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Many have enjoyed Pax Dei’s Early Access, but it still has a “Mixed” rating on Steam. The community is torn about this Survival MMO that is still very much in the process of being developed. What has left fans so disappointed and upset, though? There’s a lot to get into about this game, and it’s worth noting that most, if not all of this, could very well change in the future. There are little features the game lacks, such as a decent fast travel system or mini-map, but this isn’t surprising for a survival MMO.
The grind of the game isn’t even the worst part, but it is worth mentioning. Pax Dei Early Access requires a ridiculous amount of materials sometimes—from the main materials to a wealth of little pieces (pegs, nails, things of that nature). Many people get into this kind of game knowing a grind is coming. So what’s really wrong?
What left fans upset about Pax Dei Early Access
1) Solo players are at a distinct disadvantage
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We understand that Pax Dei, even in Early Access, is supposed to be a survival MMO. There are many players who want to play games like this solo. It’s just a fact of life that if you aren’t playing with a group or a guild, that you’re going to be behind in this game, probably forever. Players in groups will be able to stack way more Furnaces and get far more done than you.
This doesn’t directly give an advantage in PVP (you can’t build in PVP zones), but these players will have access to more equipment and resources at a greater rate than you, especially if they also have additional plots of land to work with. This sort of thing is expected in a survival MMO, and we aren’t suggesting players who work together be punished. It’s just a disappointing part of this game and several other titles in the genre.
2) The world isn't empty, but it certainly feels that way
The world of Pax Dei is a pretty one, and the map is huge, especially for an Early Access title. However, the traveling feels like you’re in Lord of the Rings—you walk everywhere, forever. There’s no fast travel unless you die, and that’s just a respawn. It’s a lot of very tedious travel, and without any kind of horse or other mount system, it’s going to feel like you take forever to get anywhere or get anything done.
Even farming Flint in Pax Dei can feel like a chore if you’re running from one river to the next or looking for a mountain to climb. It’s supposed to be a relaxing, slow game that takes a while to progress, but this feels like a little too far in that direction. Of course, this is something that can be easily remedied in the future.
3) The combat system feels bland and uninteresting
Nothing feels interesting or engaging about the combat system in Pax Dei, that’s for sure. I do like that unlocking certain crafted items will give you Healing Magic, for example, but even that can be an incredibly tedious grind. You have to unlock the item that allows you to get the recipe, farm up the ingredients, and have a good enough Tailoring stat to do that.
You have a few attacks and skills in Pax Dei, and a few weapon types to use. It’s just a mediocre combat system with nothing special to make it stand out. In an MMO, it’s important to have something that makes your game pop out and get the player’s attention. In this game, it certainly is not the battle system.
4) Pax Dei is a social MMO, with no trading, voice chat, or economy
You can party in Pax Dei, but that seems to be about it. There appears to be no trading, other than dropping items and hoping for the best, but I’m sure this is going to change somewhere down the line. However, since this is supposed to be a social, survival MMO, it feels like it’s lacking even some of the most basic features for that.
If this is supposed to be a game where everyone comes together and creates communities, it’s weird that it didn’t seem to launch into Early Access with any kind of monetary system or trading, or even a basic economy. This isn’t condemning the game to failure by any stretch, but it is certainly a valid criticism that the developers will need to address soon.
5) Additional plots of land will cost a monthly fee, giving a "pay-to-win" feel
You can only do so much with a singular plot of land. It’s already known that the game will have a subscription based model after the Early Access period ends. However, Pax Dei players will also have to pay extra, depending on how many plots of land they own in the game.
Pax Dei players can also pay more to start with additional plots of land. Those players will also have to pay extra for those at launch. Sure, you don’t have to own multiple plots of land, but the more land you have, the more you can do (and this means you can make progress faster, at least in theory).
At the very least, you can progress more conveniently if you own more plots. I’m not saying it is 100% a pay-to-win situation, but there are certainly community members who feel that way. I can certainly understand both sides of this coin. It does feel like a pay-to-progress faster/pay-to-go faster system, but we'll see how this shakes out as the game develops.
Pax Dei is certainly an interesting survival MMO, but it’s got a long way to go before it’s really fully developed. We are not at all condemning the game, as most, if not all of this can be improved. While many fans are excited about what’s available so far, these are just a few of the complaints from the community that are worth discussing.
