The First Descendant, Nexon’s free-to-play looter-shooter, is about to receive its biggest update. During PAX East 2025, the developers officially unveiled Season 3: Breakthrough, introducing an expansive range of new content, gameplay enhancements, and a highly anticipated crossover with NieR: Automata. With a summer release window, approximately in July 2025, this season is shaping up to be a defining moment for the game and its community.
Season 3: Breakthrough—What’s New?
The Breakthrough update in Season 3 brings a comprehensive array of features to The First Descendant, designed to elevate the gameplay experience for both newcomers and veteran players. Key highlights include:
- Axion Plains: Explore fresh missions in a vast new battlefield, Axion Plains, that redefines scale in The First Descendant.
- Hover Bikes: Enjoy refined mechanics, improved balance, and quality-of-life updates based on player feedback.
- New Raid: Experience a special collaboration event featuring iconic characters, exclusive cosmetics, and themed missions inspired by the beloved NieR: Automata universe.
- The Lounge: A private and customized space for all players.
- Sword Weapons: Brand new tools that will introduce new gameplay flavors.
Axion Plains
At the heart of Season 3 lies Axion Plains, a massive open battlefield where humanity once tried to build a second survival hub. Now desolated by unstable dimensional energies and a catastrophic Void Storm, Axion is overrun by twisted monsters and synthetic lifeforms crafted from Colossus remains. The new field also introduces the “Contested Zones,” a rotating mission system that increases difficulty and rewards in specific areas, naturally pulling players together into challenging co-op skirmishes.
The Season 3 update will introduce Axion Plains.
Hover Bikes: New Tactical Utility
To help players traverse the vast Axion Plains, Nexon is launching the new Hover Bike system. Just by logging in during Season 3, players will unlock a standard bike, with enhanced Accelerated and Boosted versions available through exploration. All bikes can be upgraded for better performance, enabling boosts, jumps, and even interacting with special map features like destructible objects and timed delivery sub-missions.
According to Executive Producer Beomjun Lee, Hover Bikes were conceived around the idea of making “cool characters ride in cool poses.” Players can also customize their rides with unique skins, including matching Descendant costumes like rider suits.
Hover Bikes will provide additional mobility for players.
New Colossus Raid
The highly anticipated Colossus Field Raid arrives with the introduction of Wall Crasher, a 40-meter-tall behemoth designed specifically for Axion’s wide terrains. This eight-player raid boss spawns at scheduled intervals and brings with it an environmental transformation as Void energy tears across the map.
Defeating Wall Crasher not only offers rare loot but also features cinematic combat sequences where players can ride in on Hover Bikes before facing the towering threat. Its sluggish yet destructive attacks require coordination and timing, reinforcing the game’s growing emphasis on multiplayer synergy.
There are new enemies, including the latest Colossus, Wall Crusher.
The Lounge: A New Personalized Space
Another standout feature is the Lounge, a 3D first-person customizable space where players can rest, decorate, and interact with their Descendants. The Lounge includes multiple rooms, like a living space, bedroom, and shower booth. Players can assign Descendants to different spots, personalize their skins and poses, and even engage in idle interactions where characters greet them with eye contact and gestures.
Collectibles like Colotoys and Lounge-exclusive items can be placed inside, making this feature both cosmetic and sentimental—a sanctuary for player expression beyond combat.
The Lounge is a new private space that is unique to each player.
New Sword Weapons
Swords are finally joining the arsenal. These melee weapons share the same weapon slot as guns and can be enhanced with modules. In Episode 1, players will wield the Shadow Blade, capable of executing a cinematic iaijutsu-style dash attack. A new boss and dungeon tailored to swordplay are coming alongside it.
Additional swords like the Two-Handed Greatsword and Lightsaber-style Blade are set to drop in Episode 2. The swords will have their damage types and scaling mechanics, offering deeper loadout customization.
Sword Weapons are coming to The First Descendant with the Season 3 update.
New Descendants Are Coming in Season 3
Nell, the new Playable Character
A fan-favorite NPC, Nell, is joining the Descendant roster as a full-fledged playable character. Armed with telekinetic abilities that launch spheres to debuff enemies and pull them into vulnerable positions, Nell is engineered for aggressive, fast-paced play.
Her kit also allows her to convert all firearm shots into weak-point hits, giving her an edge in DPS-focused builds. With her upgraded appearance and unique mechanics, Nell is expected to become a standout character for both new and veteran players. Her awakening as a Descendant and her ties to Enzo are central to the unfolding storyline.
Nell will become the latest playable Descendant in Season 3.
Ultimate Luna & Ultimate Yujin
Ultimate Luna arrives immediately after The First Descendant‘s Season 3 update drops, bringing two Transcendent Modules that reshape her identity:
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One turns her into a firearm-based DPS.
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The other enhances her rhythm-action and debuff playstyle.
The devs confirmed that Ultimate Yujin will follow in Episode 2. Luna’s transformation underscores Nexon’s ambition to diversify character viability beyond boss raids and grinding, acknowledging feedback that unique playstyles like hers need more varied content.
Ultimate Luna will also greet the players during the summer update.
NieR: Automata Collaboration
In celebration of its upcoming first anniversary, The First Descendant is launching its first-ever IP crossover with NieR: Automata. Although the collaboration is limited to cosmetics, it includes outfits for 2B, A2, and a special damaged skin for 2B that features exclusive animations and motions.
Nexon acknowledged that content depth is more prioritized over deeper collaboration mechanics, but more crossovers with other IPs are already in development. This partnership alone has already stirred excitement in the community, drawing in fans from across the action RPG space.
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- 2B Skin coming in Season 3.
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- A2 Skin coming in Season 3.
SOURCE: The First Descendant | PAX East 2025 | Dev Livestream
