MMO fans have been starved for new games over the past few years. The most played titles in the genre, FFXIV: A Realm Reborn and World of Warcraft, may as well have been released when dinosaurs roamed the Earth. Still, MMO fans do hold on to some hope, as a handful of in-development MMOs seem to be making positive steps toward release. Of those, Pax Dei is one of the most promising.
A medieval age-inspired MMO running in UE5, Pax Dei is about to start its Alpha 2 test, showing off further development as they open servers to over 100,000 people. What can players expect from this newest look at Pax Dei? This article will go over the focuses of this Alpha test so that players can understand what the game has developed and where the game may be going as it gets closer and closer to release.
What Has Been Added to Pax Dei for the Alpha 2 Test?
Mainframe Industries, the developers of Pax Dei, have stated that there will be four main focuses for the Alpha 2 test.
Crafting System Expansion
Pax Dei aims to have a wide and robust crafting catalog, with tons of materials to collect all over the open world. The previous Alpha had building mechanics and crafting mechanics in place, and while the building mechanics felt sound, the developers thought that there was much more to add to the crafting systems. There will be new crafting stations, crafting recipes, and materials to find in the Alpha 2 test. If you enjoy the skilling aspect of MMOs, keep your eyes on this test to see what may have been added this time.
Combat Revamp
Combat, especially enemy AI, was heavily reworked. Even for this test, the developers have stated that the combat is very much a work in progress. Still, they have been working on an improved targeting system and spell mechanics, as well as a whole host of under-the-hood numbers changes to many of their combat systems. While this version of combat may not be exactly what we see come launch, it should still be far enough along the developmental path that players can decide if they like the general idea of Pax Dei’s combat.
World Enhancements
The world of Pax Dei has seen more work than almost any aspect of the game. The biomes of the game are filled with tons of real-life flora and fauna, with a ton of time and effort devoted both to how they look and how they fit in as part of the environment. While the developers specifically called out biome transitions and cave exploration as main focuses, there are tons of general improvements to the overall quality of the game’s visuals. Given that this will be one of the first large-scale UE5 MMOs we see, it makes sense that visuals would be a priority for the developers.
New PvP Zone
The final, and perhaps most exciting, addition to the Alpha 2 Test is a PvP zone located in the dead center of the map for players to explore. The center of the map will contain rare materials, forcing players to explore and fight over better crafting materials. The developers have stated that, similar to their PvE combat, this is very much a work in progress. Still, it will be good to get an idea of the developer’s intentions with PvP, even if just on a baseline level.
This will be the first time players get to experience Pax Dei as a fully rounded MMO experience, with PvE, PvP, and crafting enabled. MMO fans have suffered in silence for years now, but this test may yet give them hope. Maybe there is a promising new MMO on the way. At the very least, the Alpha 2 test will give many their first glance at this possible bright future.
