Nexon has released The First Descendant Patch 1.3.35, with the latest update focusing on one of the community’s biggest concerns: players leaving high-difficulty co-op missions before completion. Alongside several bug fixes and new cosmetic rewards, the developer used the patch notes to explain how its existing difficulty scaling system works and confirmed that more meaningful solutions are in development.
The update is now available on Steam, PlayStation 5, and Xbox, requiring players to reconnect to apply the changes. While Patch 1.3.35 is relatively small in terms of gameplay additions, its developer commentary provides insight into how Nexon plans to improve the cooperative experience in future updates.
The studio acknowledged that simply reducing enemy strength after teammates leave does not fully solve the frustration remaining players experience, signaling that additional penalties or systems aimed at discouraging mid-game quitting are already being prepared.
Nexon says dynamic scaling isn’t enough to solve Onslaught Mode quitting
The biggest announcement in Patch 1.3.35 centers on Onslaught Mode, where players have frequently reported failed runs after teammates abandon difficult missions.
In the developer’s note, Nexon clarified that the game already includes a dynamic scaling system that automatically adjusts newly spawned enemies whenever the number of active players decreases during multiplayer sessions. The same feature is also active in Clash Mode, but many players were unaware it existed because the game provides no visual indication when the system activates.
The developer apologized for that lack of communication, stating,
“Moving forward, we plan to add clear in-game indicators so that you can easily confirm when this scaling feature is active.”
However, Nexon admitted that balancing enemy stats alone cannot fix the underlying issue. The studio explained that losing teammates during difficult content disrupts the flow of combat and unfairly increases the workload for those who remain. As a result, it considers repeated mid-game quitting “a serious issue” and confirmed that dedicated countermeasures are currently in development, with more details to be shared in a future patch.
ETA-0 rewards expand while dozens of bugs receive fixes
Outside of the co-op improvements, Patch 1.3.35 refreshes the ETA-0 Exchange Intercept Battle Rewards with the new “Blazing One” skin, a Lava Citadel back attachment, and 20 additional cosmetic skins. Nexon also confirmed that Harris, Dia, and Raven skins will arrive later with Season 4 Episode 1, while purchase limits for several exchange materials and currencies have been reset through August 19, 2026.
The remainder of the update focuses on stability and quality-of-life improvements. Several Descendant skills, Ultimate Weapon effects, Intercept Battle issues, UI problems, event tracking bugs, camera behavior, research menus, and shop-related glitches have all been fixed. These changes target gameplay consistency while eliminating a range of visual and interface issues reported by players over the past several weeks.
Although Patch 1.3.35 is primarily a maintenance update, Nexon’s comments suggest the studio is placing greater emphasis on improving the long-term health of The First Descendant’s cooperative experience, with further changes to Onslaught Mode expected in upcoming updates.
| Release Date | June 14, 2023 |
|---|---|
| Platforms | PC, Xbox Series X/S |
| Developer | P1x3L Studios |
