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Steam Beta Guide (1)_Rune System

Hello, Descendants!

We’d like to provide you with the game guide prior to the Steam Beta Test
so that you can fully enjoy The First Descendant during the short test period.

The first guide will cover the “Rune” system, a major feature that can enhance the Descendants’ stats.

※ Please note that the guide is in line with the Steam Beta Test, and that some of the contents may be modified in the official service.

[Rune Guide]
1. What Are Runes?
2. Dismantling, Enhancing Runes
3. Combining Runes
4. Increasing Rune Slot and Capacity
5. Melee Attack Runes


[h3]1. What Are Runes? [/h3]
Descendants and weapons can be equipped with Runes which enhance stats.
There are 5 types of Weapon Runes (Storm, Torrent, Tide, Thunder, Haze), and different Rune types affect different weapon types.
To see which Rune type affects your weapon, go to Inventory (I).




By clicking Rune type, you can see Rune slot and capacity info for each Rune type, as shown below;
affected weapon type and stats after equipping the Rune can be seen on the righthand side.




You can obtain Runes by completing quests or defeating monsters.
However, you cannot equip all the Runes you’ve obtained. As seen in the image above, Runes can only be equipped depending on the number of Descendant/Weapon Rune slots and capacity.

So far, you’ve learned the basics of the Rune system.
We’ll guide you through some of the major features of the Rune system so that you can use Runes efficiently during the Steam Beta Test!

TIP) Silion in Albion will be in charge of all Rune-related actions!
All Rune-related actions (enhancing, dismantling, combining, etc.) can be done by talking to NPC “Silion” in Albion. He’ll be happy to explain more about each feature.





[h3]2. Dismantling, Enhancing Runes[/h3]
You need “Gold” and “Qulipothium” to enhance Runes. Qulipothium can be obtained by dismantling Runes.
Therefore, you can dismantle redundant or unnecessary Runes to gather Qulipothium, then enhance Runes you need.
Enhancing Runes is a guaranteed success; the higher the Rune level, the more Gold and Qulipothium you need.
Enhancing Runes makes them more powerful, but it also increases their capacity cost. Make sure to keep the capacity in mind.

TIP) When you dismantle Runes, sort Runes by quantity!
Sorting Runes by quantity will let you see redundant Runes first, which will come in handy when dismantling unnecessary Runes.

TIP) How to see Rune info



Show Runes equipped in other slots




Show Rune Enhancement Level




Socket and Rune Capacity info



[h3]3. Combining Runes[/h3]
Combining Runes is a 100% guaranteed success, and it requires 4 Runes of whatever tier or type and some Gold.
The ingredient Runes’ tier, type, and socket type may have an influence on the result.


[h3]4. Increasing Rune Slot and Capacity[/h3]

4-1. Increasing Rune Slots
You can increase the number of Rune slots by increasing your Mastery Rank.

TIP) Mastery Rank Up?
When a Descendant levels up, increases weapon proficiency, completes the first mission, or gets quest rewards, they can earn Mastery EXP.
When Mastery EXP reaches the maximum limit, increase your rank through “The Ageless Reach.”
Increasing Mastery Rank increases Weapon/Descendant Rune slot or capacity, and Inventory slots.










4-2. Increasing Rune Capacity
You can increase your Rune Capacity by increasing character level (Descendant Rune Capacity), Mastery Rank, or by granting Rune socket type, and using capacity-increasing items.

(1) Rune Socket Type?
Granting socket types on Rune slots and equipping matching Runes will decrease the Runes’ capacity cost.
On the other hand, equipping Runes that do not match the slot’s socket type will increase their capacity cost.




Each Descendant Rune has 1 socket type. To grant socket types in other slots, you need “Arche Crystal.”
You can obtain Arche Crystal by resetting Descendant Level.

TIP) Descendant Level Reset?
Resetting Descendant’s level from the maximum level of 40 will keep the skills you’ve learned, and provide you with “Arche Crystal,” which is needed to add Rune socket types.
Reset your Descendant’s level, add a Rune socket type, and equip more Runes to become even stronger.
Descendant Level Reset can be done from “The Ageless Reach.” You need a Descendant with the Level 40 and Crystallization Catalyst.

TIP) How to Obtain Crystallization Catalyst
You can obtain 1 Crystallization Catalyst by completing main quests in Red Desert.
Or obtain Crystallization Catalyst Kit from Amorphous Material (World Mission reward) → go to Albion → talk to NPC “Xenia” → craft Crystallization Catalyst through research quest


[Summary! How to apply Rune socket types]
Reach Descendant Level 40, craft Crystallization Catalyst via research quest → Reset Descendant Level from The Ageless Reach → Obtain Arche Crystal → Talk to NPC “Silion” and grant Rune socket type


(2) Capacity-Increasing Items?
“Energy Activator” is a capacity-increasing item that can increase Rune Capacity for each Descendant and weapon.
If you complete all the main quests in Kingston, you can obtain 2 Energy Activators from NPC Silion through Albion's main quest.
After that, you can obtain Energy Activators from Amorphous Materials by completing World Missions.

There is a limit to the use of capacity-increasing items. You can use the item 5 times for Weapon Runes of each type, and 3 times for Descendant Runes.

[h3]5. Melee Attack Runes[/h3]
Equipping Melee Attack Runes enables various melee attacks depending on the type of Rune you equipped, and it boosts damage and attack range of melee attacks.
Each Descendant has 1 Melee Attack Rune Slot on his/her Descendant Rune, which is the only slot where Melee Attack Runes can be equipped.




Equipping Melee Attack Runes with Enhancement Level 1 or higher increases Max Rune Capacity.
The higher the Rune’s Enhancement Level is, the more capacity increases.






That will be all for the Rune Guide.
We hope you enjoy using Runes during Steam Beta Test.

Thank you.

Cinematic Story Trailer

[previewyoutube][/previewyoutube]
Hello, Descendants!

The First Descendants's first cinematic story trailer is out now!
Check out the trailer and delve into its mesmerizing world.

Subscribe to our YouTube channel and receive our latest news!
[Official Youtube Channel]

Thanks.

Official Website Notice

Hello, Descendants!

The First Descendant’s official global website is now open.

You can check out the game information and major announcements from the website.

■ Website Guide
ㆍNews: Announcements, maintenance notices, updates, and events.
ㆍInfo: Basic information about the game such as story and character.
ㆍSupport: Recommended requirements, player reports, suggestions, bug reports, and 1:1 player support.

[Website]

Thank you.

The First Descendant FAQ

Hello, Descendants!

This time, we’d like to answer some of your questions from various channels. Below are the most frequently asked questions and our answers.

Can we play the game on console devices?
Unfortunately, the upcoming Steam Beta Test cannot be played on PlayStation, Xbox, or Steam Deck. A lot of Descendants wanted it to be available on console devices too as much as we did. We focused on improving the quality and volume of the test build for better experience, therefore the beta test will not be available on console devices. We’d like to ask for your understanding. However, we are planning to launch the official service on all platforms in line with our trailer (Steam, XBO, XSX, PS4, and PS5), so please look forward to the official game launch.

Can I play the game in single mode?
The game progress is mainly based on field missions. Such basic missions can be played in single mode, and you can also use the option ‘Private mode’ to play the game by yourself. You will be able to acquire enough resources that are required in growing your character. Of course, you can choose to play in ‘Public mode’ to play along with other players.

Can I adjust the difficulty level?
Basic field missions do not have difficulty levels. But some co-op content, like boss raids, will be divided into several difficulty levels so that players can be motivated to come up with strategies to complete harder stages.

Is there PvP content?
At the moment, we’d like to focus on creating best PvE content possible. The upcoming Steam Beta Test is also focused on verifying PvE content. While the beta test will not include PvP content, we may consider developing it in the future based on user feedback.

Can I customize my character?
Each Descendant character has his/her own appearance and skills. We believe that the most important factor for Descendants is their unique characteristic including their story, voice, and combat style. As the development team hopes to keep such uniqueness in characters, we are not planning on adopting character customization like MMORPG. You will be able to decorate your characters, of course, but the feature will not be available in the beta test. Meanwhile, each character’s unique appearance and skill can be combined with weapons, accessories, and Runes. You can devise different strategies with the same character.

Is there a community where I can talk with other Descendants?
For now, we are sharing news via our Steam page. We also have official Twitter, Facebook, YouTube channels to post information and communicate with users. The official website and Discord will be available before the beta test begins.

Is there a chance the game will be available in other languages?
In Steam Beta Test, audio language will be English; UI and subtitles will be available in English, French, German, Japanese, Chinese (Traditional, Simplified), and Korean. You might find some translations awkward during the test period, so feel free to send us feedback regarding the translation. Your feedback will help us improve the game’s quality for the official service.

When will I know if I’ve been chosen as a tester?
Steam will send you an e-mail regarding the result of the tester recruitment close to when the testing will begin. This result e-mail has not been sent to anyone yet, so we ask you to be patient. We will try to include as many players as possible for the test.

Thank you.

The First Descendant Steam Beta Preparation: Game Introduction (2)

Hello, Descendants!

This time, we’d like to introduce you the game’s development story as well as technical and game design objectives of the Steam Beta . Also, we’d like to share the much-discussed business model of The First Descendant.

Development Story of The First Descendant
We first started developing the game in the spring of 2019 with the goal of creating a global online RPG for PC. Not many attempted to develop the loot shooter genre at that time, but we decided to create a loot shooter game, for we had believed that loot shooter genre had much potential, and that it was worth the investment. The First Descendant project kicked off using the latest version of Unreal Engine 4. After some time, Unreal Engine 5 was revealed, and the development team was really fascinated with its graphic quality. We had already made some progress in the game’s development, but finally decided that we shift to UE5 for the best graphic quality possible. One of the major reasons behind the version up was ¹Nanite and ²Lumen of UE5. In particular, we believed that Lumen’s lighting quality would be essential in future projects. Now all the members of the development team are greatly satisfied with the outcome.

¹Nanite: A technology that renders high-quality environments with billions of polygons, adding detailed expressions to the vast map.
²Lumen: The latest technology that expresses realistic light sources, and is used to express the angle of the Sun that changes over time and the lighting that changes when the door is opened.
[Go to comparison video of Twitter]

Technical Objective of the Steam Beta
There are two main technical objectives in the upcoming Steam Beta: checking the stability of the UE5 game client and large-scale online access environment. Firstly, UE5 is yet to be adopted in commercialized games, so we’d like to use this opportunity to check its stability and optimization. Also, the upcoming Steam Beta will be the very first open testing of The First Descendant. We did carry out some closed testing on a small scale, but this will be the first time where a large number of global users will be accessing the game. While we are working on necessary measures, unexpected issues may arise. Your feedback from the beta test will help us greatly in preparing for the official service.

Game Design Objective
The First Descendant aims for a loot shooter genre, a mixture of RPG and shooting games. That is, the game’s core content will be defeating enemies and acquiring (looting) rewards. On top of that, it is an online game that requires constant access to the Internet. The First Descendant’s game design highlights three types of fun: “Looting, shooting, and co-op.” The objective of the Steam Beta in game design will be asking for the Descendants’ opinion on those three elements. Descendants will play as unique characters with different skills to carry out shooting battles and collect rewards, which will then be used to grow their characters and account. Then you’ll proceed to the next stage, work together with other Descendants to challenge yourself for even harder stages. Not all content will be available for the Steam Beta, but we will be providing as much as possible to get rich feedback from around the world. Also, we would like to make constant improvements based on user feedback in terms of graphic quality, manipulation, change in core PvE elements, UX, and even more.

Direction of Business Model
We are fully aware that there are mixed concerns about the game’s business model. The First Descendant is a free-to-play game that includes in-game purchases. Despite the negative perspective toward free-to-play games, in The First Descendant, you will be able to acquire all necessary rewards by playing the game. We are not planning on adopting a business model that hinders player experience (commonly known as pay-to-win).

Future Plans
We currently aim for an official release in 2023, but we have not decided on a specific date. This is because we want to make a plan by reflecting on the feedback from the Steam beta. We will improve and develop the game, and any further changes will be updated through announcements so keep posted.

Thank you.