Fellowshipâs Big Early Access Debut
Fellowship has landed at the perfect moment. World of Warcraft players are between expansions and a lot of folks are looking for a new game to scratch that co-op dungeon itch. Fellowship does exactly that by focusing almost entirely on running MMO style dungeons with your squad, again and again.
The game is still in early access, but it is already pulling in serious attention. Developer Chief Rebel shared some early stats that show just how hard players are no lifing this thing.
- 7.2 million hours played in the first month
- More than 9 million dungeons cleared
That is a lot of wipes. These numbers prove that there is a big audience for a focused co-op dungeon game that does not demand full MMO levels of time and commitment.
Fellowship is not completely blowing up Steam charts in the way some huge live service launches do, but it is holding a steady average of around eight thousand concurrent players. For a game that has not fully released yet, that is a very healthy population. It is enough to keep matchmaking alive without already feeling like a massive live service machine.
Seasons, Resets, and New Heroes on the Way
In a recent developer update video, community director Hamish Bode sat down with game director Axel Lindberg to talk about what comes next. The short version is that Chief Rebel has a long term plan and they are not rushing it just to meet a date on a calendar.
First up is a winter event arriving on December 11. Expect a limited time shakeup that gives players something fresh to grind and new goals to chase during the holiday season. After that, the real big change hits with a pre season reset planned for early 2026.
The pre season reset will:
- Wipe or refresh leaderboards
If you are used to ARPGs or seasonal games, this will sound familiar. It is a way to keep the meta from going stale and to give everyone a reason to come back and try new builds every season.
New heroes will be a key part of this reset. Chief Rebel is still keeping details quiet, but Lindberg confirmed that a new tank hero and a new support hero are in development. The plan is for one of these to launch alongside the pre season reset, bundled with what Lindberg calls a large content update.
The studio has not revealed exactly what is in that big update, but it is fair to expect some mix of fresh dungeons, new loot, and more cosmetics. Since the game lives and dies on dungeon variety and team composition, new heroes and new places to bash monsters are going to be a huge deal.
The Road Ahead for Fellowship
Beyond the winter event and the pre season reset, Chief Rebel has a longer wish list for how Fellowship will evolve during early access. Based on the update, players can look forward to:
- Better onboarding and new player experience so it is easier to learn the game
The Steam page currently lists an expected early access period of about six months. However the scope of these plans suggests it might easily run longer. And honestly that is probably a good sign. It means Chief Rebel is more focused on getting Fellowship into the right place rather than sprinting toward a launch deadline.
One of the most interesting questions is what happens when World of Warcraft gets its Midnight expansion. A lot of Fellowship players are clearly MMO fans and there is always a risk that they drift back to Azeroth when new content appears.
But Fellowship has one big advantage. It is designed for shorter play sessions than a typical MMO. You can log in, slam a few dungeons with friends, and log out without feeling like you abandoned a giant checklist of weekly chores. That makes it a great side game even for people who plan to go hard on Midnight or other big releases.
For now, Fellowship is in that exciting early access sweet spot. The core idea already works you grab some friends, dive into dungeon after dungeon, and chase better runs while laughing about all those 49 million deaths. At the same time there is a clear roadmap that promises new heroes, seasonal shakeups, better social tools, and a smoother experience for new players.
If you like co-op games and have been missing old school dungeon runs without the full MMO grind, Fellowship is absolutely one to keep on your radar.
Original article and image: https://www.pcgamer.com/games/rpg/over-9m-dungeons-have-been-cleared-in-co-op-rpg-fellowships-first-month-of-early-access-and-now-the-devs-are-teasing-big-updates-in-the-next-few-months/
