I want to love this game. I'm the target demographic, or so one might believe from reading the devs' description of their game. However, what exists today in this EA release is the barest vertical slice of a "what if we tried to make legally distinct Everquest from memory" by a team that unfortunately seems completely out of their depth. I purchased the game already knowing most of this, because I view it as a donation to folks who are doing stuff I'd like to see done, but with full knowledge it's probably doomed.

Glaring technical, gameplay, and lore issues aside, and the glacial development pace, there is a core problem with the community in the game that I don't think is solvable. It's no mystery that the target for this game is folks now in their late 30s to 60s who played the likes of EQ in its heyday. That's already a fairly small subset of people, but when you dig into the game (and the Discord), you'll find the folks showing up are a subset of that subset, and they're mostly the people you didn't want on your friends list back in the day.

One of the things that made the social aspects of old school MMORPGs like EQ special was the diverse set of people playing. There were teenagers, there were families playing together, there were some old heads, there were people primarily there to roleplay. The demographic of Pantheon is entirely one note, and you might not like it. I don't know that it's possible today to attract the wider audience that EQ had anymore. I suspect not, but if it is it's going to take a very special game with developers that aren't so beholden to that small set of folks. I'm not sure Pantheon has the sauce for that, but I hope to amend this review someday to say how wrong I was.

Anyway, I leave this review because the game as it stands, even taking Early Access into account warrants it. If you purchase this game, it should be because you want to encourage this (and future) development of old-school type MMORPGs and not because you believe you are going to be playing this one for any significant amount of time. Best of luck dev team, y'all need it.

As an old school Everquest player that enjoys a slower paced MMORPG this game is truly its "spiritual successor" that grew on me and now I am fully immersed.

The classes are unique and engaging. There should be no need to "box" this game to keep it exciting.

The game plays very SMOOTH. There are the occasional EA-excusable bugs right now but overall I have been impressed with the seamless combat, no lag, no warping, etc.

A lot of gamers may look at the graphics and look down on it. Does not matter to me. I can't wait to see where the developers take this game.

More Classic than Classic

Pantheon: Rise of the Fallen captures the essence of early 2000s MMORPGs while incorporating just enough modern features to make it accessible. The social dynamics feel genuinely nostalgic, reminiscent of the days when MMOs were about discovery, teamwork, and shared ignorance—a refreshing throwback to a time before wikis, YouTube guides, and add-ons took the mystery out of gaming.

The best way to describe Pantheon is to imagine playing Classic WoW in its purest form: no add-ons, no external resources, no prior knowledge—just you and a community of players figuring things out together. The lack of readily available information fosters a true sense of adventure and camaraderie that’s hard to find in modern MMORPGs.

While Classic WoW fell short of recreating that "true classic" feel due to widespread knowledge, Pantheon delivers on that promise because the game itself is still a frontier. Both you and your fellow players are navigating uncharted territory, and that shared learning curve makes the experience all the more rewarding.

If you’re looking for a true MMORPG—not a "Massive Single-Player Online RPG"—Pantheon will intrigue you. However, it’s worth noting that the game is currently unfinished. Playing now is as much about supporting the developers as it is about enjoying the game. For those willing to take a chance, there’s a promising foundation here to explore and help shape.