Project Pantheon is an upcoming Extraction ARPG from Wolcen Studio, the studio behind, er, Wolcen. It aims to combine the combat and looting of games like Diablo with the ruthless PvP and extraction mechanics of something like Escape from Tarkov. Having been invited to a hands-off preview I got to see the game in action and learn a bit about it, before jumping into the first of many planned closed Alpha tests to try it out for myself. Even at this early stage, I can already tell there’s something here.
Full disclosure: I really enjoyed Wolcen. Some didn’t, but I found its weapon-based skill system to be very cool, and the isometric RPG action kept my interest for a good 50 hours. Yet knowing what Wolcen was didn’t prepare me for what Project Pantheon is. Or will be, I suppose.
It feels genuinely new, with the addictive simplicity of click-to-kill combat, plenty of loot, a huge map to explore, and the ever present danger of other players who want what you’re carrying. In the preview the devs revealed that Project Pantheon will enter early access “probably in early 2026”, but they they plan to use closed Alpha tests up until the early access launch to get it right. It’s worlds are based on real-world mythology, beginning with Norse, before they add Greek and Aztec, with hopes to introduce others during early access and beyond.
Each run focuses on finding rare loot and getting out alive with it. Each map will feature a boss in a fixed area, that you can take on alone or with others. You’re not locked into the boss fight when it starts and you can run away, at which point the boss will quickly heal. You’re not forced to maintain alliances with other players either, and can double cross them whenever you feel the need. You will be able to trade with other players as well as murder them for their goods, though, which is handy.
Attempting to extract will summon a portal, and trap you in a small dome. You can’t get out of it, but other players and monsters will be able to get in and try to stop you from escaping. It’s really bloody hard and a little frustrating right now, though there is plenty of time to tweak it before the early access release.
The eventual launch will contain classes and a character creator, but this first Alpha was restricted to a pre-made warrior. Likewise there was only on map and one boss to tackle, which I failed repeatedly to beat on my own. I did come upon the odd rival player though, with varying results. Armed with a javelin and shield initially, I soon found a hammer and was pleased to see that the secondary attack on it was a classic Diablo spin-to-win whirlwind move.
Skills are tied to weapons, and character levels are not persistent. In each run you must level up to unlock skills and abilities, and find stronger, better loot to help you survive. There are very few ways to heal in Project Pantheon, so you’ll need to preserve your potions and items.
Once recruited by Death (I presume the Death), you will be able to construct a base and install machinery to refine and create resources and equipment, in a similar way to something like V Rising. How in-depth this will be we’ve yet to see, as it wasn’t a feature in the Alpha and I didn’t see active gameplay of it during the preview. Interestingly, there will be a summonable mount to acquire which will make getting around maps a little faster and smoother.
There’s a gloomy grimness to Project Pantheon that perfectly evokes the games it’s based on while maintaining a palpable sense of atmosphere. Combat feels meaty and impactful already, even if movement is a little slidey and a lot of the assets I saw were still placeholders. This is an incredibly young game, but Wolcen Studio have the right ideas about how to nurture it.
What I have seen and played of Project Pantheon so far has impressed me. It feels new, and fresh, and while fighting for your life as you wait for an evacuation is nothing overly original, the setting and atmosphere on display promote comparisons to other fantasy extraction games like Dungeonborne, despite the very different viewpoint. There’s such a long time until it even hits early access, and it seems like Wolcen intent to use every second of that time to tweak and refine their creation so the end result is something to be really proud of. Right now, I’d say they’re on the right track with Project Pantheon.
Project Pantheon is being developed by Wolcen Studio and will enter Steam Early Access in late 2025/early 2026.
