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The 1.2.2 update has finally dropped, adding some highly-requested changes to the game. We were all waiting for the Reactor changes, so you can no longer get mismatched attribute bonuses. And Nexon promised some Void Intercept Battle changes, improvements for Keelan, and tweaks to Outpost rewards. So, let’s see what The First Descendant Hotfix 1.2.2 has done to the game.
The First Descendant Hotfix 1.2.2 Patch Notes
As mentioned, this Hotfix addresses the mismatching attributes on Reactors, makes some Colossi soloable, buffs Keelan, adds some changes to Evolving Skins, adds Outpost rewards to regular Infiltration missions, and more. Here are the full patch notes, as posted by The First Descendant’s official X profile.
Content Improvements
(1) Balance: Intercept Battles
- Molten Fortress and Gluttony Intercept Battles have been changed to allow for solo matchmaking.
- The following nerfs have been applied to Molten Fortress and Gluttony:
- If you have not downloaded the Hotfix 1.2.2 update, you may be able to enter the Void Intercept Battle solo without the difficulty adjustment applied. Please make sure to update your game before participating in the Intercept Mission.
Molten Fortress
- If the beam of a Frenzy Suppressor is linked correctly to another device during the Frenzied state, this device can no longer be operated or changed afterward.
- Adjusted the spawn timing of Frenzy Suppressors to spawn when the Molten Fortress rises from the ground during its Frenzied state.
- Adjusted the number of Roly-poly summoned by the Molten Fortress from 8 to 4 during the Normal state and 6 during the Frenzied state.
- Molten Fortress now enters the Frenzied state less frequently.
Gluttony
- Adjusted the Impurity to be drawn to Gluttony when they are within a 15m radius of Gluttony.
- Adjusted the amount of the Wipe Attack Gauge that increases when the Unstable Energy is absorbed by Gluttony from 20% to 10%.
- Unstable Energy explosions required to cancel the Frenzied state now doubled, making it easier to cancel.
- Gluttony now moves around the center of the map more frequently.
- Adjusted the cooldown of Gluttony’s Melee Attack (raking the ground with its arms) from 5 seconds to 20 seconds.
- Adjusted Gluttony’s basic shotgun attack so that it can be used at close range.
- Gluttony now enters the Frenzied state less frequently.
- Reduced Gluttony’s ATK by approximately 47.4%.
(2) Balance: Reactors
- The “Attribute Power Boost Ratio” random option can only be acquired from Reactors of the same Attribute.
- The “Chill Power Boost Ratio” random option can only be acquired from Chill Reactors.
- The “Non-Attribute Power Boost Ratio” random option can only be acquired from Non-Attribute Reactors.
- The “Fire Power Boost Ratio” random option can only be acquired from Fire Reactors.
- The “Toxic Power Boost Ratio” random option can only be acquired from Toxic Reactors.
- The “Electric Power Boost Ratio” random option can only be acquired from Electric Reactors.
- The “HP Heal Modifier” random option can only be acquired from Non-Attribute Reactors.
(3) Balance: Descendants
- Adjusted the duration of Active Camouflage when using Ultimate Sharen’s skill module “Ambushed” from 4 seconds to 6 seconds.
- Adjusted the cooldown of some of Keelan’s skills.
- Septic Gust: 60 seconds → 35 seconds
- Tremor: 80 seconds → 60 seconds
- Adjusted Keelan’s Skill Module “Focus on Prey.”
- Adjusted the damage per Acidic Decay stack of Tremor.
- Lv. 1: 470.3% → 655.5%
- Lv. 2: 480% → 670%
- Lv. 3: 488.6% → 683%
- Lv. 4: 494.8% → 692.2%
- Adjusted the cooldown of the Void Corrosion skill from 10 seconds to 8 seconds.
- Adjusted the damage per Acidic Decay stack of Tremor.
- Adjusted Keelan’s Skill Module “Mobile Strike.”
- Adjusted the cooldown of the Hunting Time skill from 150 seconds to 55 seconds.
- Adjusted the duration of the Adventurer’s Spirit effect of Hunting Time from 3 seconds to 4 seconds. It is now affected by the “‘Skill Duration Increase” stat.
- Keelan cannot move to a higher position by using the Onslaught skill while the Adventurer’s Spirit effect is active. The delay after pressing the skill button has been reduced.
(4) Content
- Added the “Start Private Operation” feature to Special Operations.
- The difficulty level will not be adjusted according to the number of players. Only the individual/party that has applied to enter will be able to participate in the Special Operation.
- Changed the Sphere mechanic of Commander monsters that appear in the following content to the Monster Extermination mechanic.
- Kingston: Slumber Vally (Normal/400%), Magister Lab (400%), and Albion Resource Defense (Normal/Hard)
- Sterile Land: Unknown Laboratory (400%), The Forgottense (400%), Kuiper Refinery (Normal/Had), Repository: Vulgus Strategic Outpost (Normal/Hard), and Kuiper Mine Blockade (Normal)
- Vespers: The Shelter (Normal), Void Fusion Reactor – Vespers Ruins (Normal/Hard), Void Fusion Reactor – Vespers Lost Supply Depot (Normal/Hard), and Moonlight Lake: Vulgus Strategic Outpost (Normal/Hard)
- Fortress: Quarantine Zone (400%) and Albion Resource Defense (Normal/Hard)
- Amorphous Material Patterns that can be obtained from the Outposts in each Zone can now be earned as Selectable Rewards in Infiltration Operations in the same Zone.
- Upon completing a mission on Normal Difficulty, you can earn 1 Amorphous Material Pattern.
- Upon completing a mission on Hard Difficulty, you can earn up to 2 patterns depending on your total score based on the Kill Score Multiplier.
- Falling or cancelling Grappling Hooks no longer counts as jumping.
(5) UI & UX
- Improved the Library to display the Research progress in the Details based on the actual Research status.
- On PC, opening the Ring Menu now moves the cursor to the center of the Ring Menu.
(6) Miscellaneous
- Added “Quick Turn” as an option in Controller > Normal Button Settings > User Settings.
- The button for this feature is not included in the Default settings and needs to be set separately.
- If Sprint is set as the movement option, using the L3 button makes it easier to use this feature.
- When a Commander monster’s phase changes, the movement location guide is now displayed for a longer duration.
- The difficulty of the Valby Evolving Skin quests has been reduced.
- Stage 2: Pass through 10,000 enemies with the Clean Up skill → 3,000 enemies
- Stage 3: Pass through 20,000 enemies with the Clean Up skill → 6,500 enemies
Bug Fixes
(1) Descendants
- Fixed an issue where using Esiemo’s Arche Explosion or Creative Explosion skill during an Emote displayed the incorrect motions.
- Fixed an issue where Turrets could be removed when using Jayber’s Reactivate or Immediate Purge Code skill.
- Fixed an issue where Jayber’s other skills were not available when using his Reactivate or Immediate Purge Code skill.
(2) Weapons & Modules
- Fixed an issue where the effect of the Descendant Ultimate Module “MP Collector” would sometimes not activate when the module was equipped.
(3) UI/UX
- Fixed an issue where the Owned icons on Descendant portraits would disappear when scrolling on the Usage Information screen of the Common Skins in the Customize menu.
- Fixed an issue where the color change shortcut button was not displayed in the tooltip of the Fellow Skin equipped in the Customize menu.
- Fixed an issue where entering the game through the “Go to the Last Played Map” would reset the Junk Filter.
- Fixed an issue where attempting to check the Details of an equipped Emote in the User Settings menu of the Ring Menu did not display the Details and unequipped the Emote instead.
- Fixed an issue where, after removing a Target Reward, clicking the empty slot in the Target Reward List would freeze the game on PC.
- Fixed an issue where the discount rate was not applied correctly when purchasing Bundles that included already-owned components.
- Fixed an issue where the text “Exclusive Item” was not displayed for some products.
(4) Miscellaneous
- Fixed an issue where the Dread Armor Force did not trigger the trap mechanics normally in the Void Vessel.
- Fixed an issue where the amount of Gold earned on the Results screen of a Special Operation on Hard Difficulty sometimes displayed the amount of Gold owned.
- Fixed an issue where the ETA Intercept Battle, Infiltration, and Supplies Exchange awards were not checked.
- Fixed an issue where your Target Reward gauge would reset if another player obtained your Target Reward item during Void Intercept Battle.
- Fixed an issue where the default skin was not displayed after dismissing the Descendant.
Fans Ambivalent About the Hotfix
After all these patch notes and changes, the players are a bit ambivalent. Starting with Colossi, the players are happy with being able to go solo against Molten Fortress and Gluttony but for the nerfs, not so much. Many claim that they are already easily beatable and that it now takes longer for the battle to load, than the fight itself. However, we’ve seen players saying that it’s due to many of us now having very powerful gear and that this “nerf” is geared towards newer players, who have just reached those Colossi.
Next, the Reactor changes. Now we can no longer get bonuses that don’t correspond with the Reactor’s Arche type. But, they said nothing about “subtypes”, ie, Singular, Fusion, etc. With these patch notes, we can still get Fusion bonuses in a Dimension Reactor, for example. So a considerable improvement, but only half-done.
Keelan received some significant buffs, and we hope we’ll see more of him thanks to these changes. The Private Special Missions have been added, for those who want to obliterate tons of enemies alone, in peace. And that is also a great way to level up your Evolution Skins, and Valby’s just got a bit easier to progress.
Last of all, the Amorphous Materials that you can only get through Outposts are now available in Infiltrations as well. That’s great for those who didn’t like doing Outposts, but it still begs the question: what are Outposts good for now?
Hopefully, a lot of these questions will be addressed in the next devtalk livestream. In the last one, they did mention that they’ll try doing the livestreams more regularly and that the next broadcast will be somewhere in early January, before the second big update (January 16). This is the last major update before 1.2.3 (preliminarily scheduled for January 7), so we’ll just have to manage until then. All in all, the 1.2.2 Hotfix is a good one, it just has a couple of weird decisions.