The First Descendant finally gets swords — and a sharper endgame

Swords in The First Descendant: finally, a reason to get up close

This caught my attention because melee in looter shooters is either a gimmick (fun for a minute, then back to shotguns) or a meta-defining monster. Destiny 2’s swords had entire seasons where they defined boss damage, and Warframe’s melee has been king on and off for years. The First Descendant has teased blades since forever, and with update 1.3.6, they’re finally here-plus a chunk of endgame content, buildcrafting tweaks, and a seasonal event. The question is whether swords are a real pillar of play, or just a shiny distraction.

Key takeaways

• Swords arrive as a full weapon class with two distinct variants and dedicated modules-this isn’t a quick reskin.
• Endgame expands: a new Void Vessel dungeon (with a harder version) and a Void Intercept against Lava Citadel at high Mastery Ranks.
• Trigger modules and crafting QoL point to healthier buildcrafting and less menu grind.
• Balance passes buff several Descendants, aiming to shake up the meta rather than nerf it.

Swords are here-do they actually change how you play?

Nexon didn’t just drop a melee animation and call it a day. Swords land as their own class with systems support and two unique “chase” weapons. Shadow leans into mobility with a dashing Shadow Slash—think engage-and-disengage burst, the kind of move that rewards timing and pathing. Deus Ex Manus is weirder, consuming MP on normal attacks to reduce incoming damage and charge up its Liberation special. That reads like a bruiser’s dream: trade resources for survivability and explosive payoff.

What I’m watching: whether hit registration, animation locks, and latency hold up. Melee in an online looter lives or dies on responsiveness. If Shadow Slash cancels cleanly and Manus’s MP trade feels fair (not a tax), we could see hybrid gunblade builds become viable. The studio says swords have dedicated modules and components, which is encouraging—melee needs tailored perks to compete with top-tier rifles. What’s not totally clear yet is how quickly regular players can earn them. Are these tied to late-game drops, crafting chains, or seasonal grinds? If the path feels reasonable, melee mains finally get a lane.

Endgame gets spicier: Void Vessel and Lava Citadel

Update 1.3.6 also pushes the ceiling. A new Void Vessel dungeon unlocks at Mastery Rank 13 after you’ve cleared the current hard map, with an even tougher variant at MR 15. Then at MR 18, there’s a fresh Void Intercept Battle against Lava Citadel, a fire-aspected colossus fought in an unstable arena that shrinks as the fight goes on. Love that pressure-cooker design—it forces decisive rotations and punishes slow comps. It also silently encourages melee experimentation: as the arena tightens, being comfortable in close quarters becomes an advantage rather than a liability.

The MR gating is a double-edged sword. For veterans, it’s a real reason to log in: new tests that respect your time and builds. For lapsed or new players, it’s a reminder that The First Descendant’s best stuff still sits behind a climb. A catch-up track or boosted progression during the Halloween window would go a long way here.

Buildcrafting and QoL: quiet wins that matter

Three new trigger modules deepen the system introduced this season. Supply Fortress repays barrier-type skills with ammo recovery and a damage bump—perfect for tanky kits that want to stay in the pocket. Wave Eruption lets emission-type skills scale damage based on built stacks, rewarding players who sequence abilities rather than spam them. Rhythmic Step grants a temporary max shield and movement speed boost when you use rhythm-type skills, which should pair nicely with tempo-driven characters. These are the kind of modular bonuses that make off-meta playstyles viable if tuned well.

On the crafting side, all amorphous material types can now be opened at the shaping device near Anais in Albion, and “shape continuously” lets you burn through a stack without playing menu whack-a-mole. It sounds small, but shaving friction from routine tasks is what keeps a looter sticky. Elsewhere, photo mode gets a “look at camera” option (streamers will use it immediately), the Executioner field colossus shows up in Axion Plains, and Albion is dressed for the Harvest Festival—running from the patch drop through Wednesday, November 5. Seasonal events are standard fare, but pairing them with real systems changes is the right move.

Balance shake-ups without the fun police

Instead of swinging a nerf bat, this patch mostly buffs. Kyle, Ajax, Esiemo, and Bunny all get meaningful damage and utility upgrades. That’s a good spread across roles: tanks, mobility monsters, and explosive specialists all benefit. Luna sees Battlefield Artist’s max multiplier rise, and her kit now acknowledges charm and rhythm types in line with the new trigger modules—clean synergy that widens her build options. With swords in the mix, several Arche Tuning nodes now grant extra weapon-focused stats. That could be the nudge melee needs to break into serious endgame comps, provided the numbers back it up.

The open question: does this address the “same three builds everywhere” effect that creeps into looters after a few months? If the buffs are substantial, we should see a broader spread in Intercept clears and dungeon comps. If not, expect the community to do what it always does—optimize around a single best answer and leave the rest behind.

The gamer’s perspective: should you reinstall?

If you bounced off The First Descendant post-launch and missed the big Season 3 overhaul, 1.3.6 is the first update since then that feels like forward momentum, not just maintenance. Swords could give the moment-to-moment combat a fresh texture, the Lava Citadel fight looks like a solid skill check, and the buildcrafting tweaks cut down on busywork. I’m cautiously optimistic—but I want to see acquisition paths for the new blades and whether melee feels consistent on live servers. If Nexon keeps rewarding time invested instead of leaning on grind walls, this might be the patch that gets lapsed players back in the loop.

TL;DR

Swords finally land in TFD with real systems support, plus a new dungeon, a shrinking-arena boss, smarter build tools, and buffs instead of nerfs. It’s a meaningful step for the game’s endgame—now it’s on the tuning and drop rates to prove melee belongs.