- Now What: What Changes from Here - 18 September 2026
Many of you are wondering, now what?Last week, we said we are working to deliver better builds more reliably. But we also realize we’ve lost a lot of trust with each week that passed without delivering on our Spring wipe. We got excited about what we were working on and announced it before it was ready.We failed our players by announcing our Spring wipe prematurely. Our desire in early communication was to respect players’ time and let them know our target goal as soon as we set it, but now realize it was overly ambitious and hasty. We failed by promising and setting dates on features that weren’t fully designed. Mastery design was still being discussed internally when the original messaging went out with a date.We failed by leaving the impression through our messaging that PTR was more than it was meant to be. We wanted to keep momentum and that resulted in level cap increases before f…
- A Letter from CEO, Chris Rowan - 11 September 2026
Pantheon community,We have failed to deliver on what we told you we would.The Combat & Progression Update, Mastery in particular, was an ambitious undertaking. It introduced complexities that our technology and platform tools couldn’t handle appropriately. That gap should have been caught before work started but wasn’t. That is a failure of management.Our approach to dealing with this challenge has not produced the progress or results this project needed, and frankly, what our players deserve. As CEO, I am responsible for those decisions and for making sure we address them. I apologize for us falling short.I understand and can empathize with your frustration. You have invested your time, money, and belief in Pantheon, and I recognize that unmet goals have damaged your confidence in us. Earning that confidence back cannot be accomplished with a quick fix. It will take consistent, tangibl…
- What We’ve Been Up To – August 28, 2026 - 28 August 2026
Our biggest priority this week has been working to resolve the problems that our testers have been reported with NPC and pet pathfinding and responsiveness. This issue impacts gameplay for everyone and skews the data and feedback that we gather from our Public Test Realm. However, there’s also been some progress in other areas this week as well. Please read below for the details.Design and NarrativeWrapping up the implementation of overheard NPC dialogue for the Port of Rulun, and continuing to implement overheard dialogue in Detihauna. Final conversation trees are being drafted for important NPCs in both locations.Additional work on NPC abilities, including adding more types of abilities that NPCs will be able to use.Working through final NPC population adjustments in Badia de Cara as part of adding combat abilities to those NPCs, and staging for encounters for players adventuring in t…
- What We’ve Been Up To – August 21, 2026 - 21 August 2026
We have been working on a few priorities this week – investigating some difficult bugs, working on NPC combat tuning, and continuing to build out future content for the game.Design and NarrativeContinuing to implement dialog trees and overheard dialogue for the Port of Rulun to help make the town feel more alive for players who visit there, and starting on similar work for Detihauna.Work on NPC abilities to help with tuning combat across all level ranges.Continuing to investigate bugs reported by testers and working to resolve them.Updating game itemization, with a big focus on weapons.Preparing the roster of NPCs that we’ll need to populate the different areas in Faerthale.Continuing to test a new game tool which will help us speed up ability and mastery development.Continuing the preparatory work for crafting recipe data conversion and implementing difficulty/progression mechanics for…
- What We've Been Up To - August 14, 2026 - 14 August 2026
This week, the team has been focused on a number of things related to the Combat and Progression update as well as upcoming content. Check out some of the highlights below.Design and NarrativeImplementing dialog trees and overheard dialogue for the Port of Rulun.Final population passes in Badia de Cara to set up for combat playtesting.Investigating bugs and working to squash them as quickly as possible.Updating rare drop items and adding more of them to the game.Working with the art team to flesh out the environment and denizens of Faerthale Forest and Oldwood so that assets can be created.Testing out a new tool which should help speed up class ability and mastery development.Beginning preparatory work for crafting recipe data conversion and implementing difficulty/progression mechanics for crafting and gathering systems.Worldbuilding and Environment ArtAdding functionality to support s…
- What We’ve Been Up To – August 7, 2026 - 7 August 2026
This week we have made significant progress on some of the new systems we have been working on. We are also preparing for final pass on the Badia de Cara zone before we can open it up for testing, and of course we are continuing to work on bug fixes and class abilities/mastery. Check out the details below.Design and NarrativeWorking on spatial dialog for the Port of Rulun that players will “overhear” as they move through the city.Fixing up NPC pathfinding and navigation issues in the Sea Dragon Hatchery in Badia de Cara.Bringing some missing parts of Enchanter Mastery online with support from the Programming team, along with some features for other classes.Significantly overhauling most of the uncommon items in the game to match up with updated itemization rules and combat tuning.Investigating and fixing bugs, including a few things that were causing Wizards to do far more critical dama…
- What We’ve Been Up To – July 31, 2026 - 31 July 2026
Design and NarrativeContinued development on Unified NPC system.Fixing bugs for overworld and Badia de Cara.NPC work on Badia de Cara.Organizing list of NPC placements for upcoming zones.Worldbuilding and Environment ArtPolishing up visual for environments in Badia de Cara.Creation of quite a bit of trees and cliff rock assets for the forests of Faerthale.Optimizing collisions and performance for the Port of Rulun and Detihuana.Continuing planning for Faerthale’s zone, specifically with the sub-regions of Faerthale.Character Art and AnimationAnimation revisions and polish for sprinting animations.Technical testing for the updated armor system.Finalizing elven PC/NPC customization for subgroups, specifically for female elf type.Revising Faerthale NPC asset to couple with assisting with Faerthale detailed planning with city and regions.ProgrammingFinishing up some final things before movi…
- What We’ve Been Up To – July 24, 2026 - 24 July 2026
This week we have been focused on bug fixing and on getting Enchanter Mastery implemented so that everyone can start working with it on the Public Test Realm. Here’s a list of everything we’ve got going on:Design and NarrativeImplementing NPC Dialogue in the Port of Rulun.Adding still more fish in the waters of Badia de Cara.Finishing the initial implementation of Enchanter Mastery.Prep work for implementing Rogue Mastery.Additional tuning and itemization work for levels 1-50.Bug investigations in partnership with the programming and QA teams.High-level design work for Faerthale.Worldbuilding and Environment ArtAdditional touch-up work for parts of Badia de Cara, where needed.Starting to work on environmental assets for Faerthale, including very large trees and parts of very large trees.Another round of collision improvements and performance optimizations for the Port of Rulun and Detih…
- What We’ve Been Up To – July 17, 2026 - 17 July 2026
The bug squashing continues – and some new stuff too. Check out what we’ve been working on below:Design and NarrativeFinal pass on NPC population for Detihauna.Adding a few new fish to the waters around Badia de Cara to help increase biodiversity.Working on implementing Enchanter mastery.Finishing touches for Ranger mastery.Additional tuning and itemization work for levels 1-40.Continued bug destruction and tuning adjustments.Worldbuilding and Environment ArtWorking on some additional lighting and atmosphereic touch-ups for various parts of Badia de Cara.Investigating a pesky issue with terrain textures that is creating poor visual performance in some parts of the world.Continued optimization of object collision across all of Badia de Cara and the Port of Rulun.Continuing to work on large environmental props for areas of Faerthale outside the city.Finalized concepts for an elven dwellin…
- What We've Been Up To - July 10, 2026 - 10 July 2026
Over this past week we’ve been working hard to get some new things ready for the Public Test Realm next week. Check out what we’ve been working on below:Design and NarrativeAdding “extra” NPCs to Detihauna and making sure the town feels like a place where people live.Filling out NPC population in various areas, including in and around shipwrecks on the shore.Continuing to add more sharks and other sea life to the waters around Badia de Cara. You can never have enough sharks. Also making sure the sharks are appropriately hungry.Finishing up implementing new Wizard abilities and mastery options.Starting on implementation of Enchanter mastery.Finalizing the designs for Rogue and Ranger mastery.Additional tuning and itemization work for levels 1-40.More Faerthale planning, including mapping out various class starting locations within the city.Continued bug destruction and tuning adjustments…
- What We've Been Up To - July 3, 2026 - 3 July 2026
We have been busy this week getting things prepared for our next update to the Public Test Realm. Here’s what has been happening this week behind the scenes:Design and NarrativeFinalizing NPC population work in Detihauna.Continuing NPC population work in Kosa Minor.Filling out NPC population in parts of the Sea Dragon Hatchery.Adding more sharks and other sea life to the waters around Badia de Cara.Finished updating mastery options for Paladin and Dire Lord.Polishing work on the Mastery UI for Cleric, Shaman, and Druid.Began implementing new Wizard abilities and mastery options.Working on the designs for Rogue and Ranger mastery options.Additional tuning and itemization work for levels 1-40.Building out NPC roster and potential quest hooks for Faerthale.Squashing bugs and making tuning adjustments to class abilities based on bug reports, feedback, and observation data from the Public Te…
- What We've Been Up To - June 26, 2026 - 26 June 2026
This week, we introduced Mastery for the Cleric and Druid classes, alongside a major update for the Warrior class. Since then, we have been hard at work fixing bugs reported by our players, as well as continuing to forge ahead on some upcoming changes and additions. Our top priorities right now are getting Class Mastery fully implemented and functional for all of our active adventuring classes and investigating problems related to NPC pathfinding and movement through water.Here’s what has been happening this week behind the scenes:Design and NarrativeFinished adding interactive doors to the Port of Rulun.NPC population work in Detihauna and Kosa Minor.Updating base abilities and Class Mastery for Paladins and Dire Lords.Finalizing the design for Class Mastery for Wizards, Enchanters, and Summoners.Additional tuning and itemization work for levels 1-30.Systematically investigating and fi…
- Details on the Cleric Refresh - 23 June 2026
It is the Frail Age of Terminus. Since the Deicide War, true communion with the Celestials has become nearly unheard of. For this reason, Clerics bind themselves to the ancient Tomes of their Order; sacred vessels preserving the last echoes of Celestial power from an age when such communion was still possible.Through disciplined study, Clerics learn to draw upon these Tomes as conduits of divine memory. Their restorative arts are among the most potent in all of Terminus, allowing them to mend grievous wounds in the midst of terrible danger. Through signets, writs, and ethereal shields, they can dramatically strengthen the defenses of their companions with the remnants of Celestial light.Yet the same light that restores the faithful may also condemn the wicked. Clerics are vessels of righteous conviction, able to bring judgment against those who profane life, prey upon the innocent, or d…
- Enter the Druid Refresh - 22 June 2026
The wild-eyed Druid has answered a dangerous call: to embrace the natural world of Terminus and peer into its mysteries. With the manifold fragments of other worlds and realms now rooted into Terminus, the land has become beautiful, volatile, and treacherous beyond measure. For this reason, Druids are often revered as visionaries; mystics able to look beyond the fractured terrain and sense the living pulse beneath it.At their core, Druids are light-armored mystics who commune with the forces that bind root, beast, flame, storm, and spirit. Their power is not drawn from conquest over nature, but from intimacy with it: the restorative waters of a hidden spring, the resilience of ancient roots, the instinct of watchful beasts, the patient growth of wild groves and the terrifying release of a tempest breaking across the sky.Among the most mysterious expressions of Druidic power is Verdanfir…
- Details on the Shaman Refresh - 21 June 2026
The ShamanIt is rumored that Shamans live in every age at once. To walk the path of the Shaman is to hear the voices of those who came before, to sense the movements of unseen forces, and to understand that every living thing on Terminus is shaped by its past.Shamans possess a second sight that reaches beyond the present moment. Through this gift, they can discern the lineage of friend and foe alike. This knowledge may be offered as a boon, strengthening allies through ancestral favor and restorative magic, or turned against enemies as a bane, exposing weakness, burdening the spirit, or invoking maladies from ages past.Yet the Shaman is also an intimate vessel of the elements of Fire, Wind, Earth, Water, Animus and the Ancestral. The Shaman recognizes these elements as ancient powers with their own will; the oldest ancestors of all, bearing witness to the rise and ruin of countless worl…
- What We’ve Been Up To – June 12 – June 18, 2026 - 19 June 2026
This week, we introduced the Shaman mastery system and crushed some server performance issues on the PTR. We want to send a big shout out to our player community for continuing to help us test in spite of the stability problems, and for continuing to provide valuable feedback and bug reports.Here’s what else has been happening behind the scenes:Design and NarrativeAdding interactive doors to the Port of Rulun.Beginning population work in Detihauna and Kosa Minor.Finalizing the implementation of cleric mastery and druid mastery.Additional tuning and itemization work for levels 1-30.Continuing to wage war upon bugs reported by our player testers. Service guarantees citizenship.Worldbuilding and Environment ArtSet dressing shipwrecks on Kosa Ull.Additional set dressing for the ocean floor in Badia de Cara.Building out the main point of interest within the Screaming Stones.Building out the…
- What We've Been Up To - June 5 - June 11, 2026 - 12 June 2026
This week, we activated the mastery system on our public test realm for initial testing. Much of the team’s focus has been on bringing this system online, and bugs/issues related to that system are being prioritized highly. However, we are still working on some other things in the background (listed below)!Design and NarrativeContinuing population work for the Sea Dragon Hatchery and underwater areas of Badia de Cara.Finishing touches on Port of Rulun NPC placement and pathing, setting up player services.Prep for NPC placement for Detihauna and Kosa Minor.Activated mastery system with initial warrior, paladin, and dire lord mastery arrays.Implementation of mastery arrays for healer classes.Additional tuning and itemization work for 1-20 content areas.Fixing bugs as quickly as possible.Worldbuilding and Environment ArtCompleting polish pass on Kosa Ull Jungle and Caldera.Continued buildo…
- Combat & Progression Update & PTR Week Six Highlights - Mastery for Tanks - 10 June 2026
A Message from our CEOBefore diving into Mastery, which is shipping in early form to the Public Test Realm today, I’d like to update you about when the full Combat & Progression update will ship to Production Servers and the accompanying wipe.We have decided to postpone the wipe. Combat & Progression simply isn’t ready, and we don’t want to risk shipping something that could force another wipe soon.Expect to see eleven classes with Mastery on the Public Test Realm by July 17, then on Production soon after. Please log into the PTR, try the classes and mastery, and provide your feedback. Expect several weeks of updating, testing and tuning.Once it’s properly tuned, we’ll wipe the Production Servers and release updated Combat & Progression there. We will publish the new wipe, Combat and Progression Update, and Badia de Cara target dates as soon as possible.Chris Rowan, CEOWeek Six Highligh…
- What We've Been Up To - May 29 to June 4, 2026 - 5 June 2026
Design and NarrativeFinishing population work on the Caldera in Kosa Ull.Beginning population work for the Sea Dragon Hatchery and underwater areas of Badia de Cara.Finishing NPC placement work for Port of Rulun.NPC Dialogue work for Detihauna and Kosa Minor.Finalizing implementation of Warrior, Paladin, and Dire Lord mastery for player testing.Tuning and itemization work for 1-20 content areas.Bug fixes.Additional refinements to charm mechanics.Worldbuilding and Environment ArtFinal lighting and foliage pass on Kosa Ull, cave transitions.Continued buildout for Detihauna.Finishing pass on Sea Dragon Hatchery interiors.Beginning final detail buildout for Screaming Stones POI area.Finalizing second round of structural/prop concepts for Faerthale City.Continued collision and navigation fixes for Port of Rulun.Character Art and AnimationAdditional NPC variations for BDC named and rare oppon…
- What We've Been Up To - May 22-28, 2026 - 29 May 2026
Design and NarrativeContinued population work on the Caldera in Kosa Ull.Prep for PTR level cap increase to 20.Implementing Rogue and Enchanter base abilities.Prep work for enabling mastery system for player testing.Review of 1-20 NPC data for updated loadout/ability assignments.Initial testing and bug fix pass on underwater combat with programming team. Fed the lead programmer’s character to sharks several times to test various fixes.Numerous PTR bug fixes.Continued NPC placement work for the Port of Rulun.NPC Dialogue work for Detihauna and Kosa Minor.Worldbuilding and Environment ArtCaldera areas of Kosa Ull.Continued buildout for Detihauna.Continued refinement pass on Sea Dragon Hatchery interiors.Finalizing second round of structural/prop concepts for Faerthale City.Collision and navigation fixes for Port of Rulun.Character Art and AnimationWrapping up animation work on Siren and \…
