Fellowship Dungeons, Leagues & Gear Glossary
Fellowship is a co-op dungeon game from the studio Chief Rebel, published by Coffee Stain Publishing and Arc Games: groups of four heroes clear timed dungeons, collect personal loot and push into endlessly scaling difficulties. Its vocabulary borrows from MMO dungeon play, yet many words mean something specific here, and several of them changed in the last few months. This glossary is for new and returning players, and for anyone who meets a term like "RIO", "Capstone" or "BiS" in a group chat or a shop listing and wants to know what it refers to in this game.
Fellowship has been in Early Access on Steam since 16 October 2025. Early Access Season 3, Rise of the Heskyr, launched in June 2026 and ended with a progression reset on 22 October 2026. Since that date the game runs a test phase on the way to version 1.0: Adventure Mode replaced the Leagues, the Starmap gave way to Challenges and Set Bonuses moved onto Relics. The developers plan another reset for late November or early December 2026. Terms from Season 3 are kept below because guides, videos and lot names still use them, and each entry says what applies now.
| Term | In short | Where you meet it |
|---|---|---|
| Adventure Mode | Unranked mode with Easy, Medium and Hard | Game Finder, since 22 Oct 2026 |
| Leagues | Contender, Adept, Champion, Paragon | Seasons 1 to 3, older guides |
| Capstone dungeon | Three-boss dungeon | End of each League, now Eternal only |
| Eternal | Endlessly scaling endgame difficulties | Game Finder, leaderboards |
| Quickplay | Former casual queue, removed | Old guides and listings |
| Dungeon Score and Dungeon Rating | Your score per run and in total | Profile, Challenges, rewards |
| "RIO" | Borrowed WoW word for Dungeon Rating | Group chats, boosting listings |
| Starmap and Challenges | Reward tracks | Rewards page |
| Item level | Power number of gear | Hero sheet, Eternal access |
| Best in slot (BiS) | Ideal item for each slot | Build guides |
| Legendary items | Items with a unique power | Head, Chest and Legs slots |
| Set Bonuses, Relics and Charms | Passive perks and utility abilities | Relic slots |
| Gems and Enchants | Extra power added to items | Item modifiers, crafting |
| Gold | Main currency | Dungeon chests, vendors |
| Heroes and roles | 12 heroes: tank, healer, DPS | Hero select, matchmaking |
| Stronghold | The hub town | Between dungeons |
Modes and progression
Adventure Mode
Adventure Mode is the unranked way to play dungeons that replaced the League system on 22 October 2026. Instead of four Leagues with mandatory Capstones, it offers three complexity levels: Easy for players who are still learning (missed interrupts and dispels punish the group less), Medium with the full set of dungeon mechanics, and Hard, where every mechanic is active and gear comes fastest. The developers say an experienced player can play Easy, then Medium, and be in Hard by the third match.
The active pool is eight Adventure dungeons, including the new single-boss dungeon Crown of the Wild, and loot can come from any dungeon in the rotation. Multi-hero queuing lets you sign up with several heroes at once, each on the levels you pick. Example: "I'm gearing my healer in Adventure Hard before trying Eternal."
Leagues
Leagues were the progression ladder of Fellowship from Early Access launch until the end of Season 3: Contender, Adept, Champion and Paragon, followed by Eternal. Each League gave access to new abilities, talents and better gear. In Season 3 a League had three difficulties with three dungeons to choose from in each, and the Capstone was the fourth step; in Season 2 it had been six difficulties plus the Capstone. Item level rose with every difficulty step.
From Season 2 the Champion and Paragon Capstones had to be finished within the time limit to unlock the next step, while the first two only had to be completed. The developers counted about 16 separate matchmaking pools inside the Leagues, which made queues slow for late starters, and replaced the system with Adventure Mode. You still see League names in older guides and on the Steam store page.
Capstone dungeon
A Capstone is a long dungeon with three bosses, unlike the regular dungeons that end with a single boss and take about 10 to 15 minutes. Under the League system each League ended in a Capstone that you had to clear before moving up. In Season 2 these were Ransack of Drakheim (Contender), Wraithtide Vault (Adept), Heart of Tuzari (Champion) and Cithrel's Fall (Paragon).
Since the October 2026 reset Capstones are no longer a gate on the way up: they are playable only in Eternal, and the active pool holds two of them. From Season 2, timing a Capstone in Eternal was worth two Eternal Shards instead of one (see Eternal). Season 3 also added a related format, the Pinnacle dungeon Xul, the Blood Monolith, with three bosses, three difficulties and a weekly loot lockout. Example: "Our group wipes on the last Capstone boss, so we need more item level."
Eternal
Eternal is the endgame: the same dungeons at numbered difficulties that keep getting harder, with in-game leaderboards for the top groups. You used to unlock it by finishing the Paragon Capstone in time. Since the October 2026 reset you need an average item level of 240 to enter, while the developers recommend 270 or more to succeed. The scale was compressed to 32 fixed difficulty levels, after top players had pushed into the 70s during Season 3.
Unlike Adventure Mode, Eternal drops loot only for the dungeon you completed. From difficulty +30, Eternal Souldust, Eternal Godstones and Eternal Aether drop much more often. From Season 2 you needed two Eternal Shards to move up one level: each dungeon finished within its timer gave one, and going over time cost shards in Season 3. Odd Comp groups could earn leaderboard places only up to Eternal 25 in Season 3. Example: "We timed Eternal 12 on every dungeon this week."
Quickplay
Quickplay was a casual dungeon queue from the first months of Early Access. Its rewards, Marks of Fellowship in particular, were attractive enough that many veterans felt forced to farm it, and in December 2025 the developers changed how Marks are earned. With the Season 2 patch of 18 February 2026, Quickplay was removed. Its place as the low-stakes starting point went to the Woodland Glade, a drop-in area reached from the Stronghold where you can learn a hero without timers or bosses.
The developers referred to it as gone again in October 2026, when Halloween rewards moved to the Challenge system. If you see "quickplay" today, it usually means quick, relaxed dungeon runs in general, which in the current game are Adventure Mode Easy or Medium runs. Example: "Is Quickplay still in? No, it was cut in Season 2."
Rating and rewards
Dungeon Score and Dungeon Rating
Dungeon Score is what a single run earns you, and Dungeon Rating is the total number shown for your progress. Time matters: since September 2026, going more than 10% over the timer no longer lowers loot item level but still reduces Dungeon Score and Eternal Shards. Community guides describe the rating as built from your best result in each dungeon, so improving a dungeon you have not pushed adds more than repeating one you already timed.
Rating thresholds have been reward goals: 10,000 Dungeon Rating gave a seasonal mount in Seasons 2 and 3, and 12,500 gave a hero title and avatar in Season 3. In the current reset, Hero Challenges carry Dungeon Rating requirements, retuned on 28 October 2026 for the new Eternal. The developers have said they will not repeat a 10,000-style goal during this short test phase. Example: "Her rating went up after she timed a dungeon she had never pushed before."
"RIO"
RIO comes from Raider.IO, a World of Warcraft rankings site for Mythic+ dungeons and raid progression. WoW players call their Mythic+ score their "RIO" or "IO", and many of them brought the habit into Fellowship. Fellowship itself has no RIO: Raider.IO does not track the game, and the number people mean is the in-game Dungeon Rating.
So when a group asks for "2k RIO" or a listing offers a "RIO farm", read it as Dungeon Rating. The two systems resemble each other because both reward timed dungeon clears at higher difficulties, but the numbers are not comparable: a WoW score of 2,000 says nothing about a Fellowship rating of 2,000. When you post a group yourself, writing "Dungeon Rating" avoids confusion with players who do not come from WoW. Example: "LF healer, 3k RIO, Eternal 15, means 3,000 Dungeon Rating."
Starmap and Challenges
The Starmap was the reward tree of Seasons 1 to 3. Its nodes opened at Dungeon Rating thresholds and League milestones, and held titles, profile avatars, banners, mounts and hero unlocks. In June 2026 its requirements were adjusted so that all rewards of a League could be unlocked before the Capstone. Season 3 also added Seasonal Challenges with cosmetic rewards only.
With the reset of 22 October 2026 the Starmap was retired. Rewards now come from a Challenge page: Seasonal Challenges, Hero Challenges and event goals that pay account-wide rewards, cosmetics and event currencies, without asking everyone to keep climbing difficulty. Cosmic Threads from the progression track buy Stronghold mounts. Example: "The Halloween outfits are earned through Challenges this year, not the Starmap."
Gear and currency
Item level
Item level (ilvl) is the power number on each piece of gear, and your hero's average across slots is the usual shorthand for how geared you are. Harder content drops higher item level gear. Since Season 3 an item keeps the item level it dropped with; Tempering then improves its stats without changing that number, up to eight times depending on rarity.
Item level now gates the endgame: an average of 240 opens Eternal, and the developers suggest 270 or more before you take it on. Enchants grow from +4/+4 to +6/+6 secondary stats on items of item level 300 or higher. In Season 3, Bloodstones from the Pinnacle dungeon raised any item to the Regal item level 315. Before Eternal, Adventure Mode scales enemies to each player, and heals and shields now restore the same share of health whatever the target's item level. Example: "I'm 252 average, so Eternal opens but I should farm Hard first."
Best in slot (BiS)
Best in slot, or BiS, is the item you would ideally wear in each slot for your hero and build: the right legendary power, the right modifiers and the highest item level you can reach. The patch notes list the gear slots as head, necklace, shoulders, back, chest, wrists, gloves, legs, feet, ring, relic and weapon, and the weapon carries the largest share of a hero's item stats: 15% since October 2026.
BiS lists date quickly in this game. The October 2026 reset moved legendaries to new slots, removed Set Bonuses and fixed random secondary stats, and added crafting recipes that let you pick the modifier slot, the modifier type and how exactly it rolls. A Season 3 BiS list therefore no longer matches the current game, so check the date of any guide you use. Example: "The drop is fine for now, but it's not BiS without the right Sigil."
Legendary items
Legendary items carry a unique power that changes how a hero plays, for example Blood of the Undying, which now grants +10% maximum health. Some hero abilities only gain a bonus while the matching legendary is equipped: Xavian's Solar Shield gives 20% damage reduction only with its legendary effect.
Since 22 October 2026 the legendary slots are Head, Chest and Legs (in Season 3 they were Cloak, Ring and Wrist). In Season 3, Legendary Dust was the crafting material for rerolling item slots; it was added to the Resource Vendor in August 2026 at 2,500 gold, and its drop chance was raised. Example: "Run the dungeon that drops your legendary chest, then fill the other slots."
Set Bonuses, Relics and Charms
Set items gave a bonus when you wore several pieces of the same set. They made gearing rigid, because one upgrade could break the set and force changes elsewhere. With the October 2026 reset, Set Bonuses were removed from gear and their passive perks moved to new Relics, of which you choose two.
The active abilities that Relics used to have moved to a new item type, Charms: they give utility abilities and work only while equipped in a Relic slot. Only a selection of the old Set Bonuses was carried over, and the developers plan more passive effects later. Example: "My old four-piece bonus is a Relic now, so I can wear any chest."
Gems and Enchants
Gems sit in item sockets and add power. In Season 3 fewer items could roll sockets, but Gems lost their global cap. Since the October reset Gems have a higher baseline drop chance and are introduced later in progression, so new players meet them gradually.
Enchants are new item modifiers that replace the old random secondary stats ("blue stats"). Each one bundles two secondary stats at +4/+4, rising to +6/+6 on items of item level 300 or higher. Other modifiers were renamed at the same time: Blessings became Glyphs, Heroic Traits became Sigils, Master Traits became Aspects, Imbued Essence became Embellishments and Neck Traits became Protective Enchants. The Craftsman now works as the Mystic, the enchant crafter. Example: "The ring has the right Enchant, so I only need to craft a Glyph on it."
Gold
Gold is Fellowship's main currency. It drops from end-of-dungeon chests along with materials, and in Season 3 regular dungeons paid as much gold as Capstones. Eternal pays more the higher you go: Eternal 10 gave about twice the gold of Eternal 1, Eternal 20 about four times and Eternal 30 about eight times. The first Pinnacle clear of each difficulty in a week paid five times the gold.
In Season 3, gold paid for unlocking Weapon Traits and Necklace Attunements and bought Legendary Dust at the Resource Vendor. The October 2026 reset simplified the economy: Supplies were removed, Marks of Fellowship are used only to trade for crafting materials, and all Weapon and Neck trees start unlocked. What gold buys in the current test phase depends on the vendors, so check them in game. Example: "Save your gold for crafting before you push Eternal."
Heroes and the hub
Heroes and roles
Fellowship has twelve heroes in three roles. Tanks: Helena, Meiko and Xavian. Healers: Sylvie, Vigour and Aeona. DPS: Mara, Tariq, Rime, Elarion, Ardeos and Gunde, the bleed-focused berserker added in Season 3. Aeona and Xavian arrived in Season 2. You can switch heroes between dungeons, and since October 2026 every tank has two charges of Taunt.
A standard group of four uses the "Holy Trinity", a tank, a healer and two DPS. Since Season 3, Odd Comp lets you opt into other mixes, such as four DPS or one tank with three healers, each with its own buffs and penalties; matchmaking still forms standard groups first. Example: "I queue tank on Xavian and DPS on Gunde with multi-hero queuing."
Stronghold
The Stronghold is the hub where you spend time between dungeons. Its vendors handle crafting and gear: since the October 2026 reset the developers sort them into four professions, Jeweler, Blacksmith, Mystic and Artificer, with the Shrine of Imbuement acting as the Artificer. The in-game store is available only while you are in the Stronghold, and in Season 2 the Woodland Glade could be entered from here, even while waiting in a queue.
The Stronghold also hosts seasonal events. For the game's first anniversary in October 2026 it was haunted again, with a spectral vendor who sells hero skins and titles for the event currencies Eyes of Newt and Wool of Bat. Loadout changes and the ready check now happen inside the dungeon, where you can adjust talents and trait trees before the run starts. Example: "Meet at the Stronghold vendor, then queue."
FAQ
What does RIO mean in Fellowship?
It is a borrowed World of Warcraft term. Raider.IO does not track Fellowship, so "RIO" in a Fellowship group or listing means the in-game Dungeon Rating.
Are Leagues still in Fellowship?
No. Since the reset of 22 October 2026, Adventure Mode with Easy, Medium and Hard replaced Contender, Adept, Champion and Paragon, and Capstones are played only in Eternal.
What item level do I need for Eternal?
An average item level of 240 unlocks Eternal in the current test phase. The developers recommend about 270 before you attempt it.
What is the current Fellowship season?
Early Access Season 3, Rise of the Heskyr, ended on 22 October 2026. The game is now in a test phase toward 1.0 rather than a numbered season, with another reset planned for late November or early December 2026.
Related terms
- In the general gaming terms: instance loot · power spike · tab targeting
- Onlyfarms services: Fellowship boosting · Dungeon Rating (RIO) farm · item level boost
