Try to remember: In October 2021, Windows Central and Jeff Grubb leaked Pax Dei, then still embryonic. If we do not find explicit traces of the promised collaboration with Xbox Game Studios in the final product, Mainframe confirms that their MMORPG will take place in a pseudo-historical reality, modeled on our European Middle Ages, where “myths are real, ghosts exist and magic is unquestioned“. A kind of post-Arthurian universe where role-playing seems to be the main playful axis.
Civilian or knight?
In effect, Pax Dei promises to make absolutely every classic meuporg role interesting, from veteran monster hunter to daisy picker to outrageous PvP murderer. The whole adventure will be built around a Domain, a secure area where a community can build its own village. Mainframe promises “extensive character customization and modular building construction“which can only be fully realized if all citizens work together.
Outside the Domains, protected by divine will, the world of Pax Dei is less stupid. The further you get from your camp, the weirder, weirder and more dangerous the environment will become. The focus is on exploration and PvE in these areas. The best loot will, of course, be found in the most distant areas. While no figures were given as to the area of the explorable world, Mainframe claims to create a region “immense” using procedural tools. Under the hood, we find the Unreal Engine 5, whose Lumen and Nanite technologies will be heavily used to achieve the ambitions of the developers.
Between modernity and tradition
But above all, it is the high-sounding promises around the cloud that pique interest. If, currently, Mainframe only targets the PC with a Steam release, their desire is to tame the cloud so that Pax Dei is playable on any platform (mobile included). As a corollary, it will also be a welcoming MMO for noobs, who can join the adventure with any bike and fill small roles useful to the community while learning the tricks of the genre. No mention is made of the selected cloud technology.
While we have every right to be wary, given the amount of abandoned MMO babies in gaming mass graves, Mainframe seems to follow a consistent vision; what gives them even more credence is the opening of closed alpha signups, which suggests we’re not dealing with yet another vaporware. Head over to the official website or the Steam page to sign up. No date range has yet been disclosed. A Q&A session will be held soon on the official Discord.