Visionary Realms has released a new development update for Pantheon Rise of the Fallen, outlining significant progress on the game’s upcoming Combat and Progression Update, currently targeted for release later this year. The update provides insight into how combat systems, class progression, and long-requested quality-of-life features are coming together as Pantheon continues its steady march toward a more complete MMORPG experience.
Pantheon Rise of the Fallen is a group-focused fantasy MMO inspired by classic online worlds, built around deliberate combat, social interdependence, meaningful class roles, and challenging PvE content. This latest progress report highlights how those core pillars are being reinforced rather than simplified.
Mail and Market Systems Nearing Implementation
One of the biggest quality-of-life additions detailed in the update is the progress on Pantheon’s mail system and market system. Over the past several weeks, the team finalized the technical requirements needed to support both systems at scale.
These systems are being designed not only for player use, but also to support customer service tools and long-term economic data tracking. As part of this work, item handling across the entire game is being improved, including item linking in chat and clearer, more consistent tooltips.
Development is currently focused on backend infrastructure, with user interface elements planned once data handling is complete. Both systems are expected to be available for testing when the Public Test Realm opens.
At launch, the market system will focus on core functionality such as listing items and browsing active listings. More advanced features like player-created buy orders are planned for later, once stability and performance have been fully validated.
Combat Formula Changes Aim to Improve Challenge and Clarity
Combat remains a central focus of Pantheon’s identity, and the Combat and Progression Update includes meaningful changes under the hood. The team has finalized updates to core combat formulas governing hit and miss chances, dodge, parry, and block.
These adjustments are designed to strike a careful balance. Defensive actions like dodging and parrying should feel impactful without becoming so frequent that combat feels unreliable or frustrating, especially against higher-level enemies. The goal is to allow groups to reasonably take on yellow-con enemies and slightly higher threats while preserving a sense of danger.
At the same time, challenge scaling is being tuned to avoid encounters becoming trivial too quickly as players outlevel content.
Skills and Equipment Will Matter More in Fights
Several changes are being introduced to strengthen the connection between character skills and combat performance.
Weapon and spell skills will now play a larger role in determining whether attacks land successfully, with extremely high skill levels even allowing partial bypass of enemy avoidance. Defensive skills such as dodge and parry will have a more noticeable effect on incoming damage as they improve.
Shields are also receiving long-awaited attention. Previously limited to equipment requirements, the shield skill will now directly improve block chance, bringing it in line with other defensive skills. Shields themselves are being reworked to feel useful without becoming dominant, with more details planned for a future update.
Together, these changes are intended to make combat progression feel tangible as characters grow stronger through skill use and better gear.
Mastery and Class Progression Continue to Evolve
The update also details ongoing work on Pantheon’s mastery system, which is being integrated across all classes as part of a broader look at horizontal progression. The team is evaluating how skills function, how class-specific resources are used, and how armor and weapon access is distributed across levels.
The goal is to ensure that character growth is not defined solely by leveling or item power. Choices in skills, mastery paths, and equipment access are meant to matter just as much.
Recent efforts have focused on the game’s tank classes, reflecting their importance in group play. Each tank is being tuned to function well in both solo and group scenarios while maintaining a distinct playstyle. Once this pass is complete, attention will shift to healers, with detailed breakdowns planned in future updates.
More Content on the Way
Alongside the Combat and Progression Update, Visionary Realms confirmed that additional content is nearing final testing. The Nightfall Crypt dungeon and upcoming Summoner updates are both approaching readiness, adding new challenges and class improvements to the game’s growing world.
Pantheon’s development continues to emphasize depth, cooperation, and long-term progression rather than convenience-driven design. This latest update reinforces the studio’s commitment to building a challenging MMORPG that rewards preparation, teamwork, and mastery.
For players looking for a modern MMO grounded in classic principles, Pantheon Rise of the Fallen remains one of the most closely watched projects in development.
