“Am I seeing this right?”: The First Descendant’s seasonal rewards structure is finally catching up

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As a dedicated fan of The First Descendant, I have put countless hours into this game since its release, eagerly participating in each season and striving to improve my character through consistent play. However, as we approach the end of yet another season, I can’t help but feel disillusioned by the current state of the game’s monetization and reward systems.

As a passionate gamer engrossed in The First Descendant, I’ve come to appreciate its free, live-service nature as a looter-shooter developed by Nexon. However, I can’t help but feel uneasy about the game’s primary sources of revenue. Seasonal unlocks, microtransactions, and cosmetic upgrades have their place, but as we near the conclusion of the first season, it’s clear that not everyone is content with this structure.

“Is this correct? It seems that every coin I’ve ever accumulated is equivalent to just ONE Precision Phase Exchanger,” the player laments, sharing a screenshot of the seasonal purchases screen where the cost of a Precision Phase Exhanger stands at 360. In The First Descendant, this is one of the pricier and less useful unlockable purchases.

1. “I didn’t feel like they put much thought or effort into the game’s rewards,” someone posted, but the original author disagreed, stating:

“I’m inclined to concur, but it appears that the battle pass is deliberately made alluring at first sight (with its shiny coins and wondrous ‘what are these things?’), while concealing the subpar rewards beneath a veil of illusion. From a novice’s perspective, upon viewing the BP, they might assume “These phase exchanger items must be quite valuable/uncommon” only to discover later on, when it’s no longer feasible, that they were far from the truth.”

1. For a while now, the debate over The First Descendant’s in-game transactions has been frequently brought up by critics. We’ve previously explored why this game can be seen as detrimental to consumers and how it promotes a ‘pay-to-win’ strategy. This is just another instance showing how deeply embedded these practices are within the game. To make matters worse, even the rewards from the Battle Pass are hardly valuable, with the intention of directing players towards other pay-to-win incentives instead.

As a dedicated gamer, I’ve realized that the seasonal structure in this game can be quite persuasive, making me feel like I truly require these perks. However, after playing the game consistently for a while, it’s become clear that veterans like myself no longer depend on the obvious enticements of battle passes to enhance our gaming experience.

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2024-07-30 14:40