Pax Dei, a new sandbox MMO with ambitious goals, is scheduled to appear in early access in spring 2024. The game offers a lot of freedom and hardly any fixed paths that you have to stick to. But that could be the biggest weakness, those interested fear.
What kind of game is this?
More about this in our presentation:
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What is Pax Dei, the new sandbox MMO with the unique zoom feature?
by Benedict Grothaus
When will Pax Dei be released? The first alpha for Pax Dei started at the end of 2023. Early access is planned for spring 2024. A specific date and price are still pending. You can register for this via the official website.
The sandbox MMO will be released for PC on Steam. A console version is currently not planned. Further information will be shared in the coming days and weeks.
The developers say: The game needs a community so that it can be further developed. That’s why it’s only appearing in Early Access. However, players are skeptical as to whether this can all work.
Valheim is one of the great role models of Pax Dei. We already spoke to the developers about their game:
New sandbox MMO sounds as if it wants to be the future of MMORPGs and survival – cites Valheim as a role model
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“When I see Sandbox, I get out”
In a thread on Reddit, players and interested parties are talking about the release announcement. People there aren’t really sure what to think of Pax Dei. Biggest fear: the game won’t offer enough.
It is said, for example: The game sounds as if players have to find something to do themselves. Something like that wouldn’t work. What has been seen so far is also not yet finished enough. Fights are placeholders, quests and NPCs have not yet been seen.
The idea is good and a fantasy MMO with a similar economy to EVE Online is definitely interesting. However, Pax Dei could suffer from entering early access too early.
There was already a similar discussion in the MeinMMO editorial team, especially between MMORPG specialist Alexander Leitsch and survival expert Benedict Grothaus. The discussion is probably conducted too much from the perspective of MMORPGs. Especially because the MMORPG subreddit is overly critical of MMORPGs.
For players who are used to rich quest areas like those in World of Warcraft or Guild Wars 2, Pax Dei seems fallow. But for fans of Conan Exiles, ARK and Co., a large area to let off steam with great features and RPG elements is an interesting approach.
Some users see it similarly: Pax Dei should be seen as more of a survival game than an MMORPG. In fact, this very mix is something both genres have been heading towards for a while. Even some developers see it that way. This was last seen in Conan Exiles. The barbarian MMO is developing more and more into a survival MMORPG.