Dune: Awakening News

[p]We’ve updated this blog to include the list of Worlds and sietches (servers) [/p][p]available on global launch day, June 10th.

Greetings Sleepers, [/p][p]The pre-load for Dune: Awakening is now available on Steam! Regardless of Edition - whether you’ll start on the June 5th head start or June 10th full launch - you can be ready to hit the sand running (and we recommend running, because the worm’s coming).

In addition, the list of servers and Worlds is here for you to peruse, if you want to get organized with your friends.

As a quick reminder: a World consists of several servers which all share the same Deep Desert and social hubs. Each server has its own persistent Hagga Basin. You can visit a friend on any server within your World, but can only establish your own base on your home server.

Here’s the list of the global launch and head start Worlds and servers available in each region:

Please note that we will be monitoring the player population closely and will add more Worlds and/or servers as necessary.
[/p][p]Each of the below Worlds will consist of 25 Hagga Basin servers to start with.[/p][h2]Europe[/h2][h3][/h3][h2]North America[/h2][p][/p][h3]US Central[/h3][p][/p][h3]US West[/h3][p][/p][h3]US East[/h3][p][/p][h2]Asia[/h2][p][/p][h2]Oceania[/h2][p][/p][h2]South America[/h2][p][/p][p][/p][p][/p][h2]Europe[/h2][p][/p][h2]North America[/h2][p][/p][h3]US Central[/h3][p][/p][h3]US West[/h3][p][/p][h3]US East[/h3][p][/p][h2]Asia[/h2][p][/p][h2]Oceania[/h2][p][/p][h2]South America[/h2][p][/p][p]Each of the above Worlds will consist of 25 (5 extra added post launch) Hagga Basin servers to start with.[/p][p][/p][p][/p]

Greetings soon-to-be-awakened,

Today, just about 72 hours before the floodgates open, we can finally share with you that rentable private servers will be available from head start launch on June 5th!

We’ve previously communicated that private servers are for post-launch, but we’re happy to share that progress has been faster than expected.

We do, however, want to manage expectations about how private servers work in Dune: Awakening. As you know, this is not your typical survival game.

[h3]Why private servers work differently in Dune: Awakening[/h3]

Dune: Awakening is powered by a unique server and world structure, something we went in-depth on in a recent blog post.

In short: each server belongs to a World consisting of several other servers, and each of those share the same social hubs and Deep Desert. This allows us to retain a neighborhood-like feel to the Hagga Basin and provide persistent, freeform building, and other server-demanding mechanics you typically see in survival games. We combine this with the large-scale multiplayer mechanics you would expect to find in MMOs where hundreds of players meet each other in social hubs and the Deep Desert to engage in social activities, trade, conflict, and more.

Naturally, transferring this setup to a private server model has not been trivial.

We decided early on that we did not want to remove the large-scale multiplayer aspects of the game as that is such a crucial part of the Dune: Awakening experience, and the game’s content and mechanics are deeply rooted in this setup.

It was simply never an option for us to release “half a game” for private servers.

We knew we had to come up with a solution that retained the fundamental MMO-like features that make Dune: Awakening so unique, while still giving players some control, perhaps most importantly over who has access to their server.

That meant we had to make some concessions in terms of how much control players have over their private servers. The result is a model where you have fewer settings available than you would in some other survival games such as Conan Exiles.

We want to be completely clear and upfront about that so you can make an informed decision as to whether it’s worth it for you and your friends to rent a private server.



[h3]How private servers work[/h3]

When you rent a private server, you essentially rent a server containing one Hagga Basin, just like the official servers. Here you have the full Hagga Basin map, and you can do everything you would do on an official server.

Your private server will belong to a World consisting of other private servers, and you can choose a World for your private server when you rent yours from a provider.

That means that you will still be able to take full advantage of Dune: Awakening’s large-scale multiplayer content and mechanics, including visiting the social hubs and the Deep Desert, to meet and play with people from any private server in the same World.

Players do not rent or control social hubs nor the Deep Desert. These are provided by the server hosting company, who ensures each private server’s World has them.

[h3]Private server settings[/h3]

So, what settings will be available for your private server?

Because your private server will belong to a World of other private servers, and you will be meeting and playing with other people in the social hubs and the Deep Desert, you won’t be able to control every aspect of how your private server works.

Which settings you can configure for your server is ultimately up to the third-party server provider, but these are the settings we are making available:

• Security Zones: you can disable security zones entirely, making all parts of Hagga Basin PvP enabled, or you can choose to have pockets of PvP like on official servers
  
• Taxation: you can disable taxation on your server
  
• Sandstorms: you can disable sandstorms, making them not appear on your server
  

You will also be able to name your server and set a password for it.

Please note that private servers do not have an admin control panel nor character transfers presently. We will evaluate this functionality post-launch.


[h3]Visiting other private servers[/h3]

Just like how you can visit another server in your World when playing on official servers, you can do the same with private servers.

All you need to do is select the other server in the server selection menu and put in the server’s password when prompted. You can take with you everything on your character, and you are free to do anything you would like on the server. You can even claim land, something you can’t do when visiting official servers.

When you arrive on the other server, you will appear at Griffin’s Reach trade post.


[h3]How to rent a private server[/h3]

To rent a server, all you need to do is visit one of the server providers that offer private servers for Dune: Awakening (in alphabetical order):

• GPORTAL
• Nitrado
• xREALM

Please note that this service is managed by the hosting companies themselves. If you need any technical support or other assistance, you will need to contact them directly.

Funcom does not set the prices for private server rental.


[h3]Closing words[/h3]

We look forward to your feedback on private servers and going forward we will evaluate opportunities to expand their functionality and rulesets.

Enabling private servers for Dune: Awakening has not been trivial considering our unique large-scale multiplayer setup, and it was important to us to retain the fundamental MMO-like gameplay that makes Dune: Awakening so unique. That means it does come with some restrictions on how you can configure them compared to some other survival games such as Conan Exiles.

But we hope that this service will still be meaningful to those of you who prefer to play on servers you do not have to share with others, and we hope that the shared World structure will add an extra dimension without taking away from the unique content and mechanics that makes Dune: Awakening what it is.

And hey, if you want a PvP free-for-all Hagga Basin without those pesky taxes and sandstorms, while also being able to invite select other people or even open up completely for strangers to come visit and claim land on your home turf – now you can!

Whether you choose to play on official or private servers: see you on Arrakis soon, Sleepers!

Greetings Sleepers,

Only a very few earn the title of Swordmaster, specialists in hand-to-hand combat, and perhaps the only fighters ever to rival the Sardaukar. In Dune: Awakening, you can learn from this Great School of the Imperium, using specialized techniques to dispatch foes with unnatural speed and precision.

Witness the Swordmaster unsheathe their blade in our fourth Schools of the Imperium showcase.

[previewyoutube][/previewyoutube]

Many of the Great Houses employ Swordmasters to command their armed forces. They are unparallelled fighters with a blade, closing the distance to enemies and cutting them apart.

Here are a few of the Swordmasters early skills:

• Knee Charge: Leap forward and strike with the knee to damage and stagger your opponent.
  
• Deflection: Using incredible reflexes, adopt a defensive stance to temporarily deflect all incoming ranged projectiles.
  
• Eye of the Storm: Defy the odds against multiple opponents with whirling slashes, damaging all nearby enemies.
  

To start on the path of the Swordmaster if you didn’t do so at character creation, you must seek out Arno at the Pinnacle Station in Jabal Eifrit Al-gharb. He’s thought to be dead and he would like that to remain the case. In exchange for your help, he will offer you his teachings.

Unsheathe your blade on June 10 when Dune: Awakening launches. Pre-order now and get the Terrarium of Muad’dib in-game base decoration.

Greetings Sleepers,

Dune: Awakening is just days away from its launch on June 10th! Remember that if you pre-order the Deluxe or Ultimate Edition you can also join the head start on June 5th.

The whole team is buzzing with anticipation and we simply cannot wait to see you all touch (or, rather, crash down on the sands of Arrakis soon.

Before the floodgates open, we wanted to provide you with a look into some of what awaits you beyond the early survival experience that many of you experienced in our recent large-scale Beta Weekend. So, we dedicated our final livestream before launch to exploring the mid-to-endgame.

Check it out:

[previewyoutube][/previewyoutube]

Here are some of the topics we covered:

• Exploring some of the areas of Hagga Basin not available in the Beta Weekend
  
• Mid-game base with advanced production setup
  
• Advanced vehicles, including ornithopter assembly
  
• Social hubs and what they’re for
  
• The overland map, traveling to different locations on Arrakis
  
• Story dungeons
  
• The Landsraad system explained
  
• Exploring the Deep Desert and creating sinkcharts
  
• Chasing Spice Blows in the Deep Desert
  
• Other Deep Desert Points of Interest
  
• From basic to advanced combat mechanics
  

Beta Weekend Wrap-Up and Combat Discussion Live Group Gameplay - Hagga Basin and Social Hub Live Gameplay - Deep Desert (Endgame) Live Q&A

[h3]The Landsraad Explained[/h3]

Central to Dune: Awakening’s mid-to-endgame is the Landsraad, the council of Great Houses that makes decisions that impact all the servers in your World.

Your goal and that of your guild is to secure their votes so that your faction – the Harkonnen or Atreides – can take control of the Landsraad. You can work alone, with friends, or even attempt coordinating across multiple guilds to secure these votes by completing specific house requirements.

This opens up a whole new way to play later in the game. Alone or with others, your efforts can move the needle.

Whether you prefer PvE or PvP, there are a multitude of activities to participate in that will benefit not just your faction, but also you personally as fulfilling house requirements also unlocks special rewards.

For a deeper look at the Landsraad, check out this brand-new video:

[previewyoutube][/previewyoutube]

[h3]Sandbox combat: from early beginner to advanced killing machine[/h3]

Combat is a central part of Dune: Awakening, and we’ve gone to great lengths to try and raise the bar for combat in open world multiplayer survival games.

From early survivor to later game death bringer, your journey on Arrakis will see you progress in one or more Schools of the Imperium, each offering unique abilities that you can use in combat.

Whether you prefer melee or ranged combat, or a mix of both, there are multiple ways to shape your character as you advance from early game to endgame.

Check out this brand-new video diving deeper into Dune: Awakening’s sandbox combat:

[previewyoutube][/previewyoutube]

Don’t forget to wishlist and pre-order Dune: Awakening. Get the Deluxe or Ultimate Edition to start playing on June 5th, a full five days ahead of launch on June 10th.

Wondering when the game will unlock in your region? Check out our recent article providing info on pre-load and release time across the globe.

See you on Arrakis, Sleepers!