The pre-season 2 for Fellowship is right around the corner, and I got a chance to try the game early alongside the devs. Along with two new playable characters, the update brings a lot of focus on getting players acquainted with the core gameplay early on. One of the biggest ways they’re doing that is through a new open-world zone called Woodland Glade. Pre-season 2 also brings changes to the dungeons, including reworked difficulty, new rewards, and more.
Along with that, the update brings a new chase mount, legendary weapons, social features, dungeon rework, customization, and more. Having tried many of these things firsthand, I can definitely say that the new player experience in Fellowship will be a lot better following the update.
Fellowship pre-season 2 adds Woodland Glade as new leveling system
The Woodland Glade is an open-world zone that allows you to test out characters while waiting for a match. However, it isn’t just a place to roam around. Inside, you’ll find NPCs and enemies that allow you to progress the reworked reward tree to unlock their abilities.
Completing a set of simple quests will progress an alternate route, allowing you fully unlock the character kit within hours. The area also scales down depending on party members and what role you’re playing solo, which was nice if you want to run solo.
To equip the unlocked abilities, you need to head back to the stronghold, but since I was on a test build, it may be different for the full release. Regardless, it’s a lot faster than Quickplay, which is going away after the update.
Pathfinder’s Guidance and cutting down dungeon timers
Another change coming with Fellowship pre-season 2 is the removal of the dungeon timers. Until you reach Paragon, there is no rush to complete dungeons within the time limit and risk losing your rewards. It will take a lot of pressure off teams, especially the ones in random matchmaking.
Additionally, there’s a new feature called the Pathfinder’s Guidance. It’s a permanent mark on enemies that grants you Haste, depending on the league. Moreover, it also acts as a guiding light for players, as defeating the enemies with the mark will take you towards the boss and make sure the team reaches a 100% kill score.
Also Read: Complete Gearing guide for Fellowship
Two new heroes join Fellowship roster
The pre-season 2 update for Fellowship also brings two new heroes into the mix: a tank named Xavian and a healer named Aoena. Both of them have some interesting gameplay mechanics which I’ll explain separately, but here’s a quick overview.
- Xavian: Tank players will be very happy with Xavian’s kit. He can heal and grant damage reduction to self and allies, taking pressure off healers. His ultimate (spirit ability) allows him to go completely immune and gain 50% damage reduction for a short duration afterwards.
- Aoena: Her ability works around delayed (Stagger) damage using the Time Shift mechanics. If she’s in a team, players will only take half of the initial damage from the hit, with the rest applied as a DoT. It allows her to out-heal a fatal hit when used properly.
No DPS in this patch, likely because there’s already a lot to choose from. However, there is a large-scale hero balance, which we’ll find out in the patch notes.
Communities to bring like-minded players together inside Fellowship
Another thing the devs shared during our playtime was the Communities feature. At first, I thought it was a guild, but it’s more like being in various groups. You can join multiple at the same time to find players of the same caliber or those who play on a particular day or time as you, making teaming up much easier.
Finding teammates, especially during the mid or end of the season, often leaves players with long wait times, which is frankly an issue, as Fellowship is strictly a party-based game. There are plans for an open role queue in the future that allows you to get random roles, but for now, Communities should help people find a pre-made team. The feature is also a part of the pre-season 2 update.
Profile Customization is coming with Fellowship pre-season 2
Lastly, we’re also getting Profile Customization, and while not as robust early on, it will allow everyone to have custom frames, backgrounds, titles, and icons. Similar to the Communities, the feature may arrive on a later date, but the devs are aiming for an early release.
And speaking of customization, they’re finally adding an in-game store with their founders’ support packs. Along with that, there are also a few characters and mount cosmetics. The game is currently in early access, and if you do try out the new update and heroes, don’t forget to share feedback with the devs.
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Edited by Mayank Singh Rathour
