The First Descendant: Known issues and bugs

Having issues in Nexon's latest big free-to-play game? You're not alone. 

The First Descendant is out now, bringing players a new world filled with unique gear to collect. As is so often the case, the launch of this huge game means there are a lot of different problems that players are running into. These issues can vary based on platform, but there's a lot of commonality to the bugs and errors being encountered across this looter shooter. 

List of bugs and errors in The First Descendant

Below, I've collected the top problems that players are running into right now in The First Descendant, and as different issues are patched and fixed (or any kind of workarounds are found) I'll be updating this to provide more information. Wherever it's possible, I've noted the specific platforms where players are running into a particular problem, though if it appears to be an issue for all platforms, there won't be any special denotations. 

It's also important to note that if you run into any connection issues, remember that the game just launched, and online server strain is always highest at launch, meaning things should even out over time.

Antivirus crashes

Error: Some players on Windows PC may have an antivirus program that is conflicting with The First Descendant, causing random crashing or closing the game client.

Solution: If you have Bitdefender, navigate to System Protection, then Advanced Threat Detection (ATD), then Manage Exclusions menu, and then select the file or folder for The First Descendant, then save. 

If you have McAfee, go to McAfee Security, then Navigation, then Quarantined and Trusted Items. Now select TheFirstDescendant.exe in the list of quarantined programs, then save.

Framerate drops

Error: A large number of players are encountering sudden, massive framerate drops in-game, especially when exploring Kingston. This appears to be particularly prevalent on PlayStation 5, even in Performance mode, where players are reporting seeing the framerate drop with huge amounts of stuttering.

Caliber Delivery delay

Error: Many players are not getting Caliber (an in-game currency) delivered to their accounts when they buy it at the in-game store. Sometimes the currency is showing up some time later on a delay.

Solution: The developers at Nexon Games are aware of this problem and are currently working on a fix. Until this fix arrives, just hold off on purchasing Caliber.

Missing rewards

Error: Many players are reporting not receiving their rewards for participating in the beta, as well as not getting the free PlayStation Plus pack of items after redeeming it on PSN. Some players are also not getting any Twitch drops from a linked account.

Crashing during shader compilation

Error: A handful of players on Windows PC are having issues launching the game, with The First Descendant crashing while initially compiling shaders. 

Solution: For now, just keep retrying until you get through.

Solo server transfer error

Error: Players who are transferring fields solo can occasionally be placed in a server by themselves.

Solution: Transfer fields as a party to avoid being placed in a server by yourself.

Incorrect item drops

Error: Some items are not dropping correctly, particularly during Infiltration Operations except when in Kingston and the Fortress.