The First Descendant Screen
Image via NEXON

How to Fix The First Descendant Settings Resetting Issue on PC

SAVE those settings!

The First Descendant is the latest free-to-play live-service title from NEXON, and it’s out now on PC and consoles. The launch has been a bit hard on the servers, and there are some technical issues that players have been running into. If your settings keep resetting every time you launch The First Descendant, here is how you can fix that.

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Fixing The First Descendant Settings Resetting Issue

If your graphics, controls, or any other settings keep resetting when you launch The First Descendant, you need to uncheck the Read Only attribute of the GameUserSettings.ini file.

To do this, follow the steps below.

  • First, open Windows Run by hitting the Windows and R keys together
  • Enter the following address, and press OK
%LOCALAPPDATA%/M1/Saved/Config/Windows/
  • Here, right-click on the GameUserSettings.ini file and select Properties
  • Make sure Read Only isn’t checked next to Attributes.
  • Press OK, and that should allow the file to be overwritten the next time you make any changes to the settings.

That’s all you need to do to make sure your settings are saved after you’ve closed the game. In case the settings still aren’t saving, we recommend trying the following.

Verify Game Files

  • Open Steam, and navigate to your library
  • Here, right-click on The First Descendant and select Properties
  • In the Installed Files tab, click on Verify integrity of game file

Run The First Descendant as an Administrator

At times, Windows can restrict certain applications from making changes in the main OS drive. To ensure that isn’t the case with The First Descendant, try running it with administrator privileges.

  • Open Steam, and navigate to your library
  • Here, right-click on The First Descendant, followed by Manage and Browse local files
  • This will take you to where the game is installed.
  • Right-click on the The First Descendant executable and select Properties
  • In the Compatability tab, check “Run this program as an administrator”

We hope that the developers address this in a future patch because it can be pretty annoying to set up your game on every boot.

If you’re playing the PC version and are running into the DirectX 12 error, we have you covered. Additionally, if you can’t seem to get your controllers to work properly, you need to make a small change in Steam. For more on The First Descendant, make sure to check out our dedicated section.


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About the Author

Ali Hashmi

Ali has been writing about video games for the past six years and is always on the lookout for the next indie game to obsess over and recommend to everyone in sight. When he isn't spending an unhealthy amount of time in Slay the Spire, he's probably trying out yet another retro-shooter or playing Dark Souls for the 50th time.