Dev Diary 2: Dungeons
[p]Hello Reapers, and welcome to Project Pantheon’s second dev diary entry! I’m Andrei, Game Director for Project Pantheon, and today we’re diving into a topic many of you have asked about: dungeons — what inspired their design, how they work and why braving their depth is worth the risk.
Dungeons are initially a way to add more depth to our maps and introduce greater variety in terms of player options. We aim to treat maps as “sandboxes”— open environments where you can set your objectives from a wide range of possibilities, whether that’s completing quests and challenges, gathering materials, or hunting for better loot. Dungeons expand these options by offering a high-risk, high-reward path: a chance to obtain better loot, balanced by a significantly increased level of challenge.
Beyond gameplay, dungeons also enhance environmental storytelling. They give each location an extra layer of flavour and can organically evolve into temporary, high-intensity combat zones. Some dungeons might be easy to sneak into and quickly gather some valuables, but others might alert everyone in the match as you open them, which means gameplay around dungeons is always rewarding but comes with a good dose of risk. You’ll need to be cautious or use the opportunity to ambush others who decide to dive in.
Each dungeon is a handcrafted environment and can range in size, from 1- or 2-room cellars to large, sprawling areas which some faction might have taken over as a fortress or vault. Naturally, the quality and quantity of loot scale with the dungeon’s size and difficulty. [/p][p][/p][p]![]()
[/p][hr][/hr][h2]
Dungeon Keys as Part of Player-Driven Economy[/h2][p][/p][p]To enter a dungeon, you’ll need a specific key. Each dungeon requires its own key type, which can be dropped by enemies on the map or awarded after completing objectives.
Keys will vary in rarity, and some of them might even be consumable, making their usage a costly affair. Of course, what you find inside will be worth the trouble, but we expect that the more valuable and hard to reach places will become highly contested areas of the map, which in turn can be used by more PvP focused players as a battleground, or places to avoid for the more methodical players wanting to rob everything else with a lower dose of risk.
This simple mechanic of consuming keys adds meaningful depth to the gameplay. It introduces new player-driven strategies: for instance, a player might choose to bring a Cave Dungeon key into their next session and plot a route toward that dungeon. It also introduces tension. Since entry is limited, players are incentivizsed to maximizse the value of each dungeon. On a broader scale, dungeon keys will eventually feed into the player-driven economy. Some players may focus on farming and selling keys, while others will choose to purchase them on the market as a viable economic strategy. [/p][p][/p][p]![]()
[/p][hr][/hr][h2]
Designing Dungeons[/h2][p][/p][p]When it came to dungeons, we wanted to create them with certain principles in mind. The first one is their size. We have three dungeon sizes (small-medium-large), and when defining this, we tried to take into consideration the screen that the player sees. For example, a smaller one is roughly one screen, while a medium-sized one has two or three screens.
We’ve also considered navigation when creating dungeons, trying to avoid dead ends as much as possible. This applies mostly to the large dungeons because we wanted players to explore and run around killing monsters (or players!) while discovering loot along the way. Backtracking is never fun!
Another principle for creating dungeons was AI encounter difficulty. While open areas offer a mix of mobs with different strength levels, we wanted dungeon encounters to be more challenging for a high-risk, high-reward experience. Dungeons are packed with goodies, but they are also home to mighty enemies such as Wenches, Bears, Clawkills and more.
Designing our dungeons, we worked closely with the Art and Narrative teams to ensure each space authentically reflects the faction and culture of its inhabitants. Our goal was to create a cohesive experience where enemies, environments, and storytelling are tightly interwoven. For instance, dungeons inhabited by the Hamförir, which are cannibalistic creatures, are filled with thematic elements like cages, chains, and corpses to reflect their savage nature. Meanwhile, Reaver-controlled dungeons are set within icy landscapes reinforced with cage systems, capturing the harsh, unforgiving essence of their faction. [/p][p][/p][p]![]()
[/p][hr][/hr][h2]
Visual Worldbuilding[/h2][p][/p][p]We see dungeons as a real creative treat. Being encapsulated regions, dungeons bring us a lot more artistic freedom. On our main maps, we try to respect readability as much as possible, imposing constraints. Often, moody elements like fog, God rays and dim lighting can remove visual information that is useful to a player. Additionally, changing moods too often while moving around the map can also be tricky and feel unnatural.
However, dungeons loosen up the rules. We play with multiple light sources and try to create interesting environmental stories. Little visual kisses as they were. This helps create unique caves that feel special and memorable. Ultimately, this is in line with the experience we want to give to the player, to make our dungeons worthwhile. [/p][p][/p][p]![]()
[/p][hr][/hr][p][/p][h2]The Origins of Dungeons[/h2][p][/p][p]Now let’s have a look at what dungeons stand for from a narrative perspective. As we know, someone–or something–has destroyed the Gods and mythological figures that kept the realm stable. However, it has collapsed into post-apocalyptic chaos after these divine beings were either slain or vanished, leaving its inhabitants in a mad scramble to survive and find a place to hide away. Among the shattered worlds lie dungeons. We wanted each of them to be a window into the past, telling a different story;[/p][p][/p][h3]Remnants of the Living [/h3][p]In desperate attempts to escape a collapsing world, civilians carved out shelters during the final days of the apocalypse. Most didn’t survive, but their shelters remain in the afterlife.[/p][p][/p][h3]The Hand of Death[/h3][p]One of the Cosmic Entities of our universe, known as Death, who has a mild curiosity about cats and their dominion over mortals, plays an active role in mortal affairs than most of you would guess.
His Reapers walked these realms before, shaping events and leaving marks. Some dungeons have mysteries for players to uncover, either for Death himself or for other denizens of Project Pantheon. Loot will be one factor for players to be drawn into exploring dungeons, but the story of the game will also push you into some dark and dangerous places to uncover clues about what has happened to various deities and what can be done about it.[/p][p][/p][h3]Echoes of Gods[/h3][p]Although they’re now vanished, their presence has not fully faded. Their temples, burial mounds and ancient prayer circles still emanate a forgotten power. Some of these structures now serve as dungeons, in which you may find mysterious relics and lingering danger.[/p][p][/p][h3]Strongholds of War[/h3][p]In the absence of gods, chaos and wars between factions have risen to claim dominance in this new world order. Their hideouts, bases and fortresses – many of which you’ll discover – serve as dungeons reflecting the brutality that thrives in the ruins.
Each dungeon you’ll find in Project Pantheon is a piece of this fractured world, and whatever their origin is, they promise danger, mystery, and a chance to uncover it.
As Project Pantheon evolves, so too will the dungeons. In Closed Alpha 3, you’ll try and discover eleven dungeons in Midgard. In the future, we also want to explore new challenge types, such as more intense enemy compositions, traps and reactive environmental hazards, to deepen the experience and keep players on their toes.
If you’ve come this far, thank you for reading and for your support in Project Pantheon! As we continue to reveal more about the game, we invite you to join us on Discord to connect with us, join discussions and be a part of the development. [/p][p]Curious about crafting, customisation and durability in Project Pantheon? Check out our first dev diary.[/p][p][/p][hr][/hr][h2]Join the Project Pantheon Community![/h2][p]If you have concerns/questions/suggestions/feedback etc., don't hesitate to chat on our Discord:[/p][p]Official Wolcen Studio Discord Server[/p][p][/p][p]Follow us and stay tuned to more updates and announcements on our official channels:[/p][p]Official Project Pantheon Subreddit[/p][p]Official Project Pantheon X Page[/p][p]Official Project Pantheon Facebook Page[/p][p]Official Project Pantheon Instagram [/p][p][/p][h3]Wishlist Project Pantheon on Steam now![/h3][p][/p][p][dynamiclink][/dynamiclink][/p]
Dungeons are initially a way to add more depth to our maps and introduce greater variety in terms of player options. We aim to treat maps as “sandboxes”— open environments where you can set your objectives from a wide range of possibilities, whether that’s completing quests and challenges, gathering materials, or hunting for better loot. Dungeons expand these options by offering a high-risk, high-reward path: a chance to obtain better loot, balanced by a significantly increased level of challenge.
Beyond gameplay, dungeons also enhance environmental storytelling. They give each location an extra layer of flavour and can organically evolve into temporary, high-intensity combat zones. Some dungeons might be easy to sneak into and quickly gather some valuables, but others might alert everyone in the match as you open them, which means gameplay around dungeons is always rewarding but comes with a good dose of risk. You’ll need to be cautious or use the opportunity to ambush others who decide to dive in.
Each dungeon is a handcrafted environment and can range in size, from 1- or 2-room cellars to large, sprawling areas which some faction might have taken over as a fortress or vault. Naturally, the quality and quantity of loot scale with the dungeon’s size and difficulty. [/p][p][/p][p]
Dungeon Keys as Part of Player-Driven Economy[/h2][p][/p][p]To enter a dungeon, you’ll need a specific key. Each dungeon requires its own key type, which can be dropped by enemies on the map or awarded after completing objectives.
Keys will vary in rarity, and some of them might even be consumable, making their usage a costly affair. Of course, what you find inside will be worth the trouble, but we expect that the more valuable and hard to reach places will become highly contested areas of the map, which in turn can be used by more PvP focused players as a battleground, or places to avoid for the more methodical players wanting to rob everything else with a lower dose of risk.
This simple mechanic of consuming keys adds meaningful depth to the gameplay. It introduces new player-driven strategies: for instance, a player might choose to bring a Cave Dungeon key into their next session and plot a route toward that dungeon. It also introduces tension. Since entry is limited, players are incentivizsed to maximizse the value of each dungeon. On a broader scale, dungeon keys will eventually feed into the player-driven economy. Some players may focus on farming and selling keys, while others will choose to purchase them on the market as a viable economic strategy. [/p][p][/p][p]
Designing Dungeons[/h2][p][/p][p]When it came to dungeons, we wanted to create them with certain principles in mind. The first one is their size. We have three dungeon sizes (small-medium-large), and when defining this, we tried to take into consideration the screen that the player sees. For example, a smaller one is roughly one screen, while a medium-sized one has two or three screens.
We’ve also considered navigation when creating dungeons, trying to avoid dead ends as much as possible. This applies mostly to the large dungeons because we wanted players to explore and run around killing monsters (or players!) while discovering loot along the way. Backtracking is never fun!
Another principle for creating dungeons was AI encounter difficulty. While open areas offer a mix of mobs with different strength levels, we wanted dungeon encounters to be more challenging for a high-risk, high-reward experience. Dungeons are packed with goodies, but they are also home to mighty enemies such as Wenches, Bears, Clawkills and more.
Designing our dungeons, we worked closely with the Art and Narrative teams to ensure each space authentically reflects the faction and culture of its inhabitants. Our goal was to create a cohesive experience where enemies, environments, and storytelling are tightly interwoven. For instance, dungeons inhabited by the Hamförir, which are cannibalistic creatures, are filled with thematic elements like cages, chains, and corpses to reflect their savage nature. Meanwhile, Reaver-controlled dungeons are set within icy landscapes reinforced with cage systems, capturing the harsh, unforgiving essence of their faction. [/p][p][/p][p]
Visual Worldbuilding[/h2][p][/p][p]We see dungeons as a real creative treat. Being encapsulated regions, dungeons bring us a lot more artistic freedom. On our main maps, we try to respect readability as much as possible, imposing constraints. Often, moody elements like fog, God rays and dim lighting can remove visual information that is useful to a player. Additionally, changing moods too often while moving around the map can also be tricky and feel unnatural.
However, dungeons loosen up the rules. We play with multiple light sources and try to create interesting environmental stories. Little visual kisses as they were. This helps create unique caves that feel special and memorable. Ultimately, this is in line with the experience we want to give to the player, to make our dungeons worthwhile. [/p][p][/p][p]
His Reapers walked these realms before, shaping events and leaving marks. Some dungeons have mysteries for players to uncover, either for Death himself or for other denizens of Project Pantheon. Loot will be one factor for players to be drawn into exploring dungeons, but the story of the game will also push you into some dark and dangerous places to uncover clues about what has happened to various deities and what can be done about it.[/p][p][/p][h3]Echoes of Gods[/h3][p]Although they’re now vanished, their presence has not fully faded. Their temples, burial mounds and ancient prayer circles still emanate a forgotten power. Some of these structures now serve as dungeons, in which you may find mysterious relics and lingering danger.[/p][p][/p][h3]Strongholds of War[/h3][p]In the absence of gods, chaos and wars between factions have risen to claim dominance in this new world order. Their hideouts, bases and fortresses – many of which you’ll discover – serve as dungeons reflecting the brutality that thrives in the ruins.
Each dungeon you’ll find in Project Pantheon is a piece of this fractured world, and whatever their origin is, they promise danger, mystery, and a chance to uncover it.
As Project Pantheon evolves, so too will the dungeons. In Closed Alpha 3, you’ll try and discover eleven dungeons in Midgard. In the future, we also want to explore new challenge types, such as more intense enemy compositions, traps and reactive environmental hazards, to deepen the experience and keep players on their toes.
If you’ve come this far, thank you for reading and for your support in Project Pantheon! As we continue to reveal more about the game, we invite you to join us on Discord to connect with us, join discussions and be a part of the development. [/p][p]Curious about crafting, customisation and durability in Project Pantheon? Check out our first dev diary.[/p][p][/p][hr][/hr][h2]Join the Project Pantheon Community![/h2][p]If you have concerns/questions/suggestions/feedback etc., don't hesitate to chat on our Discord:[/p][p]Official Wolcen Studio Discord Server[/p][p][/p][p]Follow us and stay tuned to more updates and announcements on our official channels:[/p][p]Official Project Pantheon Subreddit[/p][p]Official Project Pantheon X Page[/p][p]Official Project Pantheon Facebook Page[/p][p]Official Project Pantheon Instagram [/p][p][/p][h3]Wishlist Project Pantheon on Steam now![/h3][p][/p][p][dynamiclink][/dynamiclink][/p]