Be a valiant knight, a lowlife thief, or a simple farmer in social sandbox MMO Pax Dei

Today, developer Mainframe Industries released a brand new trailer for its upcoming MMO, Pax Dei. The trailer doesn’t go into much detail, but it does say that all the footage is captured in-engine. If true, this is a gorgeous title that will likely only look better on release.

Related: How to sign up for the Pax Dei alpha

Mainframe Industries calls Pax Dei a social sandbox MMO. It doesn’t seem to have a story that you follow exactly. Instead, the experience will be emergent, based on the actions of the players around you. This is an MMO where you’re free to choose your own path. You could become a trader, a knight escorting people through a dangerous forest, a thief lying in wait, or something else completely. It seems as though you’ll form the story through your actions, the job you choose, and the ecosystem players build together.

According to the game’s Steam page, players build everything in this world. They find a plot of land and work together to establish everything they need. This isn’t like Destiny 2, World of Warcraft, or Final Fantasy XIV Online. It’s a world where quests and jobs pop up organically as you decide as a community that you need a mill, a farm, or weapons.

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That’s not to say the game is without its dangers entirely. Magic is real in this world, and there are plenty of animals that want to bite your head off. This is why players will need to work together to accomplish their overall goals. It’s very hard to say if the game has any level of compelling gameplay at this point, but the ideas are certainly intriguing.

The developer has posted a more in-depth video documentary discussing the game and showing off some of the basics of gameplay alongside the new trailer. They explain how there is a wider drama going on in the game’s world, a war, but you can interact with it in your own way. You don’t need to go out and fight. You can explore instead, but if you do, you’ll end up impacting the story of your community through the tales you come back and tell.