How to Fix The First Descendant DirectX 12 Error on PC

You don't need to do much to fix this!

The First Descendant Screen
Image via NEXON

The First Descendant is the latest third-person looter shooter from NEXON. While players had the chance to try out the game multiple times in closed betas, the official release is upon us, and similar to other Unreal Engine 5 titles, there are a few technical hiccups players can face. If you’re running into The First Descendant DirectX 12 error, here is how you can fix that.

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Fixing The First Descendant DirectX 12 Error

To fix The First Descendant DirectX 12 error, you must update your Windows to at least 20H2 to support the DirectX 12 Agility SDK.

Multiple users have reported that they’re running into the following error because they’re considerably behind on Windows updates.

“DX12 is not supported on your system. Try running without the -dx12 or -d3d12 command line argument“

This is a common issue with a lot of Unreal Engine 5 titles, which require the latest Agility SDK to run properly. We recommend that you install key updates at the very least because the SDK is added to those versions regardless. Simply updating to the latest version should fix the error entirely.

Update GPU Drivers

Apart from updating your Windows, please ensure that your GPU drivers are also up to date. Both NVIDIA and AMD have released new drivers to support The First Descendant, and you’ll likely see some performance improvement by using those as well.

You can download the latest drivers using the links below to manually download the latest ones.

Outside of that, if you’re a laptop user, make sure you’re using the correct dedicated GPU.

The First Descendant isn’t a particularly demanding game despite being an Unreal Engine 5 title, but it does require DirectX 12, which means that if you’re trying to play this on an older GPU, it might not boot at all. For more on The First Descendant, make sure to check out our dedicated section.

Ali Hashmi

Ali Hashmi is a games journalist, reviewer, and guides writer with over eight years of experience covering the gaming industry across news, reviews, features, walkthroughs, and technical guides. He currently writes for Prima Games and GTA 6 Bible, and has previously contributed to Dot Esports, WhatIfGaming, GameTyrant, and The OuterHaven. With a background in Computer Science and years spent covering PC gaming, Ali has developed a strong focus on performance analysis, optimization, troubleshooting, and in-depth game coverage alongside traditional reviews and features. A longtime fan of action games, Ali spends most of his time obsessing over stylish combat systems, difficult boss fights, immersive sims, and retro shooters that feel like they were pulled straight out of the late ‘90s. When he isn’t replaying Dark Souls for the hundredth time or climbing Ascension levels in Slay the Spire, he’s usually hunting for the next indie game to recommend to everyone around him. His coverage regularly includes AAA releases, indie games, Soulslikes, survival titles, live service games, and technical PC focused guides.