After years of development, tragedy, course changes, and a few moments of controversy, Pantheon: Rise of the Fallen is now out in the wild as an early access title. So far, the $40 fantasy MMO peaked at 2,321 players in its first weekend on Steam, although these numbers are increasing on a daily basis.
With the standard disclaimer that this is, yes, an early access game that’s still in testing and still being constructed, players are generally positive about what they’re discovering. One gamer said that the client is stable, the world is “mesmerizing,” performance is decent, and the lack of a map (which is forthcoming) is annoying. Another player argued that “the audience is LOVING IT” but that Pantheon is definitely “unfinished” and grouping becomes all but mandatory: “Do not play this game if you don’t want to work with people.” That seems to be a consistent refrain, so far; another player warned, “I felt the game entered EA a little early, even given the caveats made, and further the old school design choices tend to make me think this isn’t the game for me.”
MOP’s own Chris streamed his first steps into the game on Friday, finding it more or less fine for an early access old-school throwback MMO, with only some minor bugs to mar the free-form progression of something like classic EverQuest. (He was more amused by his weird punk rock Hobbit Warrior than anything.)
If you are trying Pantheon out, here is a helpful list of newbie tips to send you on your way. The devs have warned players not to leave the intro area before completing all quests, as overlooking those may cut off future quests. Also, there was some advice for those having a hard time with connection issues:
