Dune: Awakening News

Wake, Sleepers.

Your time has come. Arrakis awaits.

We are incredibly excited to announce that the head start has now begun! Anyone with the Deluxe or Ultimate Edition can begin their journey on Arrakis.

For all players with the Standard Edition, full launch arrives soon, on June 10th, along with a slew of new servers. (Head start servers are also available to players joining on June 10th). See the exact launch timings below.



[h3]Choose Your Starting School [/h3]

The paths on Arrakis are myriad, but they are yours to forge. Over time, you can unlock and combine powers from any of the Schools of the Imperium, but which one will you begin with?

Schools of the Imperium | Bene Gesserit Schools of the Imperium | The Trooper Schools of the Imperium | The Swordmaster Schools of the Imperium | The Mentat


[h3]Twitch Drops and Support a Creator Event! [/h3]

Tune in to any Dune: Awakening streams until June 24th to earn exclusive Observer building pieces: Foundation, Floor, and Wall. Make your base stand out among the other desert survivors!



We’ll be rolling out additional drops after that with even more items.

To earn Twitch Drops, follow these instructions:

• Log in to your account page on duneawakening.com/account
  
• Link your Steam account to your Dune account.
  
• Link your Twitch account.
  
• Watch streams and earn rewards.
  

In addition to this, don’t miss the Support a Creator event, running from June 10th to July 8th. Earn four pieces of an exclusive Atreides Officer Suit by buying or gifting two subs to any Dune: Awakening content creator.



[h3]Head Start and Full Launch FAQ [/h3]

What’s the difference between the game Editions?

All editions include the base game, with any pre-orders awarding the Terrarium of Muad’Dib base decoration and the Sunset Dye Swatch.

The Deluxe Edition also offers the 5-day head start (available now), along with the Sunset Dye global Swatch, Season Pass, and Sardaukar Bator Armor.

The Ultimate Edition includes all of the above plus the Dust Rider Sandbike Swatch, the Blue Dasher Ornithopter Swatch, the Caladan Palace Building Set, the Dune (2021) Film Stillsuit, the Digital Artbook, and the Digital Soundtrack.



How do I access Deluxe and Ultimate Edition content after purchasing?

Swatches are accessed in the in-game item customization menu and can be switched at any time.

Armors, the Terrarium of Muad’Dib, and the Caladan Palace Building Set are unlocked as schematics, and must be crafted.

The Soundtrack is unlocked as a separate product on Steam.

Finally, the artbook can be found in the game files where you’ve installed Dune: Awakening.

How does the head start work?

The head start lets you play five days before the main launch. The servers available during this time will also be available to players starting on June 10th, when the majority of servers go live.

Does my progress carry over to full launch on June 10th?

Yes, all progress you make in the head start carries over into the full launch.

How do servers work in the game?

The very short version: every World is a group of servers, and you can play with anyone in the same World. Servers in the same World share Social Hubs and the Deep Desert. The Hagga Basin is on a per server basis.

The longer version: we go into detail in our server blog.

How do I visit my friend who’s on another server?

Servers can be filtered by location and you will be able to see which servers your Steam friends are playing on. As long as your friend is in the same World (group of servers) as you, you’ll be able to visit their Hagga Basin and play with them. You can even build with them, but you can't establish your own base - you can only do that on your home server. In fact, you can visit any server, even if no friend is playing there.

You pick your home server in the game lobby, before character creation.

Can I play on a private server?

Yes, you can! Check out all the details on this page[link to private servers announcement].

Where are the servers located?

You can see them all on our server map.



What is Dune: Awakening’s business model?

It’s a straightforward DLC and Expansions model. No subscription and no in-game shop.

Will there be post-launch content?

Yes! We have big plans for post-launch. There will be free content updates as well as paid Expansions and DLCs. We cover it in more detail here.

What languages is Dune: Awakening localized in?

Interface, subtitle, and all text is localized in French, Italian, German, Spanish, Japanese, Korean, Polish, Brazilian Portuguese, Ukrainian, Russian, Turkish, Simplified Chinese, and Traditional Chinese. All voice dialogue is in English, with localized subtitles.

When is Dune: Awakening set? Do I get to play or meet Paul Atreides?

Dune: Awakening takes place roughly around the same time as the first book, on Arrakis, but in an alternate timeline where Paul Atreides was never born. Instead, Lady Jessica obeyed the instructions of the Bene Gesserit and had a daughter, and from that one event, history took a very different direction. For instance, Duke Leto Atreides survived the attempt on his life and is now locked in a conflict with the Harkonnen over Arrakis and its precious spice.

You will still visit many of the same locations and even meet some of the characters you know and love, and for Dune fans we believe this setting provides a unique way to experience the IP.

Learn more about this in our Story Cinematic – The Vision of Paul Atreides, available here.

If I get killed by the sandworm, will I lose everything?

Yes! The sandworms represent what is perhaps the ultimate danger on Arrakis, and you must take care to ensure you don’t end up as worm food. Never build in the open desert, stick to the so-called “rock islands”, and when traversing between them make sure you move quickly and with care. Sandworms are drawn to movement in the open desert, and while there is a certain grace period involved, if you stay there too long, they will find you.

Part of the fun in Dune: Awakening is learning how to avoid them and manage the risks. Once you get to the Vermillius Gap, you’ll start seeing spaceships crashing into the open desert, and these have loot ripe for the taking. Can you make it out there, salvage what you can, and make it back to safe ground before the sandworm comes?

That said, the first time you get killed by a sandworm, the penalties are milder. That’s your chance to learn, and if there is one thing you need to do on Arrakis to survive, it’s learn from your mistakes.

How do I report any bugs or issues I encounter?

If you run into any issue, please let us know through the in-game bug-reporting tool, and we will investigate it as fast as possible.

If you’re running into a critical issue and need support, please visit our Help Center.

We also closely monitor our Discord , and look at comments generally across all our channels. You can find us in all the usual places: X, Facebook, Instagram, Youtube, TikTok, Reddit (unofficial), Bluesky.

System Requirements

Minimum:
OS: Windows 10 64-bit (or newer)
Processor: Intel Core i5-7400, AMD Ryzen 3 1200
Memory: 16 GB RAM
Graphics: NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1060 (6GB), AMD Radeon 5600XT (6GB)
Storage: 60 GB available space (SSD required)

Recommended:
OS: Windows 10 64-bit (or newer)
Processor: Intel Core i7-10700K, AMD Ryzen 5 2600X
Memory: 16 GB RAM
Graphics: NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 (8GB), AMD Radeon 6700XT (12GB)
Storage: 75 GB available space (SSD required)

Thank you all so much for your support. Now, a new journey begins...

And when the time comes for you to face the worm, you must not fear, because fear is the mind-killer.

https://store.steampowered.com/app/1172710/Dune_Awakening/

[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.