Fellowship Transforms ‘MMORPG’ by Removing the ‘MM’ for Extra Fun

One of the most exciting things in gaming is when a designer takes a single standout element from a sprawling genre and transforms it into a whole new experience. That’s exactly how the MOBA genre was born—by isolating the heroes from RTS games. Now, Fellowship is stepping into the scene, unveiling what it calls a Multiplayer Online Dungeon Adventure. This game zeroes in on team-based dungeon raids, which are often seen as the core of modern MMOs, and promises to deliver the core thrills without the grind of hours upon hours of leveling.

After spending some time with a development build of Fellowship, I must admit the concept is just as intriguing as it sounds. It offers brisk, ever-evolving dungeon raids designed for a four-player team: a tank, a healer, and two damage dealers chosen from a roster of unique classes. You can assemble your team or use a nifty group finder to dive straight into action. Whether you’re aiming for a quick battle against a single boss or a deeper dive into multi-boss dungeons, Fellowship allows you to gear the challenge to your schedule, accommodating both ten-minute breaks or hour-long sessions.

The loop is simple yet satisfying: snag your loot, adjust your skills, ramp up the difficulty, and dive back in for another round.

Initially, I doubted whether an authentic MMO-style dungeon raid would be possible without the broader MMO context, but Fellowship quickly dispelled my skepticism. The gameplay involves progressing through environments, wiping out enemy mobs to eventually face formidable bosses. It checks all the boxes for what you’d expect: managing the tank’s threat level, easing the job for your healer, keeping an eye on enemy abilities to interrupt key moves, and perfecting your class’s attack rotation.

I tried my hand as an elemental mage, juggling a variety of abilities even from the early stages. My character generated charges, allowing me to unleash chilling meteors or barrage foes with icy blasts. Our team’s healer, on the other hand, conjured plants either to heal or damage. Clearly defined roles within each class stood out, with each having distinct strengths and weaknesses. For instance, the squishy mage I played was entirely dependent on the tank to redirect aggression from bosses.

One of the standout features of Fellowship was the boss battles. I encountered four memorable set pieces that captured the essence of modern dungeon raids. In one scenario set in a ghost pirate lair, we faced a skeletal shipmaster who played tricks by swapping our ghosts in and out of our bodies. Another encounter featured a treasure construct that couldn’t be conventionally tanked, requiring our tank to maneuver a large sphere for collecting the treasure pieces we dislodged. There was also an enormous zombie that summoned tides, forcing us to anchor ourselves and avoid aggressive sharks.

Notably, the developers emphasized a balance between bosses requiring quick reflexes and those demanding deep understanding of mechanics and proficient use of class skills. A formidable warlock boss served as a prime example, with a fast-paced skill set that required constant interruptions while forcing players to either group up or scatter at a moment’s notice.

What truly impressed me was Fellowship’s clearly defined progression system. Dungeon challenges escalate through six initial levels, introducing new enemy skills incrementally while stripping away assistive elements until players face the intended difficulty. Beyond that point, the challenge steps up even further through numerous levels, each featuring a unique mix of two or more curses that present both pros and cons. For instance, a curse might introduce powerful Empowered minions, offering the chance to earn temporary boosts that facilitate faster mob clearance or grant significant advantages against bosses upon defeat.

The idea of a game centered on endlessly scaling dungeons—simultaneously familiar and newly challenging—is brilliantly appealing. Coupled with ambitious plans for competitive seasons, where players across the world can race to conquer bosses first, Fellowship has me genuinely eager to jump in, gear up, and rise to its challenges when it drops later this year.