Pantheon: Rise of the Fallen
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Chris Perkins
Sam Scott
Jeanna Ruschell
Mike Butler
Ben Dean
David Beach
Tyler Stokes
Tim Wathen
| Pantheon: Rise of the Fallen | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Developers | Visionary Realms, Inc. |
| Directors | Chris Rowan Chris Perkins Sam Scott Jeanna Ruschell Mike Butler Ben Dean |
| Producer | Robert Crane |
| Designers | Chris Perkins David Beach Tyler Stokes Tim Wathen |
| Programmers | Kyle Olsen Steve Clover Robert Crane |
| Artists | Chris Willis Jared Pullen Duarte Ferreira Brett Nuckles Tim Schuhler Esther Shin Phillip Keidge Tara Solbrig Cody McDowell |
| Writer | JN Gerhart |
| Composer | Chris Perkins |
| Engine | Unity[1] |
| Platform | Windows |
| Genre | Massively Multiplayer Online Role-Playing Game |
| Mode | Online multiplayer |
Pantheon: Rise of the Fallen is a high fantasy MMORPG currently in development from Visionary Realms, Inc. that incorporates both new and classical game mechanics.[2] Brad McQuaid, the co-creator of EverQuest and founder of Visionary Realms, served as the CCO for Pantheon until his death in November 2019.[3] Pantheon's creative vision is pioneered by Chris Perkins, who has served as the creative director for Pantheon since 2015.[4] As of December 2024, Pantheon is currently in Early Access.[5]
Pantheon: Rise of the Fallen takes place on the high fantasy world of Terminus, a wildly diverse planet formed from fragments of many different realms that were forced together by massive planar collisions, each bringing their own unique civilizations and deities. Roughly 450 years after these collisions began, the god Ittero corrupted his Ginto race into a "craven, vicious people" known as the Revenant and unleashed them upon the world. Thirty-four years later, as prophecy foretold, six powerful beings called War Wizards arrived on Terminus and pushed back the Revenant armies, until two years later when the War Wizards disappeared without warning. When this happened, the remaining races mysteriously lost contact with their deities. The year is now 987 Ithosbrun Hjilen (IH), as the races strive to establish a foothold on Terminus and regain connection to their deities.
Gameplay
Pantheon: Rise of the Fallen places a heavy emphasis on the social aspects of MMORPGs, such as grouping up with other players to overcome challenging encounters, joining guilds, and earning a reputation in the community. Pantheon primarily has a PvE-centric design, although the developers have committed to having at least one PvP server at launch.[6] When creating a character, players choose from nine races and twelve classes.[7] Most races only have access to certain classes.[8] The twelve classes are divided into four class archetypes: Tank, Damage, Healer, and Support (Crowd Control). Each archetype is designed to excel at a specific role in a group setting.[9] While PvE encounters in the game are designed to provide a challenge for a group of players, there are encounters that can be completed by a solo player. Some of the character classes are better suited for this than others, and some encounters may be more difficult and require more creative tactics when soloing, as opposed to grouping.[10] There are also some raid encounters, each of which is designed for either 12, 24, or 40 players.[11]
The game world in Pantheon is a seamless open world, meaning there are no instances and the only times players may be presented with a loading screen is when teleporting across the world or entering certain dungeons.[12] Pantheon does not have "quest hubs" or a mini-map, and instead aims to reward players for exploring organically. While traveling throughout the world, players may encounter the Perception system, which is designed to teach players more about their surroundings and encourage further exploration.[13] There is also a Climbing system, which allows players to traverse almost any vertical terrain in the world if their Climbing skill level is high enough.[14] Pantheon is designed to make players respect and fear the world, but also be enticed by it. As such, characters are incentivized to avoid death.[15]
Throughout the game world, players may encounter six extreme natural climates: Frigid, Scorching, Toxic, Anaerobic, Pressure, and Wind Shear. Furthermore, each climate has various tiers, which correspond to how punishing it is to those in its area of effect. For example, a player may be able to survive being in a Tier 1 Frigid climate, but would experience some minor detrimental effects, such as a weapon or movement speed penalty. The higher tier a climate is, the more severe the detrimental effects would be.[16] Players can reduce the detrimental effects of climates by collecting and applying glyphs to their character, having innate racial bonuses, equipping gear that increases their acclimation score, or spending time in that climate.[17] Additionally, players may encounter Fractures, which are supernatural obstacles that players will have to contend with to navigate certain areas. Some examples of Fractures include Shifting Walls, Frenetic Floor, Absolute Darkness, and Intangibility.[18] To counter the effects of Fractures, players will need to find and equip special rare items called Artifacts, each of which offers unique utility versus a particular type of Fracture.[19]
Character progression in Pantheon is designed to be gradual enough to make accomplishments feel more meaningful.[20] One important aspect of character development is obtaining spells and abilities. Many of the more powerful and exotic spells and abilities are acquired from hard-to-find NPCs in various parts of the world. Through various means, characters can collect Mastery Points, which can be used to upgrade their abilities via The Living Codex.[21]
Pantheon uses a limited action set system, meaning that at any given time, a player can have no more than 8 abilities that generate aggro on their action bar and 6 abilities that do not generate aggro on their utility bar.[22] Pantheon also uses a dual-targeting system, allowing players to simultaneously have an offensive and defensive target, with abilities automatically being applied to the appropriate target when activated. Furthermore, certain abilities allow players to have multiple offensive targets or multiple defensive targets.[23] In combat, players may encounter NPCs with Dispositions or Traits. Dispositions change the way the NPC behaves, while Traits change the stats and properties of the NPC. Both systems are designed to present players with a unique encounter each time they visit a particular area, and require the players to adapt their strategies accordingly.[24]
There are also forms of horizontal progression in Pantheon, such as Crafting and Gathering. Players can choose from six Crafting professions: blacksmith, outfitter, woodworker, jewelcrafter, provisioner, or alchemist.[25] To collect raw materials for these professions, players can utilize the 5 Gathering skills: mining, woodcutting, harvesting, skinning, and fishing.[26] Each crafting profession and gathering skill can be leveled up to gain access to more materials and recipes, and players can further pursue specializations in each.[27] While optional, Crafting and Gathering are designed to be integral aspects of the game, with crafted items being just as valuable as items looted from NPCs.[28] Other than a few class-specific rewards, such as epic quest items, most items in the game can be crafted. Crafting is designed to have a symbiotic relationship with adventuring - both will need each other at certain times. For example, instead of having to loot a specific item, it might be more beneficial to find another player who is advanced enough in crafting to have access to that recipe. Crafting also goes hand-in-hand with adventuring by allowing crafters to customize looted items to better suit the specific needs of a player.[29]