Dauntless is leaving early access... again

Dauntless, Phoenix Labs' monster slaying co-op game, is leaving early access soon, apparently, despite doing the exact same thing in May. That was the official launch, but it won't hit 1.0 until later this month. Untangling the release state of a game is hard work these days. 

The launch—for real this time—will be accompanied by a seasonal expansion, Aether Unbound, introducing a new weapon, Hunt Pass and a bounty system. You'll be able to put your new gear to good use senselessly slaughtering wonders of nature, including the new Dire Behemoth and Tempestborne Stormclaw. 

Phoenix Labs' plans for Dauntless after 1.0 can also be browsed in the surprisingly flashy but slightly overdesigned roadmap.

I quite enjoyed my first few adventures in Dauntless, with its streamlined Monster Hunter formula and nearly instant battles. I thought I wanted to get straight to the good stuff, the fights, and at first that was definitely true, but I ended up starting to miss all the exploration, tracking and complexity of Capcom's romp and never went back.    

Dauntless 1.0 launches on September 26.

Fraser Brown
Online Editor

Fraser is the UK online editor and has actually met The Internet in person. With over a decade of experience, he's been around the block a few times, serving as a freelancer, news editor and prolific reviewer. Strategy games have been a 30-year-long obsession, from tiny RTSs to sprawling political sims, and he never turns down the chance to rave about Total War or Crusader Kings. He's also been known to set up shop in the latest MMO and likes to wind down with an endlessly deep, systemic RPG. These days, when he's not editing, he can usually be found writing features that are 1,000 words too long or talking about his dog.