While full-fledged development is still underway for Pantheon: Rise of the Fallen, the MMO has opened its doors to the first persistent players. It does come at a (literal) price, as access comes in the form of “Seasons,” which allow spurts of players to join for limited dates of release.
The Season format allows development studio Visionary Realms, co-founded by late EverQuest co-creator Brad McQuaid, to add sweeping updates in more controlled content updates. So far, three seasons are planned, according to the official FAQ, and the second one is already planned for March 30th. Those who join for each playtest will be able to keep their characters unless a wipe is deemed absolutely necessary.
Anyone who’s pledged to the current pledge system can join the testing —but it’ll all depend on what general tier you contributed to. Each tier has a number of sub-tiers with varying rewards, but there are three, generally:
- Supporter pledges give a week of gameplay per season, go for one-time purchases of $50. This playtime will be limited to March 23rd through the end on the 29th.
- The next Champion tier goes for $250 for two weeks per season, with Season 1’s going from March 16th through the end.
- For nonstop access that started February 17th, a minimum for a VIP pledge is $750 or $250 per month for three months. These go up to a one-time $10,000 pledge, which lets the donor help design a dungeon or raid with the team.
Prior access to the game depended on the pledge tier, with VIP, formerly Pre-Alpha, being the only tier with access until now with (of course) Pre-Alpha tests.
This is the very same Pantheon that failed its Kickstarter just ten years ago, in 2014. Persistent on bringing the game to life, it has since adopted this Star Citizen-style pledge system, plus some private funding.
Now, Pantheon promises a highly immersive open world to explore with climbing, climate adaptation, a customizable Mastery System for stats, and a Perception System unlocking different “clues, dialogues, and outcomes that change based on your adventures and the choices you’ve made along the way.” Of course, with it being in development still, it has some bumps in both creative vision and playability.
