Known Lag Problems
These problems are reported by real players. If your region or ISP is listed, a network optimizer is likely to help.
Europe
60–250ms (60ms on correct EU server, 180–250ms on Korean server)- Players frequently placed on Asian (Korean/Chinese) servers instead of EU servers
- No manual region selector — language change workaround is unreliable
- EU server capacity reportedly lower than KR, leading to cross-region matchmaking
Southeast Asia (non-Singapore)
80–200ms- SEA server based in Singapore may not be optimal for all SEA countries
- Players in India and Middle East have no nearby region — likely assigned to SEA or EU
What players commonly report
- Forced placement on wrong regional servers (EU players on Korean servers)
- No in-game server region selector
- Lag spikes during boss fights with 4 players using abilities simultaneously
- NGS/BlackCipher data collection concerns
- Rubberbanding and desync during void intercept boss fights
How to Fix It
Try these first — they're free and solve the problem for most people.
01 Use Steam's network overlay to monitor connection quality
1. In Steam, go to Settings > In-Game 2. Enable 'Display current ping to internet' in the In-Game FPS counter section, or check 'Display frame rate' 3. Alternatively, use Steam Overlay (Shift+Tab in game) and check the FPS counter overlay 4. For more detail, open Steam Settings > In-Game and enable 'Broadcast' diagnostics
Steam's built-in overlay provides a real-time FPS counter that can confirm if performance problems are frame-rate related rather than network. Combined with Resource Monitor pings, you can distinguish network issues from hardware issues.
02 Switch to a wired Ethernet connection
1. Plug an Ethernet cable from your router directly into your PC 2. In Windows Settings > Network & Internet, set WiFi to 'Manual' or disconnect WiFi once Ethernet is active 3. Launch The First Descendant and run a boss mission 4. Compare your Resource Monitor latency before and after — wired typically cuts 5–20ms and eliminates WiFi jitter spikes
WiFi jitter (ping variation) is worse for co-op boss fights than high raw ping, because your ability timing becomes inconsistent. Wired connections have near-zero jitter. This is free and instant — always do this before trying anything else.
03 Set Windows network adapter to prioritize gaming traffic (QoS)
1. Press Windows Key + R, type gpedit.msc, press Enter 2. Navigate to: Computer Configuration > Windows Settings > Policy-Based QoS 3. Right-click, select 'Create new policy' 4. Name it 'TFD Priority', set DSCP value to 46 (Expedited Forwarding) 5. Apply to application: M1-Win64-Shipping.exe 6. Leave port settings as 'Any' and save Note: This only works if your router also supports QoS/DSCP marking.
Marks game packets as high-priority so your router services them before downloads or streaming. Most effective on connections where multiple devices share the same internet link. No effect if your router ignores DSCP tags.
General network tips (not The First Descendant-specific)
04 Check your ping via Windows Resource Monitor
1. Press Windows Key + R, type resmon, press Enter 2. Click the Network tab at the top 3. Expand 'TCP Connections' 4. Find M1-Win64-Shipping.exe in the list 5. Look at the Latency column — this shows your current round-trip time to the game server in milliseconds 6. Play a mission and watch for spikes — if latency jumps when lag occurs, it's your network
This is your baseline measurement. If latency in Resource Monitor is stable at a low value (under 60ms) but the game still feels sluggish, the issue is server-side or hardware. If latency spikes match your in-game lag, it's a network problem that a second connection can help with.
05 Close bandwidth-heavy background apps before boss fights
1. Before starting a void intercept or hard mode boss fight, close: game download clients (Steam updates, Epic, Origin), video streaming (YouTube, Twitch, Netflix), cloud backup apps (OneDrive, Google Drive, Dropbox), and any active torrents 2. In Windows Task Manager (Ctrl+Shift+Esc), click the Network column header to sort by bandwidth usage and identify what's consuming your connection 3. Right-click heavy users and End Task if they are not needed
Boss fights involve multiple players with simultaneous ability animations and hit detection — the game's bandwidth demand spikes at exactly these moments. Freeing up your uplink prevents packet queuing (bufferbloat), which causes sudden 100–300ms lag bursts during otherwise clean sessions.
Regions with good connectivity
Players in these regions likely won't benefit much from a network optimizer.
- South Korea — Game developed and operated by Nexon Korea — highest server quality and most populated region
- Japan — Dedicated Japan server with low intra-region latency
Still lagging? The problem is likely your ISP's routing to the game servers.
PingAim detects The First Descendant automatically
No manual config. PingAim identifies The First Descendant by process name and routes it through your fastest connection using a kernel-level WFP driver.