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Big updates are always a turbulent period. Players test out the new content while the developers hope the reactions will be positive. When Nexon released Season 1: Invasion for The First Descendant the initial reactions were mixed at best. The grind to unlock Hailey was a bit too much for everyone but the most dedicated players and the new Invasion missions proved to be too difficult and unengaging for the average player.
Only after the release of the first Season did Nexon get some feedback from the players, and they took steps to improve their content and change what the players did not like. However, to have some insight into what the players think of the upcoming content before the official release, studios implement a Public Test Realm (PTR). That way players can test out the upcoming content and provide feedback so that the studio can make some changes before the official release.
Nexon Says That The First Descendant Will Have a Public Test Realm
The first mention of a PTR-like system was on August 30, when Nexon posted their Dev Notes #13. Near the end of the article, Minseok Joo said: “Furthermore, we will improve our development process to meet the expectations of our players in future updates. We are considering having FGT (Focus Group Testing) after development is completed, or inviting players to gather feedback before the update is released and incorporating that feedback into the final release.”
Furthermore, in a recent interview with Choi Sung-wook, head of Nexon’s Publishing department, on September 8, the interviewer finishes with: “Nexon plans to introduce a “test server” for The First Descendant soon, where they can check user feedback before official updates.” You can see the translation in a Reddit post, by TorchNine. There is no info on when this will happen, other than “soon”. We guess somewhere around the second Season 1 release, in early October.
Adding a PTR for The First Descendant will have a huge impact on the upcoming content. If Nexon had a PTR before Season 1, they would’ve known what the players thought about Hailey’s material farming and Invasions and would have incorporated the recent changes right from the get-go. “This is excellent news. PTR has made Diablo 4 into a top tier game.” said 2pl8isastandard. This can only benefit the upcoming content and the game in general, so it is another great move by Nexon.