Nexon has launched Season 4 Episode 1, titled The Great Clash, for The First Descendant. The update advances the story toward a final confrontation with Karel, whose invasion puts Albion at the center of the new missions. It also adds Karel’s Mothership, the new Descendant Raven, a Transcendent weapon tier, Trials, and balance and progression changes.
The Great Clash brings Karel’s Mothership to The First Descendant
The season’s central activity is Karel’s Mothership, a mega dungeon that is larger in scale than standard infiltration operations. Players face Karel three times across different arenas, with his attack patterns changing as the battle progresses. Dungeon mechanics can also be used for a tactical advantage during the encounters.
The dungeon has Normal and Hard difficulty options. From September 3 to October 15, a hardcore difficulty tier is available for the activity. Completing it once guarantees exclusive cosmetic rewards and a unique weapon skin regardless of leaderboard placement.
Season 4 additions and mechanics
- Raven: The new Descendant is a former guild leader from Albion’s back alleys with connections to Viessa, Kyle, and Sharen. She specializes in shotguns, firearms, and mobility. Raven uses shields rather than mana, has a unique roll animation, and fights alongside a raven companion.
- Raven unlock: Completing the Episode 1 story provides the base resources needed to create Raven.
- Trials: This repeatable mode consists of seven zones and draws on roguelite-style progression. Players choose modifiers between zones, allowing effects to stack and create builds beyond standard limits. Weekly rotation builds let players use prepared Descendant builds.
- Transcendent weapons: The update introduces a new weapon tier above Ultimate. These weapons have distinct firing mechanics and visual effects, while their base quality can increase as players continue acquiring the same weapon.
- Super Bunny progression path: Players at Mastery Rank 20 or below automatically gain access to a progression path that provides gear and resources for a Super Bunny build.
- Balance changes: Kyle and Keelan received improvements to damage and skill usability.
What the update means for players
Karel’s Mothership combines story progression with a large-scale boss encounter, while the limited-time hardcore tier offers cosmetic rewards for a successful clear during the September 3 to October 15 availability period. Players interested in those rewards can focus on completing the dungeon during that window.
Raven is tied to Episode 1 story completion, so players can progress through the season’s narrative to obtain the resources needed for her creation. Trials provides another repeatable activity, with modifiers and rotation builds offering ways to experiment with different Descendant setups.
For newer and returning players at Mastery Rank 20 or below, the Super Bunny progression path offers access to equipment and resources for building the character. Meanwhile, the changes to Kyle and Keelan give players using those Descendants updated options to consider in Karel’s Mothership and Trials.
Season 4 Episode 1, The Great Clash, adds Karel’s Mothership, Raven, Trials, Transcendent weapons, and a hardcore dungeon tier available from September 3 to October 15.
