The First Descendant‘s April 2026 update brings one of the biggest content drops since Season 3 launched. From the debut of the Onslaught Mode beta to sweeping balance changes for Viessa and Harris, weapon reworks, and a stacked event calendar, there is plenty to catch up on before the April 16 patch goes live.
1. Onslaught Mode Beta
Onslaught Mode
The headline addition for April is Onslaught Mode, a brand-new wave-based defense experience that challenges players to hold the line against the Vulgus. This section covers everything you need to know about how the mode works and when you can play it.
How Onslaught Mode Works
In Onslaught Mode, players must stop the Vulgus from reaching energy concentration points and triggering a dimensional breach. Rather than pushing into enemy territory, the focus here is entirely defensive. You will place turrets, set up barriers, and use Descendant abilities to repel increasingly intense waves across multiple rounds.
The mode rewards tactical thinking. Knowing when to upgrade your turrets, where to position barriers, and which Descendant abilities suit a defensive rotation will determine how far your squad can push.
Beta Schedule and Official Launch
The beta runs from April 16 to April 29. After the beta window closes, the developers will collect feedback through in-game surveys and apply adjustments before the official release. The full launch is confirmed for May 21, alongside Season 3, Episode 4.
The team has committed to being transparent about which changes result directly from player feedback, so participating in the beta and submitting survey responses genuinely shapes the final product.
2. Descendant Balance Updates
April’s balance pass covers two Descendants directly, plus a broader set of base stat and synchronization value increases that affect the entire roster.
Both Viessa and Harris receive meaningful upgrades, and survivability improvements are being pushed out to Descendants that have struggled in high-difficulty content.
Viessa Changes
Viessa
The developers note that Viessa keeps her core playstyle intact, but this update targets her underused skill modules and opens up a proper firearm build path. Her synchronization value increases from 1.063 to 1.162, which makes her module progression significantly more rewarding.
The most notable addition is the Frost Bullet module, a renamed and reworked version of the old Cold Cohesion module.
While Skill 2 is active, ammo is not consumed, and additional damage proportional to skill power is applied. Below are all skill module changes coming with the update.
| Module | Changes |
|---|---|
| Glacial Cloud | Skills 1 and 4 now pierce enemies and deal continuous damage. Slower projectile speed suits close-range defense scenarios. |
| Hypothermia | Ice Needle stacks up to 30 times, scaling damage on a single target. Using Skill 2 now increases the player’s shield. |
| Cold Snap Watch | Skill effect range bonus increased; Cold Snap Watch power enhanced. |
| Cold-Bloodedness | Same usage retained. Skill power and cooldown reduction both buffed. |
| Frost Bullet | Renamed from Cold Cohesion. Ammo not consumed during Skill 2; deals bonus damage proportional to skill power. |
| Absolute-Zero | Skill damage and Frostbite duration increased; bonus explosion damage is added when Frostbite is applied. |
Core skill adjustments also include her Passive (Ice Sphere no longer disappears after a single shot and now deals AoE damage through Ice Explosion via Ice Shackle), Frost Shards (increased damage range, now scales with Ice Shackle), Frost Road (usable while dashing), and Blizzard (skill range expands when Ice Explosion occurs).
Harris Changes
Harris
The next Descendant to receive an overall performance boost is Harris, with no changes to her fundamental skill mechanics. The goal is to strengthen her identity as a dedicated firearm dealer rather than overhaul how she plays.
HP-based damage is being added to her kit, and the duration of her Passive has been extended so players can maintain peak performance windows more consistently.
The Focused Supervision module sees significant changes: the duration of Crushing Focus (Skill 1) has been extended to make Auto-Reload far easier to use in practice, and Skill 4 now deals bonus damage proportional to HP and shield on firearm attacks.
Overall skill power and both the damage and tow range of Crushing Charge have also been increased. Rewatch the dev live for the full breakdown of specific numbers.
Base Stat and Synchronization Adjustments
Synchronization Value updates
Beyond the two featured Descendants, base HP and shield stats are being increased for any Descendant that primarily relies on skills and has historically struggled with survivability. This adjustment is designed to prepare the roster for the harder content coming in future updates.
Synchronization values are also going up across most Descendants, meaning module progression will feel noticeably more rewarding for a large portion of the roster. Check your Descendants’ stats after the April 16 patch to see the full impact.
3. Weapon Balance Changes
Weapons balancing
Three weapons are getting reworked or boosted in April, all of them sharing the high-power rounds ammo type. The patch targets both convenience and raw effectiveness, with Piercing Light receiving the most dramatic overhaul.
| Weapon | Full Changes |
|---|---|
| Piercing Light | Full unique ability rework. First shot creates a Target of Light; hitting it deals piercing damage to all enemies behind it. |
| Sigvore’s Proof | Sticky bombs now detonate even when firing continuously without releasing aim. Overall damage increased. |
| Exterminator | Target acquisition speed while aiming improved. Overall damage increased. |
Because all three weapons use high-power rounds, it is worth watching for potential new meta builds to emerge once players have had time to test the changes in live content.
4. New Trigger Modules
Two new Trigger Modules are being added with the April patch, each designed with a specific Descendant in mind. Both expand build options and offer new synergy opportunities for players investing in Viessa or Nell.
- Firearm Cooling: Exclusive to Viessa firearm builds. Using skills reduces the cooldown of Frost Bullet, allowing for faster cycling between damage windows.
- Gash: Best suited for Descendants with global DOT and tow effects, with the strongest synergy going to Nell. Deals additional damage to enemies affected by those effects.
5. Storm Hanger Returns to Void Abyss Intercept
Storm Hanger
For April’s Void Abyss Intercept rotation this month, Storm Hanger returns with its specifications adjusted to match current game standards. Here is what is available and what is changing for Void Intercept going forward.
What’s available this month:
- Storm Hanger returns to the Void Abyss Intercept with stats adjusted to current standards
- Thunderbearer skin is obtainable once again
- New skins for Harris and Dia are now available, as both were not yet released during Storm Hanger’s original run
Upcoming Void Intercept changes:
- Void Intercept Extreme Mode launches in July
- Upon its release, hard difficulty Void Intercept, Void Abyss Intercept, and Void Abyss Challenge Mode will all be consolidated
- The current Void Abyss Intercept rotation continues through June, so complete any remaining farming before then
6. Arche Tuning Changes
Arche Tuning rework
The April Update also affects Arche Tuning, which is receiving a round of meaningful improvements covering both individual Descendant nodes and core systems that affect how builds are constructed and tested.
These changes make the entire system more flexible and player-friendly.
Node adjustments:
- Nodes for Gley, Kyle, Keelan, Harris, and Dia are being reworked
- Unnecessary nodes are removed and replaced with ones that better fit each Descendant’s identity
Mutant Cell redesign:
- System changes from an item-based drop system to a free-selection system
- Mutant Cell items are being removed entirely
- Players can freely choose what goes into each Mutant Cell slot
- Makes replicating other players’ builds and personal experimentation significantly easier
Loadout slots:
- Arche Tuning loadout slots expand to a maximum of five
7. April QoL Improvements
April QoL improvements
The April 16 update includes a solid batch of quality-of-life changes aimed at making everyday navigation and communication smoother. None of these are gameplay-altering, but they address long-standing friction points.
- Library Search Function: A search bar has been added, and categories have been reorganized to make browsing easier.
- Chat System Improvements: Chat channels have been subdivided, with an All tab and a Trade tab now available.
- Photo Mode Spawn Addition: Spawn and despawn effects are now available inside Photo Mode.
- Game Guide Addition: A Game Guide has been added to the Journal menu to help newer players find their footing.
- Camera Rotation in Albion: A front-facing camera option has been added.
- Inf. Support Ancestors Mod Drop Rate Increase: The chance to earn Ancestor Modules during infiltration support has been raised to 10%.
8. New Skins and Cosmetics
Upcoming skins and cosmetics
April brings several cosmetic drops spread across multiple release dates. The Smokey’s Diva lineup is the largest single batch, covering five Descendants at once, while smaller drops and a common skin follow later in the month.
| Release Date | Content and New Skins |
|---|---|
| April 16 | Smokey’s Diva skins for Viessa, Ines, Serena, Bunny, and Nell; Smokey’s Hepcat common skin for male Descendants; Swing Dance emote |
| April 29 | Albion Sports Club Uniform skins; Victory Celebration emote |
| May 7 | Lovely Chic Kitty common skin for female Descendants |
9. April Events
Several events are running throughout April and into May, offering a mix of daily login rewards, challenge missions, and a board game-style limited event. All of them start on April 16, except for SMO’s Dice Run, which kicks off at the end of the Onslaught beta.
| Event | Dates | Rewards |
|---|---|---|
| Premium Cleaning Service Request II | April 16 – 6 weeks | Daily login rewards; final reward is the Viessa Cleaning Service skin |
| Esiemo’s Onslaught Preparation Mission | April 16 – End of Onslaught Beta | Daily: 1 Superheated Material, 1 Superconducting Coolant Unit; Weekly: Ultimate Alignment Device |
| Dismantle Ancestors Module Week | April 16 – May 21 | Dismantling grants bonus Fragments; 4 Fragments for a random Ancestors Module, 8 for a specific Descendant’s module |
| Accelerate Research Week | April 16 onwards (Permanent) | 50% Research Acceleration Mon–Fri; 100% Fri–Sun |
| Esiemo’s Dice Run | Starts April 29 | Board game-style event; rewards up to 100 million gold |
The Dismantle Ancestors Module Week is particularly worth prioritizing if you have accumulated modules you no longer use. Converting them into Fragments and targeting specific Ancestor Modules at the BB On Shop is a clean way to accelerate progression ahead of Season 3, Episode 4 in May.
