Sometimes the video game god offers me something fresh that feels laser targeted towards me. Over the past two years alone, there has been Deadlock, Valve’s MOBA shooter hybrid that blends the best parts of Dota 2 with combat focused on Overwatch heroes. It was then located in the midnight south, bringing one of the most attractive regions in the world to a vibrant, forced-style life. But what I was missing is the new MMO. Even the things I’ve loved for years now have no interest in me – I don’t have the time to spend crushing the latest raids in World of Warcraft. That’s here fellowship When you come in, it might be the game I’m looking for.
I was fortunate to practice Chief Rebel’s debut title at Gamescom 2025, trading my pedigree 2 fangs for something even more fantastical. Fellowships are at its heart, World of Warcraft, but they do not trade “large” and ever-expanding vast open worlds for streamlined dungeon selection groups. The purpose is simple. Get clear missions, get good gear, upgrade your characters, and repeat.
Called “Moda” (Multiplayer Online Dungeon Adventure), it borrows elements from League of Legends and Dota and Diablo. There is a set roster of heroes that perform certain roles, and polishing their builds is the key to making them shine. In short, it’s all chimera of my favorite video games.
As the main priest of World of Warcraft, I am instantly drawn to vitality. Vitality focuses on the kit’s single target and AoE healing. With his ability to bring his companions back from the brink of death (and throw books to force people to read them), the pressure quickly begins to be installed – community director Hamish Board didn’t help. I immediately regret to him that there is too much time in World of Warcraft.
Our adventures mostly go to the plan: the board pulls aggro, our companions do damage, and I heal. As we continue to advance and pull on bigger mobs, I start to think, “In the end, this may not be that difficult.” Boy, I was wrong – this area is called “sailor Abyss” for reasons. As they descend towards Cintara, a giant siren-esque monster, the board warns that no one could clear this battle with their first attempt. I consider it a challenge.
Things look fine at first – Sintra can interrupt the spell, cause bleeding, combine two characters, and do more damage when they fall apart. She then unleashes the song of the siren, and each of us is jetted from the side of the boat (though he is pleased, of course). We run our boss again, and the same thing happens to almost all of us, but we find the boards tied up to the rotten mast of the ship. Ah, understood. Sintra is an incredible dungeon and doesn’t feel out of place, but the Tether requirements are a fun little twist.
However, while fellowships are immediately reminiscent of WOW, there are many other influences too. Bode, who worked on Diablo 3, cites the second article in the series as one of his favorite games, and you can see its impact. There are gems available. On paper, it gives simple bounties, but becomes more complicated as it progresses, and unlike the World of Warcraft talent tree, you can pick up your abilities in any order you like – there are no prerequisites here. Some items also grant unique powers, but these are included in the 14-slot roster that includes character-specific ultimates, so you should choose wisely.
“We’ve always described the game as a mixture of my favorite parts of MMO, ARPG and MOBA,” Bode says in an interview. “The game actually started out as a PVE MOBA, but certainly there is a lot of ARPG inspiration. Some people on the team will be absolutely engrossed in the path of exile, Diablo and other ARPGs.
He recalls that players have already begun to improve and test build limits and find “unexpected powers.” Asking if there is a sense of joy in it and if you have a PVP game and a PVP game, the developer can hand off a little more when it comes to finding the perfect balance.
“It’s one of those things that PVE games have. It feels like there’s a little more bandwidth in terms of things being overwhelmed and reduced power. It’s just fun. In PVP, it turns into the frustration of someone else receiving it. One of the things our team really does is see what we’re so small, we’re quick, so we’ve been unintentionally missing within a day.
“That’s one of the things we have to take on the spot,” he continues. “When you get into the live service part of the game, you have to answer those questions. Will it affect the fun of the whole community? If so, we’ll run what we’re enjoying this season. Will we adapt it next season?
But like games of this nature, there’s a bit of shattering. The board shows you some of the myriad character customization options and some mounts that include everything from horses and tigers to mice. very important). Some of these, like Wow and Diablo, can be purchased with in-game currency or actual IRL money that is easy to earn, but some are locked behind in-game achievements. Fighting through all the leagues of games that offer gradually more difficult dungeons and climax boss battles cover your unique merchandise.
So, how do you balance the level of grinds in games that you don’t want to be Diablo or World of Warcraft? Ask the board. “We want people to advance their power fantasy — that’s really fun about these kinds of games,” he meditates. “But we don’t want that power fantasy to be brought out and frustrated. I love fierce games, but that’s a different experience from what we offer here.
“We have personal loot, so each time you complete a dungeon, you get what’s pushing you forward. There’s this constant momentum. As you play, you progress. The typical time from zero to gear cap is much faster than in other games.”
“One other thing we’ve talked about over the past few months is the idea that there are low barriers to entry and making the game more accessible,” he continues. “I’ve been thinking a lot about it – especially this week – and that means it’s different for different people. I want to make our games accessible – some people on our community council have vision issues and mobility issues. I’ve been diagnosed with multiple sclerosis.
“However, accessibility means a lot different. It can be financial accessibility. There are no subscriptions. I think our $25 price range is achievable for more people. There are a lot of games that I want to play, especially in games where the games are very expensive. If that’s what they want to spend, people need to spend $25.”
The Fellowship checks a lot of boxes for me. As someone who can’t find time to crush the MSQS of Wow or FF14, it gives you instant dungeon raid corrections without constant fear of what’s left. But more than that, fellowships feel like a love letter to both existing community and inspiration, blending together the best of some of the biggest games out there to create something truly different.
The Fellowship release date is set for Thursday, October 16th, but the brand new open beta version has just begun on Steam, so you can dive right away. Here is the link to that store page. Please be bold to say hello.
