NEXON celebrates The First Descendant’s anniversary with Season 3 reveal, Nier crossover, and more

The First Descendant x Nier Automata (Credit: Nexon)

This week, NEXON hosted its special Descendant Fest 2025 showcase to mark the one-year anniversary of The First Descendant, unveiling a packed lineup of updates, events, and surprises for the upcoming Season 3: Breakthrough update, scheduled to launch on August 7.

One major highlight of next season is the Axion Plains, a massive open field designed for large-scale battles, exploration, and dungeon crawling. To help players move swiftly across this new area, the devs are introducing a sleek new Hover Bike, perfect for cruising through the terrain with style and speed.

Also joining the lineup is Nell, a new Descendant who comes equipped with telekinetic abilities. She can mark enemies, boost damage output, and shield teammates — making her a strong pick for both offensive and support roles.

And for players looking for more intense challenges, the new Colossus Field Raid will feature an 8-player showdown against the Wall Crasher, a slow-moving yet deadly boss capable of unleashing massive AoE attacks.

In a surprise move, the team revealed a crossover with NieR: Automata, bringing iconic androids 2B and A2 into the game. Their character models, animations, and themed skins are fully integrated into the world of The First Descendant, as shown in a fresh collaboration trailer.

Executive Producer Beom-Jun Lee took a moment during the event to thank players for their support over the past year. “Your feedback has been invaluable,” he said, emphasizing the team’s commitment to continued improvements and exciting new content.

On the music front, The First Descendant is teaming up with Spotify to release its original soundtrack across streaming platforms. Players who log in after the July 3 update will receive a Spotify Name Card and two special Paints.

There’s also a limited-time “Grab the Breakthrough” event offering anniversary merch and in-game items via the official website.

Players eager to get an early taste of Season 3 can hop into a demo starting July 24, which features gameplay as Nell, the Hover Bike experience, and battles against both the Legion of Breach and the Wall Crasher.

To support both new and returning players, The First Descendant is also launching two special events on August 7:

• Descendant Boost Up, allowing players to skip early content and dive straight into the Sigma Sector on Hard mode.

• Descendant Boost Path, a guided progression system aimed at making it easier to understand core game mechanics and level up quickly.

Looking ahead, the developers shared a full roadmap for the rest of 2025, promising new dungeons, additional Descendants, and more.

Finally, a new Companion App is now available on iOS and Android. It lets players track their Descendants, monitor research progress, receive alerts, and access item info — with more interactive features planned for future updates.