Pantheon Team Discusses Wipes, Content Cadence, Death Penalty in Latest Q&A

The team behind Pantheon: Rise of the Fallen has released another Q&A video which outlines their plan to transition into early access stage before year end for the MMORPG. While a proportion of these questions were previously addressed in their official FAQ, I have decided to omit many of them from today’s re-cap.

In the video lasting almost an hour, as highlighted below, Chris “Joppa” Perkins and Jamie “Savanja” Henry respond to queries raised by the game’s supporters and funders. I’ll mention upfront that the topic of early access pricing was not discussed as the team is yet to decide on this.

However, they did address the pricing topic again. They said that they’re studying industry standards for pricing, and it won’t be anything too excessive. Backers won’t be compelled to pay for a subscription. Furthermore, information concerning the “Buddy Codes” should become available today. When it does, I’ll provide the link (UPDATE: Release of the Buddy Codes took place.)

Entailed in the Q&A, additional significant disclosures include that:

• The gnomes won’t be included in early access
• There is no set date for the full game launch, but the strategy for it remains unchanged
• The forthcoming season will incorporate the Halnir Cave massive dungeon
• The cap level during early access will be in place 40 (with the existing benchmark set at 35 for all seasons, the following season included)
• In early access, the race/class matrix will be applied and varying start locations will be offered based on each race
• Players will not have access to racial talents and passives; however, they will have racial sight and initial stats
• In early access, character modification options will be available, including hair and skin colours. Although not all varieties will be included, options will be provided
• During early access, the Northern Dungeon will “likely” include swimming on water surface, but devoid of underwater content
• Necromancer will be included in early access, but Bard and Druid will not
• Guild features are an essential aspect and are therefore aimed to be included in early access

Regarding early access in general, the team takes a unique approach to explaining its meaning. They emphasize the term “early access” bears different interpretations corresponding to different projects. They believe it’s on the developers to detail what early access signifies for them. Hence, “Joppa” clarifies early access doesn’t translate into a soft launch for them — development will carry on, data may get wiped out (not scheduled, but possible as a result of a bug resolution), and new content will be added in the run-up to the launch.

Whilst the team’s statement is not incorrect, it’s my personal opinion that they are treading on risky ground. While early access can mean a variety of things and super fans like me may fully understand the game’s goals at different stages, it’s not necessarily the same for the entire gaming community.

As a general rule, potential players simply spot a new MMORPG available on Steam (current discussion on which platform to use for Early Access is still ongoing), check the price and then decide whether to purchase or not. The moment you demand payment for a product, regardless of the product’s stage, it becomes open to criticism.

Charging for “pledges”, conversely, is slightly different. People understand that they’re paying to be part of the development. When you transition to early access and start charging, a bit of understanding can be expected for some features being absent, but a product that has widespread appeal to your target audience must nonetheless be there. Otherwise, you put yourself at risk of collecting an initial spate of negative feedback and reviews.

It doesn’t imply that they can’t succeed, merely that they need to exercise caution and find a way to accurately relay their concept of “early access” to a wider public instead of solely their dedicated backers who would listen to a one-hour Q&A.

To get an overview of all the answers given to other queries, just hit play in the video below. This includes how the Dark Myr race made it to early access.