The PvE MMORPG Pantheon: Rise of the Fallen is set to enter early access in December 2024. The CEO states: They are now ready to show the game to the whole world.
What will Pantheon offer at launch? Pantheon: Rise of the Fallen will offer the following at launch:
- 6 playable races
- 12 classes
- 6 zones
The classes follow an expanded “Holy Trinity”; in addition to tanks, damage dealers, and healers, there is a fourth class type responsible for support and crowd control.
Spiritual successor to Everquest and Vanguard: Saga of Heroes
This is the story of the game: Pantheon: Rise of the Fallen is the brainchild of Brad McQuaid, an important MMORPG developer who played a major role in Everquest and Vanguard: Saga of Heroes.
He left Everquest in September 2013 and started his own project, a “spiritual successor to Everquest and Vanguard”: Pantheon: Rise of the Fallen. However, McQuaid passed away in 2019.
After that, the MMORPG seemed to stagnate for a long time and was declared dead, especially as in 2022 they upset existing fans with the announcement of a second game. Also, the gameplay did not look very appealing.
However, Pantheon: Rise of the Fallen has gained momentum again in recent months through some changes. They have switched the art style and revamped the development with a wild idea.
CEO raves: Incredible momentum developed
Exactly this new momentum of recent months is emphasized by the current head of the MMORPG, Christopher Rowen (via mmorpg.com):
During the testing phase, we have developed incredible momentum and streamlined our processes. We have an incredibly supportive community that has made these immense advancements possible. Now we want to make it accessible to the world while we add the rest of the content and systems we have planned.
“PvE MMORPG like in the old days”
What is the idea behind Pantheon: Rise of the Fallen: The team remains committed to the idea of creating a “true PvE MMORPG like in the old days”, where players must play together to achieve something. This high difficulty in PvE is known from Everquest – while new MMORPGs like WoW are said to allow players to rush through most of the content blindly.
They advertise that players will be able to explore a large open world, where it will be possible to climb the world and recognize hidden details through a “perception” system.
Gaining experience in dungeons and coming back up with powerful loot is also supposed to be a central gameplay experience.
Do the dead live longer?
This is what it’s all about. Pantheon: Rise of the Fallen generated strong excitement in its early years as a vision, but this wave has ebbed over the years. In the meantime, especially after McQuaid’s death, there was only frustration and anger surrounding Pantheon: Rise of the Fallen.
But the developers have managed to breathe new life into the project. They have received funding from Twitch streamer CohhCarnage, who believes in the project.
Pantheon: Rise of the Fallen occupies a niche within a niche
Therefore, the mood around the MMORPG has significantly improved in recent months. Nevertheless, Pantheon: Rise of the Fallen is currently still an absolute niche project in the niche MMORPG market as an “old-school indie PvE MMORPG”.
Previous attempts to create such “old-school MMORPGs” have had various outcomes:
- Crowfall sank without a trace
- Blizzard made a fortune with WoW: Classic
- Runescape: OldSchool has become bigger than the main game
Whether Pantheon: Rise of the Fallen will succeed in achieving the success that founder Brad McQuaid surely hoped for will remain to be seen. After a long time of uncertainty for Pantheon: Rise of the Fallen, a bold change apparently brought a turnaround: A new MMORPG relies on a wild idea for fresh content, now celebrating its success
