The First Descendant: Hotfix 1.0.4 - Valby Grind Nerf and Void Fragment Changes

Nexon Games releases Hotfix 1.0.4 for The First Descendant, with a nerf to the Valby grind, boost to Void Fragment drops, and more.

In Hotfix 1.0.4 for The First Descendant, the developers at Nexom Games are making some more changes in this new, smaller Hotfix. The discourse around the ‘Valby Grind’ has had some controversy. Hotfix 1.0.4 brings with it the official changes to gold drop rates. So far the effects appear to be reasonable and the grind is still a valid location to use. Additionally, other possible grind spots have reportedly been boosted. However, it will take time for the playerbase to find and test them.

Top 5 Fixes in The First Descendant Hotfix 1.0.4

Module Storage Limit Increase: The storage limit for modules has been increased from 1000 to 1500.
- This is a very nice quality of life change. Module inventory fills up fast while farming other materials and picking up a lot of blue modules along the way.
Cooldown Reduction for Vulgus Strategic Outpost: The cooldown for the Vulgus Strategic Outpost has been significantly reduced from 5 minutes to 1 minute.
- This much needed timer reduction will improve farming at these outposts which are almost required for players farming certain amorphous materials.
Adjusted Spawning Time and Rewards: The time between monster respawns at the Vulgus Strategic Outpost has been increased.
- Based on personal tests, the Valby grind has been nerfed by about 1-2x compared to the previous day’s results. This mostly impacts gold, EXP is about the same.
Void Fragments Drop in Special Operations: Monsters in Special Operations now drop Void Fragments, with the most significant drops occurring in the Special Operation “Neutralize Void Experiment.”
- Void Fragments have been one of the most frustrating materials to farm for. More is likely needed, but this is a nice start.
Increased Gold Rewards for “Mark for Arrest”: Using the “Mark for Arrest” item from the Special Operation will now grant ten times the usual amount of gold, with conversions reaching up to 1,000,000 gold for the “High-Value Mark for Arrest.”
- This is a massive boost to gold returns, and change that is greatly appreciated by end game players trying to maximize their modules.

The First Descendant Hotfix 1.0.4 Complete Patch Notes

How to Play Valby in The First Descendant - Character Gameplay

You can also find the complete official patch notes for Hotfix 1.0.4 on The First Descendant official site.

Patch Date – PDT 2024.07.24(Wed) 02:40

■ Platforms – Steam, XBOX SERIES X│S, XBOX ONE, PS4, PS5

Patch Details

Content Improvements

– Module storage limit has been increased from 1000 to 1500.

– Cooldown for ” Vulgus Strategic Outpost” has been reduced from 5 minutes to 1 minute.

– Spawning time between monster respawn has been increased, and the reward amount has been adjusted at the ” Vulgus Strategic Outpost”.

– Void Fragments will now drop when defeating monsters in Special Operation. There will be the most void fragment drops at the Special Operation “Neutralize Void Experiment.”

– Using “Mark for Arrest” item obtained from Special Operation will grant ten times the usual amount of gold. When “Mark for Arrest” is used from ‘consumable’ tab, it will convert to 100,000 gold, and “High-Value Mark for Arrest” will convert to 1,000,000 gold.

Director’s Comment

With this adjustment, the reward amount at Fortress outpost has been reduced. However, to ensure that “Valby run” remains a popular hunting ground like Ambush Point and Refined Run, we have set the reward efficiency significantly higher than originally intended. We hope to provide numerous farming spots in The First Descendant, each with unique characteristics and usefulness to different Descendants. Instead of reverting Valby run to its original design intent, we have adjusted it to offer similar efficiency to other high-reward hunting grounds.

Additionally, we have shortened the cooldowns for all outposts so that players can play them more frequently without deliberately failing and no longer need to search for outposts with shorter cooldowns by moving around the map. We have also added gold rewards to Special Operations and adjusted 4 types of Void Fragments to be randomly dropped, allowing players to choose and utilize various hunting grounds.

Through issues like the Fortress Outskirts and Valby run, we are learning what kind of play style our players enjoy. The experience of sweeping through and farming monsters is of significant value in our game.

Your feedback and interest are what drive the continuous improvement of The First Descendant. We will always listen to your feedback and improve the game.

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