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[LegendOfKage]

Arc Raiders was supposed to be a free to play co-op looter shooter, but plans for the game changed to pursue the extraction shooter fad. If that disappointed you like it did me, you might be interested in this free to play co-op looter shooter.

People who have played the most recent closed beta seem to have positive things to say about it. I've heard it compared favorably to everything from Destiny and Warframe to Outriders and The Division. From early previews, the monetization seems to be closest to Warframe. If that turns out to be true, and the gameplay is as good as it looks in the previews, this might be something to try for yourself when the beta goes live on Tuesday.

The open beta will be available on PlayStation platforms, Xbox platforms, and PC. It will also include cross-play.

 

[dreamstation]

Keen to see how this beta runs on my PC. Last beta was pretty rough. If no good will check it out on the PS5.

 

[LegendOfKage]

I went to wikipedia, because I was curious where the developer is located, and I found a surprising answer as to why Arc Raiders became an extraction shooter. They're both published by the same company!

Taken from wikipedia:

Nexon operates in over 190 countries, but revenue and consumer engagement are concentrated in Asian markets. In 2021, the company announced a series of games in development for global release – with a focus on Europe and North America.

KartRider: Drift – A new multiplayer kart-racing party game, delivers drift-racing action, multiple game modes, deep player-created Kart options and character customization.
The First Descendant – A free-to-play, third-person cooperative action RPG shooter which allows players to act as Descendents who inherit and develop powers to fight against alien invaders. Players compete individually or in 4-player co-ops.
ARC Raiders –From Embark Studios in Stockholm, Sweden, a free-to-play, reimagined, cooperative third shooter that offers an intense struggle in every session: together with your squad, defend our home and resist the onslaught of ARC – a ruthless mechanized threat descending from space.
The FINALS – From Embark Studios in Stockholm, Sweden, this is a free-to-play, team-based, first-person shooter that puts dynamism, physicality, and destruction front and center.

 

[Johnny Concrete]

I went to wikipedia, because I was curious where the developer is located, and I found a surprising answer as to why Arc Raiders became an extraction shooter. They're both published by the same company!

Taken from wikipedia:

Nexon operates in over 190 countries, but revenue and consumer engagement are concentrated in Asian markets. In 2021, the company announced a series of games in development for global release – with a focus on Europe and North America.

KartRider: Drift – A new multiplayer kart-racing party game, delivers drift-racing action, multiple game modes, deep player-created Kart options and character customization.
The First Descendant – A free-to-play, third-person cooperative action RPG shooter which allows players to act as Descendents who inherit and develop powers to fight against alien invaders. Players compete individually or in 4-player co-ops.
ARC Raiders –From Embark Studios in Stockholm, Sweden, a free-to-play, reimagined, cooperative third shooter that offers an intense struggle in every session: together with your squad, defend our home and resist the onslaught of ARC – a ruthless mechanized threat descending from space.
The FINALS – From Embark Studios in Stockholm, Sweden, this is a free-to-play, team-based, first-person shooter that puts dynamism, physicality, and destruction front and center.

Makes sense they don’t want their own titles to compete with each-other.

We’re lucky ARC Raiders didn’t end up being the kartracer

 

[SlimeGooGoo]

This screams UE5 and looks really bad

 

[//DEVIL//]

This screams UE5 and looks really bad

just GTFO.

This is probably the first game I would call a real next-gen game that can't be done on old-gen consoles. everything is stunning. if they manage to get it running in a decent FPS, they have a winner.

 

[Killjoy-NL]

Seems interesting enough to check out the open beta.

Hopefully it's good.

 

[SlimeGooGoo]

This is probably the first game I would call a real next-gen game that can't be done on old-gen consoles

It doesn't even get close to Zelda in terms of complexity, and that was running on a Switch.

But sure, feel free to fall in love with yet more static photorealistic worlds with fancy particles.

 

[UniformDeliverance]

This has “mediocre” written all over it. Also Nexon as the publisher… I can already see the P2W garbage from a mile out

 

[//DEVIL//]

It doesn't even get close to Zelda in terms of complexity, and that was running on a Switch.

But sure, feel free to fall in love with yet more static photorealistic worlds with fancy particles.

Switch ?????...

Is if this not a joke post, you should be banned from posting in any graphical thread.

 

[Heisenberg007]

I didn't know about this game at all, I think. Thank you for sharing it.

Is there a preload option?

 

[CamHostage]

just GTFO.

This is probably the first game I would call a real next-gen game that can't be done on old-gen consoles. everything is stunning. if they manage to get it running in a decent FPS, they have a winner.

Er, hold up for clarification: this is cross-gen.

https://global.support.tfd.nexon.com/hc/en-gb/articles/19543719390745-About-Crossplay-Open-Beta

"Supported Platforms​

- Steam, XBOX SERIES X/S, XBOX ONE, PS4, PS5​

- As this test will be supporting Crossplay, you can access your game information across multiple platforms."​

​

There's still a bitterness over how much cross-gen came out this gen and some people are still holding out for "real next-gen", but game development just doesn't work like in the old days where bits in the chips made the impossible now possible. New hardware is great, and allows new aspects of game technology to be explored, but people waiting for some switch to flip where "real next-gen" officially begins are just going to pass out holding their breath and missing good games in the meantime.

(Will be interesting to see how this works out in the down-gen versions and low-spec PCs, as this is the first UE5 game AFAIK besides Fortnite which has fallback systems to take Lumen and Nanite back out of the render. The developer talks a little bit about their multi-generational tech approach in a WCCFTech interview.

But sure, First Descendant looks fun and rather nice at full capacity, I hope it works out on whatever platform people enjoy it on.

 

[LegendOfKage]

I didn't know about this game at all, I think. Thank you for sharing it.

Is there a preload option?

Preload starts Monday. Beta starts Tuesday and goes on for one week.

 

[Reallink]

Based on previews it sounds like the whole progression system is based on prestiging your character, and the cash shop sells the prestiging currency.

 

[Ishma3L]

"For those who hate that Arc Raiders was changed into a PvPvE extraction battle royale, this is for you."​

No, I am afraid it is not.

 

[MagiusNecros]

Can I play by myself?

The last good Nexon game was Vindictus.

 

[8BiTw0LF]

First 17 minutes:



This looks like a true Destiny and Warframe competitor. Can't wait to jump in with 3 friends.

 

[LegendOfKage]

Based on previews it sounds like the whole progression system is based on prestiging your character, and the cash shop sells the prestiging currency.

Do you have a link or a video preview that talks about that? It seems to go against what I've heard so far.

"For those who hate that Arc Raiders was changed into a PvPvE extraction battle royale, this is for you."​

No, I am afraid it is not.

What about Arc Raiders were you looking forward to that this is so different from?

Can I play by myself?

The last good Nexon game was Vindictus.

Yes, I think all story content can be played as a solo player, just like Destiny, or Warframe, or Outriders. I've not seen anything that suggests otherwise.

 

[Reallink]

Do you have a link or a video preview that talks about that? It seems to go against what I've heard so far.

Think it was in this one

Trailer - The First Descendant - Gamescom ONL 2023 Trailer

www.neogaf.com

 

[LegendOfKage]

Think it was in this one

Trailer - The First Descendant - Gamescom ONL 2023 Trailer

www.neogaf.com

You're linking to a video that was made from an early closed beta from nearly a year ago. The developers have made tons of changes since then, incorporating a lot of feedback. The rune system was completely redone, the grapple was changed, jump animations were changed, a mantling system was added, new mission types were added, a new prologue was added to the game, etc.

Loads of things have changed since then, so any videos from 10 months ago should be viewed with that in mind. The good news is if the game does end up having pay to win elements despite the developers suggesting otherwise, it's not like it'll cost us money to try it. I also find even in games where you do eventually hit a pay wall, they can still be worth playing for 50 hours or so until you reach that point. Either way, I'll be happy to try the beta and decide for myself.

 

[8BiTw0LF]

If it's good I'll happily throw some money at skins and season passes

 

[Neolombax]

Hopefully its good, but knowing Nexon, it could be extremely grindy. I'm interested nontheless. Looks like it could be fun time, however brief that may be.

 

[Tokio Blues]

Beta is already up on steam

 

[StueyDuck]

I'm sure I played a beta of this ages ago and I'm sure it was pretty poop.

 

[Thick Thighs Save Lives]

Oh yeah, I remember this one. I'm going to play it for the plot.

 

[S0ULZB0URNE]

F2P? Release date?

 

[Isa]

Got it DL'd and ready to go! Looking forward to this one a good bit, finally some nice designs. I already have several characters I'll be maining. Hope it does well, and the changes as mentioned above have been nice to see. Could be a good alternative for my group to mess around in.

 

[Schmendrick]

This looks like "Immortals of Aveum" meets "Anthem".
I´ve forgotten the material I´ve seen the moment the video ends.

 

[8BiTw0LF]

 

[8BiTw0LF]

 

[Heisenberg007]

Preloading done. Locked and loaded.

 

[8BiTw0LF]

 

[VN1X]

Played about 45 minutes of this and... yeah I'll come back in a year or so to see if it's improved (or alive even).

I think Warframe has ruined these types of games for me. Synced, Wayfinder and now this... they all look the part what with the polished visuals, sleek UI, intricate systems, etc but the moment to moment gameplay is just as dull as dishwater. Doesn't help that the performance is currently all over the place either.

At least Outriders came somewhat close in making the combat relatively engaging but at the end of the day it too suffered from many issues that resulted in a flawed experience. So far The First Descendant isn't doing it for me either so I'll give it some more time in the oven for now.

 

[GreyHand23]

Played about 45 minutes of this and... yeah I'll come back in a year or so to see if it's improved (or alive even).

I think Warframe has ruined these types of games for me. Synced, Wayfinder and now this... they all look the part what with the polished visuals, sleek UI, intricate systems, etc but the moment to moment gameplay is just as dull as dishwater. Doesn't help that the performance is currently all over the place either.

At least Outriders came somewhat close in making the combat relatively engaging but at the end of the day it too suffered from many issues that made it a flawed title. So far The First Descendant isn't doing it for me either so I'll give it some more time in the oven for now.

What platform were you playing on? Performance on PS5 feels very smooth in performance mode and the shooting feels good. I’ll see if the performance holds up with other players.

 

[MagiusNecros]

Played about 45 minutes of this and... yeah I'll come back in a year or so to see if it's improved (or alive even).

I think Warframe has ruined these types of games for me. Synced, Wayfinder and now this... they all look the part what with the polished visuals, sleek UI, intricate systems, etc but the moment to moment gameplay is just as dull as dishwater. Doesn't help that the performance is currently all over the place either.

At least Outriders came somewhat close in making the combat relatively engaging but at the end of the day it too suffered from many issues that resulted in a flawed experience. So far The First Descendant isn't doing it for me either so I'll give it some more time in the oven for now.

100% agree. Hot garbage incarnate. Warframe is just leagues better. I prefer Wayfinder over whatever this is. Seems like a bare bones 3rd person shooter. Didn't really grab me at all. Like it looks pretty but that's about it. But that's Nexon for you.

I think Warframe has set a standard that not many will live up to.

 

[nikos]

Finding this game to be a lot of fun so far. The combat and movement feel really good. Going to play more later to get into the actual structure of the game but I did a few missions and it seemed to flow well.

Only thing I'm worried about is upgrade systems becoming too convoluted. That's what ruined Warframe for me but perhaps I just didn't put enough effort into it. When upgrades have upgrades I usually nope out of things.

 

[8BiTw0LF]

Played it for 9 hours straight and I'm hooked. Just beated Tracker Eterllick (boss) and he's tough as nails if you don't know how to break his shield.

This is way better than Warframe and Destiny imo. A lot like Outriders - just with a deeper crafting/material system.

 

[MonkeyClaw36]

I played this for about 2 hours. Looks good, plays generic.

Getting some Outriders/ Warframe vibes.