The First Descendant devs secretly “nerfed” Ines Raya with “serious downgrade” nobody wanted

Nexon has recently released The First Descendant update 1.2.6. This update added leaderboards and more, and it was the first step in releasing new content planned as part of the February 2025 roadmap. While most of the changes and additions have been received well by the TFD community, a lot of The First Descendant fans are not happy with a secret “nerf” to Ines Raya, as players dub it a “serious downgrade” nobody wanted.

The First Descendant secret Ines Raya “nerf”

Following the release of update 1.2.6, The First Descendant fans have noticed changes to the look of Ines Raya. These have been branded a “nerf” by the community as fans preferred her original appearance compared to the new.

As for what’s exactly different, players on Reddit have discovered that Nexon secretly altered Ines Raya’s default outfit. Instead of the shiny and glossy original dark black, Ines Raya’s default outfit color has slightly changed to a dull grey. What makes this even worse is that Ines Raya’s default black isn’t in the game as a dye, so it’s not possible to simply repaint the skin.

The worst part about them recolour Ines's default outfit is that her old black doesn't exist in the game, also, why? Who ask for this?
byu/Kaillier inTheFirstDescendant

In addition to the color changes, eagle eyed fans have noticed a difference regarding Ines Raya’s body proportions. Per the community, Ines Raya’s glutes have received a “serious downgrade,” and this is the most devastating “nerf” delivered by Nexon. While it’s possible the size of Ines Raya’s glutes have been decreased, the most likely explanation is that it’s an illusion caused by the color change and lighting.

Responding to the nerf on Reddit, a lot of players are not happy. There are many comments such as, “Terrible decision. It should be reverted,” as well as fans calling it a “serious downgrade from the concept art”. Others have pointed out that it’s also probably “why her butt looked off when I was playing as her today”.

Everyone agrees it’s a baffling change that doesn’t look better than the original. It wasn’t included in the 1.2.6 patch notes, and Nexon hasn’t provided an explanation as for why they altered the color. One user tried to rationalize it as the original black outfit possibly not having “any contrast with any other accents on the skin,” but, even if that’s the reason, the original look was still much better.

Others are more sceptical with their reasoning. There are accusations that Nexon changed the outfit so players purchase black dye to get as close to the original glossy look as possible, seeing as the color isn’t available as a dye.

Regardless of Nexon’s reason, fans are encouraging players to ask the developer to revert the change during the livestream scheduled for February 13^th. There’s no guarantee Nexon will respond to the request, but hopefully they do as they have been very flexible and accommodating to fans in the past.

For more The First Descendant, check out everything we know about Season 3 including release date, new character, next Fellow, new features, and more.