Massive multiplayer online open-world survival game
Dune: Awakening is a premium online multiplayer game that centers around survival within the harsh deserts of Arrakis. Based on the novel and film franchise of the same name, this game places you in an alternate Dune timeline where Paul Atreides never existed.
In Dune: Awakening, you play as a Bene Gesserit agent amid a brutal conflict between Atreides and Harkonnen, managing survival, politics, and deadly fauna. This action game shares many elements in common with other MMO platforms, such as Conan Exiles. These are then complemented by rich graphics and a highly detailed plot.
From survival to dominance
In Dune: Awakening, the Atreides family has recently arrived in Arrakis, and they are struggling to survive. A fair amount of resource farming and crafting will, therefore, be involved. Examples include obtaining protection from sandstorms, avoiding dangerous sandworms, and ensuring that all suits remain functional. Manage hydration, heat, stillsuits, sun exposure, water scavenging, base-building, and more. However, the repetitive grind for necessities can become stale after a while.
This action game is focused on player-versus-player battles. It is also possible to join online co-op communities when facing more challenging tasks, such as fighting rival factions. This may also be required to beat formidable foes when exploring newly unlocked areas. It combines melee, ranged, and lore-based powers (Bene Gesserit Voice, turrets, grappling hook), swirling around Holtzman shield tactics. While the combat is decent, the overall feel and animation feel slightly clunky.
Progressive character improvements
Similar to the original Dune storyline, the players must consume spice to unlock hidden powers. Having said this, many enhancements can be chosen based on the user's desires. Dune: Awakening, therefore, offers a highly customizable environment, allowing players to build their characters and their desired hub to optimize what gameplay they prefer. However, the inventory and in-game user interface need a bit of polish.
Speaking of character builds, level-ups are done via varied skill trees, melee, ranged, psionics, crafting, vehicle modifications, and mobility upgrades—leading to a true sandbox progression. Crafting extends from simple tools to vehicles (sand bikes, ornithopters), weapons, tunable parts like silencers or armor plating, but beware of sandworms that lie beneath. The game also captures the political rift between House Atreides and House Harkonnen, and you can choose with whom to side.
The story continues in Chapter 2
After the revelations at the end of Chapter 1, the epic journey continues in Dune: Awakening’s first major update. Chapter 2 is a free expansion that deepens the story while introducing new locations to explore and both new and familiar faces to encounter. As the narrative unfolds, players can expect more mysteries to slowly unravel across the harsh deserts of Arrakis.
Beyond the story, this update adds plenty of fresh content to keep players engaged. You’ll find new contracts offering exciting missions, five new armor sets, and additional customization options like new hairstyles and tattoos. A brand-new Character Re-Customization tool also debuts, allowing players to tweak their appearance freely. Alongside these additions come new dynamic desert encounters, numerous bug fixes, and quality-of-life improvements, showing the developers’ commitment to refining the player experience.
A bold yet uneven foray into the Dune universe
Dune: Awakening delivers an expansive MMO survival experience rooted in the harsh world of Arrakis. Its blend of deep customization, lore-rich storytelling, and tactical PvP offers solid appeal. However, optimization issues, repetitive grinding, and clunky mechanics hinder its full potential. Frequent updates and strong world-building show promise, making it a title worth following as it matures and refines its systems.
