MMORPG Pantheon: Rise of the Fallen set for Early Access this December

Developer Visionary Realms revealed today that its upcoming fantasy MMORPG, Pantheon: Rise of the Fallen, is set to enter Early Access in December 2024 after over a decade of development. Visionary Realms believes launching in Early Access will give players access to the game world of Terminus ahead of its 1.0 release and allow them to help shape Pantheon.

Originally announced in January 2014, Pantheon: Rise of the Fallen has been developed as an MMORPG seeking to bring back the heavy emphasis on social aspects that seem to be mostly forgotten in modern-day MMOs. The goal is to give players the desire to group up with others and work together to overcome challenging encounters, be it in PvE or PvP.

The developer, Visionary Realms, was originally founded by legendary MMORPG developer Brad McQuaid, who served as Chief Creative Officer on Pantheon until he passed away in November 2019. After failing to reach its funding goal via Kickstarter—though it did raise over $460,000 of its $800,000 goal—Visionary Realms began funding the MMORPG through its own website.

Even though not all content will be available in the Early Access release, the amount of available content does look beefy. Players will be able to level up to Level 40 while exploring six unique zones, each with their own content and adventures. In terms of character, players can choose from six different races: Human, Ogre, Elf, Dark Myr, Dwarf, and Halfing. Each race has a selection of classes they are able to play as well, with 12 total classes at launch: Cleric, Dire Lord, Enchanter, Monk, Necromancer, Paladin, Ranger, Rogue, Shaman, Summoner, Warrior, and Wizard.

I firmly believe a return to the social elements that made classic MMORPGs great back in the heyday of EverQuest and classic World of Warcraft is in the genre’s best interest. A fine mix of modern MMO with classic social elements may very well be the key to moving the genre forward, which has been rather stagnant in recent years. Hopefully Pantheon: Rise of the Fallen is a step in the right direction. We’ll find out soon when the MMORPG enters Early Access in December 2024.