The First Descendant Delays Season 4 to Reinvent Core Gameplay as Developers Reveal Extensive Update Roadmap

The development team behind The First Descendant has outlined its December update and a major roadmap for 2026 during an official livestream, available through the studio’s update broadcast. The presentation confirms substantial near term additions and a significant long term shift, as Season Four has been delayed to Summer 2026 to allow for a complete rework of the game’s foundational systems.

The December update introduces the new Descendant Ultimate Yujin, revealed through a new character driven narrative called Yujin’s Descendant Story. Ultimate Yujin features a hybrid identity with two Ultimate Skill Modules. The first module, Combat Protocol, supports a more aggressive playstyle that lets players sustain health while dealing damage. The second module, Battlefield Medic, brings a support oriented build that becomes stronger the more the character assists allies.

Players will also gain access to the Forbidden Sanctuary, a new dungeon located within an Axion based experimental facility. The Forbidden Sanctuary supports cooperative gameplay and includes a challenging new boss encounter. Key rewards earned here are required for obtaining Ultimate Yujin.

December’s update further expands the roster of Abyss Colossi with The Grim Reaper, a mutated version of the Death Stalker that uses poison focused attacks. This encounter requires precise timing and strategy, adding a new layer of difficulty for players seeking a deeper challenge.

Balance changes are also on the way for several existing Descendants including Ajax, Freyna, Valby and Viessa. Select weapons will receive tuning as well. A new Bunny exclusive External Component called Sprint Accelerator will be added, and Ancestors Modules will become tradeable through the Trade Market.

Looking ahead, the studio revealed an extensive roadmap adjustment. Season Four, originally planned for early 2026, has been moved to Summer 2026 so the team can rebuild the core experience. The developers stated that their goal is to create a clearer gameplay loop: setting meaningful goals, farming and experimenting with builds, and tackling structured endgame challenges, especially at Hard difficulty and beyond. In the meantime, Season Three will continue with Episodes Three and Four. Episode Two will also receive additional content in January through Breach Tracking, a new gold focused farming activity with randomized fields and missions that can drop items such as superconductive cooling units.

Season Three Episode Three arrives in February 2026 and introduces the beta release of Onslaught Mode. This new four player endgame mode features escalating enemy waves, with parties strategically deploying turrets and buffs using resources earned during combat. The complete version of Onslaught Mode is scheduled for the May update.

Episode Three will also add regular Descendant Dia with a new main story arc. Episode Four introduces a new Ultimate Descendant and delivers major revisions to Hard mode Void Intercept Battles. This activity will be transformed into a multi tier endgame pillar. Deep Void bosses will rotate monthly until the overhaul arrives, allowing players to farm legacy cosmetics and previously unobtainable Deep Void skins.

High difficulty farming will be restructured around a new Operation Command and Operation Directive system. Players will select the item they wish to target and then complete assigned missions to earn rewards. This system aims to create a more coherent and rewarding endgame structure.

The studio is also redesigning the Arche Tuning and Mutant Cell system. Instead of fragmented A, B and C item drops, players will interact with selectable nodes, making it easier to understand how upgrades benefit each Descendant. Additionally, the Stat display interface will be overhauled so players can understand their total damage output and the contributions of modules, reactions, tuning and external components. These values can be previewed in a single menu, reducing reliance on laboratory testing.

Season Four, now slated for Summer 2026, brings the conclusion of Karel’s narrative arc and introduces a massive Mega Dungeon that exceeds current infiltration operations and Void Vessel content in size and spectacle. The update also includes a complete weapon system overhaul and the introduction of Transcendent tier weapons that emphasize farming instead of repetition or excessive grind.

The First Descendant launched in July 2024 and quickly attracted players searching for an alternative to Destiny Two or The Division Two. The game reached ten million players within its first week. However, player retention declined over time, prompting the studio to pursue a major rebuilding effort. Technically, the title made notable achievements as well, becoming the first game to integrate Samsung HDR Ten Plus Gaming and the first to support PlayStation Spectral Super Resolution in combination with AMD FSR Frame Generation on PlayStation Five Pro.

With these ambitious updates and a willingness to rework core systems, NEXON appears committed to revitalizing The First Descendant for long term success.

Do you think delaying Season Four is the right call for improving The First Descendant, or will the long wait risk losing more players