How to fix stuck on loading screen error in The First Descendant

Time heals everything, but maybe not loading screens.

The First Descendant cutscene of players talking to the guide.
Screenshot by Dot Esports

Games like The First Descendant (TFD) undergo immense quality assurance stages, but it’s hard to replicate the impact of large player bases knocking on the server’s door, causing players to get stuck on loading screens.

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Infinite loading screens in TFD are one of the harder errors to diagnose because they do not have descriptions. This is also the case in The First Descendant, but we have a few ideas on why players might get stuck on loading screens.

Why do loading screens freeze in The First Descendant?

Yujin in The First Descendant.
Unless you have an old HDD for your storage needs, something must be wrong. Image via Nexon Games

If you get stuck on a loading screen during your first TFD launch, the game could be preparing shaders as compiling them can take a few minutes.

But players who launch the game more than a few times are still receiving loading screen-related errors. While there isn’t any official information on the root cause, we suspect it could be related to TFD running with two anti-cheat software, Nexon Game Security (NGS) and Easy Anti-Cheat (EAC).

If these two anti-cheat programs were to clash as players load into new environments, it could explain the insufferably long loading times. While EAC has a long track record with games like Apex Legends, running alongside an in-house solution like NGS could be causing a delay in loading times.

How do you fix the stuck on loading screen error in The First Descendant

Valby looking up in The First Descendant.
Someone’s going to need a take a deeper look into these loading times at Nexon HQ. Image via Nexon Games

The best way to fix the stuck on loading screen error in TFD is by restarting the game. You should wait at least 10 minutes on the loading screen before restarting, though, since there’s a decent chance that TFD might not be stuck, and it’s just taking a long time to load.

While doing a simple restart sounds less than ideal, it’s the only option players have at the moment. With the number of reports highlighting black screen errors and other “game login failed” errors in TFD, it’s clear that the game could use an optimization patch or two, focusing on ironing out bugs.

Developer Nexon is used to rolling out such patches, though, so the cavalry should arrive shortly. Nexon also has a track record of apologizing by distributing various gifts to players after such bugs and errors arise. The distribution of these rewards changes from game to game. The devs could just release a The First Descendant coupon code, available for everyone, with decent in-game rewards.

Author
Image of Gökhan Çakır
Gökhan Çakır
Gökhan is a Staff Writer and Fortnite Lead at Dot Esports. Gökhan graduated as an industrial engineer in 2020 and has since been with Dot Esports. As a natural-born gamer, he honed his skills to a professional level in Dota 2. Upon giving up on the Aegis of Champions in 2019, Gökhan started his writing career, covering all things gaming, while his heart remains a lifetime defender of the Ancients.