Death Penalties are Back in Pantheon: Rise of the Fallen, as Vicarious Visions Discusses Early Access Plans

mmorpg.com:

Pantheon: Rise of the Fallen is “ready to bring back the punishing feel of failure” as they turn the death penalty back on. The latest update for the season also  makes earning XP a little more difficult.  All of this comes as the team is discussing the path to Early Access in December.

Early Access is coming, and the team has ambitious goals for that phase, but they are very careful to make sure that everyone knows  not to expect it to be some kind of soft launch. This is the next phase of development, and we should see it as such. With the upcoming Early Access launch, their slate of pledges will come to an end, along with some of the perks those provide.

New playable races are some of the first things that will be added. Dark Myr, Elf, and Halfling make up the first wave. They'll be revealing more details about the new playable races in September. The next zone, Silent Plains, is in the works. 

The team is also working on guild functions, more perception dialogue, and refining the starting player experience. This work includes updated tutorials, new and revamped tooltips, and  more elements of the starter experience. Other stuff listed on their Early Access roadmap includes more Silent Plains details, Eastern Plains, player customization, the Wilds End biome, quests, NPCs, and more.

Vicarious Visions also says that they’re mostly focused on what's coming, but  this summer also introduced some significant new content. A new playable dungeon, class and crafting improvements, the addition of salvaging, and more are things people can enjoy.  Maybe that death penalty means a little less enjoyment, but it's there, as part of their goals to eventually have a more rounded progression experience