"Dune" is a science fiction saga about a desert planet, the only source of the unique resource melange (spice). It prolongs life and opens access to space travel. The story of six novels unfolds against the backdrop of the Great Houses' struggle for power and control over Arrakis, touching on politics, religion, ecology, and the fate of humanity through 20 thousand years.
The Norwegian studio Funcom has not only read Herbert's books, but also been fascinated by Denis Villeneuve's films. They popularized and modernized the slightly forgotten epic about a superhuman. In June 2025, the multiplayer survival game Dune: Awakening was released, incorporating many mechanics from Conan Exiles, but transferred to a harsh world-full of sands, tears, and player suffering.
"Arrakis - Dune - Desert Planet..."
The action takes place in an alternate version of the universe where there is no Paul Atreides, as Lady Jessica gave birth to a daughter. Leto Atreides survived and received information from Doctor Yueh about the impending coup. House Atreides survived the siege and is at war with House Harkonnen for control of Arrakis. The Assassin War has begun. The player will play as the Sleeper, whom the Reverend Mother Bene Gesserit Gaius Helen Mohiam sends to Arrakis to find the Fremen. According to the plot, they were destroyed by the Emperor's elite warriors, the Sardaukar, but who knows.
Dune: Awakening is a traditional survival game with a number of nuances. Before building the first house in the PvE location "Hagga Basin," you should learn to hide in the shadows, drink nasty water from dew fields, and be able to survive a Coriolis storm. It should be taken into account that fleeing across the sands will summon the worm Shai-Hulud, who will unceremoniously swallow all the items on the character. Knowledge of the world and understanding of its rules occurs in trials of the mind, Aklah, when the hero inhales melange and enters colorful visions.
The first things are created from scrap, and the walls of the shelter are built from granite. The initial primitive housing will be filled with power plants, ore and blood processors, simple appliances for the production of things and weapons. Having mastered the first vehicle, a sand motorcycle, you can travel more confidently, moving between mountain formations to extract better resources and explore similar territories.
The construction system is well thought out: the base can be designed in advance, the drawing can be saved to a portable device and transferred to any point. After placement, it is enough to gradually add the necessary materials. This is convenient - you can immediately see how the building will fit into the environment, without unnecessary waste of resources.
Travels will open access to story and side quests. This is not the strongest side of the game and you should not expect a vivid narrative, although some staged videos are made effectively. Soon they will allow you to join the Atreides or Harkonnens and start performing faction missions.
"He was a warrior and a mystic, a monster and a saint, a fox and innocence incarnate, less than a god, but more than a man."
The peculiarity of Awakening is that there are no restrictions in professions here - they will allow you to master at least all five classes. This is a lengthy and tedious process, but effective builds are a combination of the best abilities. You can reset skill points and rebuild the build every few days.
About professions. The infantryman is a ranged fighter, the Mentat fights with the help of gadgets, the Planetologist gets materials faster, the Bene Gesserit subdues opponents, and the Sword Master is a specialist in quick kills at close range. Everyone is good at something, so why limit yourself? True, finding the right Mentors and quest locations is another task.
Water is one of the most valuable resources on the planet, and the path to its reserves will not be easy. Methods of extraction vary - from manual to semi-automatic, including primitive traps and special installations. It is better to master the most optimal collection methods as soon as possible, as it is not just a source of life, but also a necessary consumable.
There are six key materials, from copper to plastan, and the transition to a new stage is a step towards changing the gameplay and new experience. Evolution happens slowly, but allows you to hunt better, move further, store more and survive better. The residence will be filled with the hum of huge machines, and the equipment will turn the character not only into a killing machine, but also give the opportunity to stay longer in the desert wilds of Arrakis.
No self-respecting MMO is complete without trips to the notorious "dungeons" for loot. In Awakening, they are called laboratories. In the initial locations, these are uncomplicated labyrinths with enemies, materials and recipes for rare equipment. You can also rob bandit camps, sietch, and ship crash sites.
A significant leap in gameplay will occur after assembling the first ornithopter, when movement in the game will become many times faster. The metal dragonfly will open access to the global map, where separate settlements with traders, tax collectors, banks and auctions are provided for each faction. The Heart of the Desert, a huge endgame location with PvE and PvP sectors, is also located here. This is access to tier-6 materials, components, equipment and impressive deposits of the development element-melange, mined in the initial lands with great effort. It is here that battles between clans for resources take place, and lone stalkers make raids here.
The combat system cannot be called deep or special, but there are nuances. For example, the use of the Holtzman Shield, which reflects bullets and quick blade strikes. It is pierced, but you need to slowly insert the knife inside the shimmering field. The behavior of mobs is often predictable - they zealously protect their own, so frontal attacks even on several enemies are impractical. But even with a complete loss of health, the hero has a little time to recover - the duration depends on endurance, and that, in turn, on the supply of water in the body.
There are bosses, but not many. Most are found as part of story missions, which is a pity - they add variety, which is lacking in the daily routine of the desert.
There is enough technology in Dune: Awakening, and it significantly simplifies life on Arrakis. The player has at his disposal nimble motorcycles, massive buggies for four, almost silent wheelers, a crawler and several types of ornithopters. The control of most is similar, but aerial vehicles have their own characteristics: ornithopters accelerate when gliding through the air with the engine off.
Playing alone is quite realistic. Yes, it will be more difficult, some activities will have to be abandoned, but the developers are gradually reorienting the mechanics to lovers of relaxing a little after a hard day, and not plunging into hardcore.
The maximum drive is given by clan confrontations. Rapid character development, communication with allies, influence on the politics of the Landsraad and fun PvP. Sometimes you feel that your decisions really change the world.
Fans of the lore will be pleased to meet familiar concepts from the books: aklah, moisture trap, stillsuit, litrak, lasgun, minimic, maula pistol, servok, solarium and Holtzman shield - all this adds depth and immersion in the world of Dune. The charm is also added by the alternation of assertive and soft music, and the noise of the wind and the creaking of machines enhance the feeling of life in Herbert's universe.
"How often does anger cause people to reject what their inner voice tells them"
The game has a number of significant shortcomings regarding positioning and development. Funcom promised an uncompromising project with an emphasis on PvP and brutal confrontation, where the player is severely punished for excessive boldness when extracting the best resources. In fact, there is a reorientation to singles and casualization. There are strange decisions regarding balance, for example, a power belt that instantly lifts the character above the ground by tens of meters, or a gadget that hides the ornithopter in your pocket. Many will not like the collapsing base, if you do not enter the game for weeks - the scourge of singles since Conan Exiles.
There are enough complaints about Awakening, but they do not make the game hopeless. Bugs are encountered, but they are being worked on; getting stuck in textures is solved by teleporting from the menu. Enemies can be predictable, but sometimes they surprise with well-coordinated tactics. The developers are actively correcting shortcomings - not always successfully, but support continues.
The game has a solid foundation, but it will take a long time to develop it. A newcomer will get tired of running around and viscous activities, without living to see the endgame, and a veteran will get tired of the eternal hustle and bustle and the lack of crazy fun that was at the start. But such is the fate of such projects, modern developers need incredible efforts to involve and retain.
The game behaves tolerably on Steam Deck, although the picture quality is greatly reduced. Therefore, the portable device can only be used as a temporary replacement for a convenient PC for tinkering at the base and extracting simple resources.
Diagnosis
Dune: Awakening is a combination of a huge world, refined aesthetics, sweet promises and a unique chance to get to a ruthless planet. The game impresses with its beauty and atmosphere, conveying the spirit of modern "Dune" in Villeneuve's interpretation with recognizable Funcom touches.
Despite the empty locations, you feel a living planet where you can settle down for a while. Dune: Awakening gives rare moments of triumph and that feeling of loneliness among the sands. The pace of the game is measured - it stretches for dozens of hours before it pays off with adrenaline and emotions. At first, you will have to scratch progress with your bare hands. And only after a hundred hours does the understanding come: was it all in vain. In my case - no. It's just that melange crunches on your teeth - a side effect of Arrakis.
Pro:
- A sea of details for fans of Frank Herbert
- Nice graphics and enchanting music
- Deep crafting system
- Excellent transport
- Complete freedom of action
- Fantastically designed worm
- Server stability
Contra:
- Repetitiveness and monotony of content
- Weak narrative and depth of tasks
- I want more decoration options in construction
- Players with an emphasis on PvP activities will be bored
- Coercion to enter servers
- Poorly designed endgame