Let’s be real for a second. If you’ve spent any time on Twitch or Reddit lately, you’ve seen it. The First Descendant didn't just launch as another looter-shooter trying to take a swing at Warframe or Destiny 2. It launched with a very specific, very loud conversation trailing behind it regarding character aesthetics. Specifically, the community is obsessed with The First Descendant butt jiggle physics. It’s the kind of thing that makes some players roll their eyes while others spend hours in the customization menu.
But it isn't just about "fan service."
Actually, it’s a fascinating look at how Unreal Engine 5 is being pushed in ways that have nothing to do with lighting or draw distances. We are seeing a shift in how developers handle skeletal meshes and cloth simulation. Nexon, the developer behind the game, knew exactly what they were doing. They weren't just making a game; they were making a visual statement that leans heavily into the "Korean MMO" aesthetic—a style known for high-fidelity, hyper-stylized characters that don't exactly shy away from being provocative.
What is Actually Happening with the Physics?
Most people think "jiggle physics" is just a toggle in the settings. It’s not. It’s actually a complex interaction between the character's 3D model, the bones assigned to that model, and a physics solver. In The First Descendant, players noticed that characters like Bunny, Viessa, and Gley have specific animations tied to movement, jumping, and even just standing still.
The tech here is likely a combination of PhysX or Unreal Engine’s own Chaos Physics.
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When a character moves, the engine calculates the inertia of certain "bones" within the mesh. If you've ever used Blender or Unreal, you know that you can paint "vertex weights." This tells the engine which parts of the body should move when a bone moves. By adding extra bones to... well, specific areas... and giving them a high degree of "springiness" or "damping," you get that distinctive movement.
It's subtle. Sometimes it's not. Honestly, it’s often the result of how the outfits are textured. High-gloss latex and leather textures catch the light in a way that makes every micro-movement stand out.
Why Bunny Changed the Conversation
Bunny is essentially the poster child for this entire discussion. As the fastest character in the game, her kit is built entirely around constant motion. If you aren't moving, you aren't charging your electricity. Because she is constantly sprinting, jumping, and grappling, the physics engine is working overtime.
Interestingly, Nexon didn't just stop at the body. The "jiggle" also applies to the massive amount of dangling bits on the outfits—straps, pouches, and capes. This creates a sensory overload of movement. It’s a design choice that prioritizes "eye candy" over the gritty, grounded realism you see in Western shooters like The Last of Us or Call of Duty.
It’s polarizing. Some players find it distracting. Others think it’s a refreshing return to "games being games" without trying to be high art.
The First Descendant Butt Jiggle: Optimization or Overkill?
One thing people rarely talk about is the performance cost. Every time the engine has to calculate a physics interaction, it eats up a tiny bit of CPU and GPU overhead. If you have four Bunnys in a chaotic Intercept Battle, all jumping around with high-fidelity physics enabled, that’s a lot of calculations.
Nexon had to balance this.
You’ll notice that at a distance, the physics often "cull" or simplify. It’s a clever trick. When you’re close up in the Albion hub, the physics are dialed to eleven. When you’re 50 meters away fighting a Colossus, the engine prioritizes frame rate. This is why the game can feel inconsistent to some players. You might see a "stiff" animation at a distance and then see fluid, bouncy movement in the menus.
The Influence of Stellar Blade
It’s impossible to talk about The First Descendant without mentioning Stellar Blade.
Shift Up’s action game set a new standard for character-focused physics in 2024. It proved there was a massive, underserved market for games that embraced this specific aesthetic. Nexon clearly took notes. The "jiggle" isn't an accident; it's a market response.
There’s a clear divide in the gaming industry right now. Western developers are generally moving toward more "realistic" and less sexualized character models. Meanwhile, Eastern developers in South Korea and China are leaning harder into the "waifu" culture and hyper-idealized forms. The First Descendant is the tip of the spear for this trend in the live-service shooter space.
Skin Customization and the "Thirst" Economy
Let's talk about the shop. The First Descendant is free-to-play. That means Nexon needs to sell skins. And what sells skins? Visual appeal.
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The "Ultimate" versions of characters often feature even more skimpy or form-fitting designs than the base models. These skins aren't just about the outfit; they are specifically designed to highlight the physics engine's capabilities. If you buy the Ultimate Bunny skin, you aren't just buying better stats; you're buying a specific visual experience that the base game teases.
It’s a monetization strategy as old as time, but refined with 2026-level graphics technology.
- Materials matter: The way the game handles "Skin Shaders" is top-tier. Sub-surface scattering (SSS) makes the skin look soft and reactive to light.
- Animation blending: The transition between a sprint and a dead stop is where the physics really shine, as the "momentum" of the character's body has to settle.
- Community feedback: Nexon has been surprisingly transparent. They’ve even adjusted certain animations based on player feedback regarding how characters look while standing idle.
Misconceptions About the "Jiggle"
A common myth is that this is "easy" to do. It’s actually a nightmare for clipping.
When you have soft-body physics on a character model, the "meat" of the model often clips through the "cloth" of the outfit. To fix this, developers have to use "collision volumes." These are invisible shapes that tell the cloth, "Hey, don't go inside this leg." Setting these up for every single skin and every single body type is a massive amount of manual labor.
So, while it might seem "low-brow" to some, from a technical perspective, it’s a feat of rigging and skinning.
Another misconception? That it's only for the female characters. While it’s certainly more prominent there, the male characters in The First Descendant are also hyper-stylized. They have their own set of physics for capes, armor plates, and hair. It’s a total commitment to a specific, "over-the-top" visual style across the board.
How to Get the Best Visuals
If you actually want to see these physics in their full glory, you can't just run the game on "Low."
You need to crank the Mesh Quality and Physics settings. On PC, DLSS 3.5 or FSR 3.0 helps maintain the frame rate while the engine chugs through those physics calculations. If you're on console, "Fidelity Mode" is your friend, though the 30 FPS cap might make the jiggle look a bit "strobey" compared to the fluid 60 FPS of "Performance Mode."
Actually, many players prefer Performance Mode because the higher frame rate allows for more physics updates per second, making the movement look more natural and less like a glitchy vibration.
Step-by-Step: Maximizing Your Experience
If you're looking to dive into the world of Ingris and want your characters looking their best, here is the move:
- Check your "Physics" settings first. In the graphics menu, ensure physics interactions are set to "High." This affects how hair and outfits react to the wind and movement.
- Focus on "Ultimate" Descendants. If you are f2p, start the grind for Ultimate Bunny or Ultimate Viessa early. Their unique meshes have more "bones" and complex rigging than the starter characters.
- Use the "Social" tab. The emotes in Albion are the best way to see the animation blending in action. Emotes like "Dance" or "Stretch" use unique animation sets that really show off the engine's weight painting.
- Calibrate your HDR. The game uses a lot of high-contrast materials. If your HDR isn't calibrated, the "shine" on the outfits—which highlights the movement—will look washed out or "crushed."
The conversation around these physics isn't going away. As long as games like The First Descendant continue to dominate the charts, we can expect developers to keep pushing the boundaries of what "digital anatomy" can do. Whether you're here for the gameplay or the "aesthetics," there's no denying the technical craft involved.