Visionary Realms published a developer diary on December 5, written by project manager Nephele, setting out two systems that will be trialed in a single Pantheon: Rise of the Fallen dungeon as part of the December update.
The diary starts from a pattern the studio said it has watched build over nearly a year of Early Access. Dungeons are among the game's most popular areas, but outside organized guilds bringing multiple premade groups, few players push past the floors near the entrance into the deeper, more rewarding sections.
Two reasons came up repeatedly when the team looked into it. Players felt a deep expedition only paid off if they spent long stretches camping named NPCs or bosses, since easier experience was available elsewhere. They also feared that a group wipe, or a single member logging off, would strand them with no way to recover and nothing to show for the trip down.
The two systems
Halnir Cave is the test case. An NPC stationed at the entrance will summon adventurer corpses for a fee, giving groups a way to recover bodies and gear when retrieval would otherwise be impractical. Corpses returned this way cannot be resurrected for experience, a limit the studio built in deliberately.
The second addition is a localized teleport network inside the cave. Players unlock a destination by having already reached it, and potentially by meeting other requirements such as acquiring specific items, after which travel works in both directions. Destinations are being placed in semi-safe spots designed so they cannot be used as camps, which the team framed as somewhere for a group to pause, wait for a replacement member, or leave once an expedition is over.
The studio said it is starting with one dungeon on purpose. The intent is to make the deeper areas more approachable without trivializing the challenge of exploring them, and if the trial encourages more players downward, the systems will be extended to other dungeons where they fit. Other changes to dungeon design remain on the table pending the results.
Nephele closed by pointing ahead: the December update arrives before the holidays carrying these systems and the first iteration of mounts and taming, with an increased run of developer diaries to follow as the team begins moving combat and progression into their final launch state. The next diary, covering a major gameplay update planned for the spring, was scheduled for the following Monday.
Join the conversation — sign in to comment.
Sign in