The Fellowship system was created to be enjoyable to players of a wide range of levels in response to player comments regarding features such as garrison and escort quests in past version updates. Whether adventuring with your fellow for the first time or the fiftieth, there is a Fellowship quest suited for you.

In the first stages of development, we had to carefully test how the player was affected in the presence of player-dependent NPCs such as avatars, wyverns, and chocobos. VRAM (memory used for the game's display) is not infinite, and there is a limit to the number of characters that can be shown on screen. After an assessment of the difficulties to surmount, the adventuring fellow was created.

Several additions and adjustments have been made to the Fellowship system after its introduction in July 2005, including a series of quests involving a story about legendary mirrors. The next version update will bring a new quest that will conclude the first part of the series' main story. A quest designed to further raise the adventuring fellow's level cap is also in the works.

Refinements to the balance of fighting styles and an increase in wearable equipment are also among the new content planned for adventuring fellows in the upcoming version update.

Information about changes to the Fellowship system is released on the FINAL FANTASY XI main page on a regular basis.