‘The First Descendant’: Why Solo Play Beats Group Play

When it comes to overcoming challenges in The First Descendant, my recurring piece of advice is clear: if you’re struggling or making slow progress, playing solo is often the best solution. The game’s design favors solo play over group or matchmaking setups for most scenarios, and understanding why can significantly enhance your experience.

In many games, developers scale up enemy difficulty to balance out larger groups of players who might otherwise dispatch foes too quickly. Unfortunately, The First Descendant seems to have miscalculated this formula. This misstep results in boss fights that can feel nearly impossible when you’re paired with uncoordinated teammates, and farming missions that drag on longer than they should.

The key to tackling these challenges is to play solo. Unless you’re part of an exceptionally coordinated and powerful team, which is rare when matchmaking with random players, you’ll find solo play far more manageable. Even though the game might notify you during boss fights that you’re “below the recommended number of players,” this usually just means the bosses are scaled down, making them easier to handle alone. For example, the Dead Bride boss, which initially seemed like an insurmountable obstacle, was much simpler to defeat on my own compared to the challenge of her massive shield in a group setting. Similarly, the Devourer and Pyromaniac bosses, who appeared nearly unbeatable in a group, were defeated on my first attempt by playing solo, using the right resistances, and countering elements. My success wasn’t due to exceptional skill but rather the effectiveness of solo strategies.

Solo play allows you to exploit game mechanics in ways that group play can hinder. Take Devourer, for instance: he spawns healing barrels that must be destroyed to prevent him from regaining health. In a group, the scaling of these barrels means it’s nearly impossible to eliminate them all before he heals completely. Solo, however, I could destroy the barrels quickly, leading to his defeat after only two rounds of reducing his health with partial healing.

This advantage extends to farming runs of infiltration missions as well. Enemy health, including that of regular mobs, scales down significantly when you play alone, allowing you to complete these missions more efficiently. Using a character like Bunny, known for fast infiltration runs, can make this process even quicker. Additionally, playing solo prevents the common issue of teammates failing to coordinate tasks, such as shooting spawning orbs to counter boss immunity, which is often a struggle with random players.

There is an exception to this rule: open world missions. These missions don’t seem to suffer from the same scaling issues, if any exist at all. They are generally more manageable with a group, and forced drop-in matchmaking makes solo play less of an option. The presence of other players in these missions can make them easier and more enjoyable.

Embracing solo play in The First Descendant can be transformative. Unlike other games where solo content can be punishing, with a single death leading to a complete wipe, The First Descendant offers lives and downscaling that make solo play a viable strategy for most content. This approach can save you from the frustration of poorly coordinated teams and make your gaming experience more rewarding.

By focusing on solo play, you’ll likely find that the challenges of The First Descendant become more manageable and enjoyable, unlocking a smoother and more satisfying gameplay experience.