Axion that supports multiplayer co-op and features a challenging new boss.
-
The dungeon offers key rewards for acquiring Ultimate Yujin.
-
- Monthly Balance Update: Ajax / 3 Descendants / 3 Weapons
-
A number of Descendants, including Ajax, Freyna, Valby and Viessa, along with select weapons, also will receive balance adjustments to enhance playstyles and skill performance.
-
-
New Colossus: Grim Reaper
-
The Grim Reaper, a new Abyss Colossus and mutated form of Death Stalker, offers a poison-based challenge that requires players to master its mechanics through careful strategy and timing.
-
