Pantheon: Rise of the Fallen launched on Steam on December 13, 2024. The game actually has very good ratings with 80% positive reviews and the number of players continues to rise. Between the years, on December 29th, a new player peak was reached on Steam.
What kind of MMORPG is Pantheon: Rise of the Fallen? MeinMMO readers have known Pantheon: Rise of the Fallen for 8 years. The first article about the indie MMORPG appeared in December 2016.
Pantheon is an MMORPG created by Brad McQuaid, the brains behind Vanguard. But McQuaid died in 2019 at just 51 years old. Pantheon is intended to be a spiritual successor to games like Everquest, which focuses on challenging PvE where you need a group for every relevant activity.
The development of Pantheon took a long time and almost seemed to have failed. But from 2023 onwards, the production team suddenly really stepped on the gas, relying on new graphics, a seasonal model and pushing for an early access release.
The fantasy MMORPG Pantheon: Rise of the Fallen is coming to Steam in Early Access
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Pantheon launches with 80% positive reviews on Steam
This is how it works now on Steam: The MMORPG has appeared on Steam in an “early state”: Anyone can buy access for €39.
At its peak, the game has 4,2000 players. This player peak was reached on Steam on December 29th, so these are current figures.
It was difficult in the first few days of release, but the number of players is trending upwards.
An MMORPG for people who prefer playing WoW Classic to WoW
What do people say in the reviews? The sentiment is clear (via Steam):
You shouldn’t expect Pantheon to be a “modern WoW” – it’s more of a game for people who prefer WoW Classic.
The MMORPG plays like a modern Everquest, but it is still in Early Access, so it feels good. This is often the caveat: “It’s pretty good for an indie game in early access.”
The game’s fans emphasize how well Pantheon captures the feel of “Everquest circa the year 2000” – a lot depends on a good group. It is repeatedly emphasized that it is a “classic MMORPG”.
What is being criticized? “Old MMORPG” also means that there are some punishing mechanics: One player says that what annoys him most is that you lose your inventory when you die. The game invites you to explore, but then punishes you with a high-level mob if you take the wrong turn.
Another Steam user says: The game is too grindy and you spend a lot of time looking for a group.
Can you recommend Pantheon? You have to approach the game with the right expectations: This is a passion project for a small team that wants to make an “old school MMORPG” aimed at a specific group of players.
Anyone expecting the next WoW will certainly be disappointed. If you have friends from the past and know what you’re getting into and are a real old-school “MMORPG fan”, you can perhaps recommend Pantheon with reservations.
Although it must be said that the whole project has certainly not developed as optimally over the last 10 years as the founder, who has since died, wanted. The team has made the best of a difficult situation in recent years and months. And the results on Steam are now encouraging.
We have followed many indie MMORPGs, including hopeful ones, on MeinMMO in recent years that never made it to release or, like Crowfall, were completely lost. Things are now looking much better for Pantheon: a new PvE MMORPG was released in 2023 his fans, wants to do better next year