Pantheon: Rise of the Fallen Opens Early Access
Although Pantheon: Rise of the Fallen is still under development, it has opened to its first persistent players. This access is also paid since seasons allow a limited number of players to play.
In a Season format, Visionary Realms, the development studio co-founded by late EverQuest creator Brad McQuaid, will add updates in a more controlled way. According to the official FAQ, the second season is already planned for March 30th.
Each playtester will be able to keep their characters unless a wipe is deemed necessary. Anyone who pledged can participate – but it all depends on which tier you contributed to. Each tier has some sub-tiers with varying rewards. As a rule, there are three:
- Supporter pledge gives a week of gameplay, while one-time purchases of $50 provide a week of gameplay. This period will cover March 23rd through March 29th.
- In the Champion tier, you pay $250 for two weeks per season, with Season 1’s running from March 16th to the end of the season.
- For VIP access that runs from February 17th to the end of the season, you pay $750 or $250 for 3 months. In the $10,000 pledge, you get to design a dungeon.
In the past, access to the game was contingent on the pledge tier, with VIP access, which was formerly called Pre-Alpha, being the only tier that had access (of course, with Pre-Alpha tests).
Just a decade ago, Pantheon failed its Kickstarter campaign back in 2014. Persistent to bring the game to life, it has since adopted the Star Citizen-style pledge system, plus some private funding.
Notably, Pantheon: Rise of the Fallen has promised to create a highly immersive open world that players can explore with various activities. These include:
- climbing and climate adaptation,
- a customizable Mastery System for stats, and
- a Perception System geared to unlocking different “clues, dialogues, and outcomes. These conditions change based on your adventures and the choices you’ve made along the way.”
As mentioned earlier, with it being in development still, it has some itches in both creative vision and gameplay.