Pantheon: Rise of the Fallen

Pantheon: Rise of the Fallen aims to revive the classic MMORPG experience reminiscent of EverQuest, focusing on challenging group content, exploration, and a grind-heavy progression system. Players appreciate the game's immersive world and social aspects, with a strong emphasis on cooperation and community. However, the game is currently in Early Access with many unfinished systems, leading to a steep difficulty curve and slow, repetitive gameplay.

Despite the nostalgic appeal and some well-designed core mechanics, the game suffers from significant issues including a lack of meaningful content updates, poor quality-of-life features like no in-game map, and problematic class and item balancing. The player base has drastically declined, making group content hard to access, which is critical in a game designed around cooperative play. Development decisions and communication with the community have been criticized, with frequent system overhauls causing frustration. While it has potential, many feel the game is not worth the current price until major improvements are made.

Highlights

Players praise Pantheon for its immersive old-school MMO atmosphere, capturing the spirit of classic EverQuest with a strong focus on exploration and group-based gameplay. The game’s challenging combat mechanics and class variety offer depth for those seeking a demanding MMORPG experience. The community is noted as friendly and helpful, fostering social interaction. Additionally, the crafting system and character progression through stats and masteries provide meaningful customization. The world design is expansive and rewarding for curious players, creating a sense of adventure and discovery.

Criticisms

Common criticisms include a severe lack of content especially beyond early levels, causing repetitive grinding on the same mobs. The absence of basic features like maps and quest tracking frustrates new players. Itemization and stat systems are convoluted and frequently reworked, breaking gear planning and progression. The game’s player population is critically low, making group content difficult or impossible without static groups. Development is slow, with questionable design choices and poor communication, including ignoring player feedback. Additionally, bugs, UI limitations, and a lack of polish contribute to a frustrating experience for many.