15 Things You Must Know Before Launching Dune: Awakening!

Before diving into adventure on Arrakis, it's important to know some key strategies. Start as a Mentat, use his turret for efficient enemy elimination, don't rush map exploration, and get a sandbike as soon as possible. Unlock the Dew Reaper for easy water management, focus on completing Trials, and invest points in Planetologist. Be careful with one-time schematics and don't waste points in the skill tree.

Main Survival Tips for Arrakis

1. Don't Overthink the Skill Tree

Don't waste time excessively planning your path in the skill tree. The world of Dune is designed with continuity - as you complete progressive contracts and discover lore, you level up sufficiently to unlock things that make material sense at that moment.

Major advantage over Conan Exiles: At maximum level, you can unlock absolutely everything, which eliminates difficult decisions and FOMO feelings.

Don't be afraid to experiment - you'll unlock everything by the end of the game anyway, so it doesn't matter where you start.

2. Mentat as the Ideal Starting Specialization

For your start, I strongly recommend choosing Mentat, mainly for his unique ability The Sentinel (automatic defense turret). This ability will solve practically all mob encounters at least in the early and mid-game phases.

You won't need to waste precious materials crafting ammunition or worry about repairing weapons you'd otherwise use. This saves you tons of time and resources that you can invest elsewhere.

3. Sandbike is the Key to Mobility

Build your base anywhere and try to complete the contract for unlocking sandbike components as soon as possible (takes roughly the first 2 hours of gameplay). With this vehicle, traveling and relocating your base will be incomparably easier.

Don't forget to build Sandbike inventory so you don't travel overencumbered. Mobility is invaluable on Arrakis, especially when moving through desert areas where worm attacks are a threat.

4. Solido Replicator for Efficient Base Building

If you're creative (or conversely, lazy) and don't want to destroy and rebuild your base each time, unlock the Solido Replicator in your research. This saves a blueprint of an entire structure that you can use again later.

Warning! The replicator has only one use, so use it wisely. It's ideal to save a complete base that you consider your masterpiece.

5. PvP Isn't Accessible Right from the Start

You won't access PvP earlier than after approximately 15 hours of playing the main missions, so you don't need to fear raids at the beginning. You'll reach PvP roughly when you receive a quest to talk with an NPC about traveling by ornithopter to Arrakeen or Harko Village in the Hagga Rift area.

The early game is therefore safe for building resources and learning game mechanics without the stress of attacks from other players.

6. Water Management with Dew Reaper

Unlock as soon as possible the Dew Reaper and Literjon with Bloodpack for storing blood and water from flowers called Primrose. Once you have this combination, you'll barely need to worry about water shortage until the end of the game.

This tip can literally save your life, as dehydration is one of the most common causes of death for newcomers on Arrakis. Learn more about efficient water management in this article.

7. Trials Bring Valuable Rewards

Besides classic tutorial missions, try to complete Trials as soon as possible. These will unlock very valuable items like the Static Compactor, with which you'll later be able to explore Dune even more effectively and mine materials such as spice sand or flour sand.

The missions themselves aren't that challenging, but the real challenge is finding the locations where the Trials are. They're very difficult to find on the map, so it's good to save their locations if you stumble upon them. The Compactor is an essential tool for later game phases, so it's worth spending time looking for these special missions.

8. Don't Rush Map Exploration

Forget about trying to speedrun the map exploration. The further you get in the game, the more pain you'll experience in the form of burning sun, dangerous NPCs, and inaccessible materials.

The game is designed to prevent you from speedrunning and skipping sections. If you try, you'll die much more frequently, resulting only in frustration. Trust me - a patient approach pays off!

9. Enhanced Literjon and The Emperors Wings for Easier Exploration

In the first town, acquire as soon as possible schematics for the enhanced version of Literjon (holds about 3x more water capacity) and schematics for The Emperors Wings MK1 , which allow you to levitate in the air.

Wings are absolutely essential for traveling or scaling larger rock formations. Without them, you'll be practically helpless in certain areas. Additionally, Wings can prevent fall damage when timed correctly and with enough energy, which is invaluable when exploring high locations.

10. Tackle Faction Contracts Sequentially

Try to resolve contracts first for one faction (ideally Harkonnens) and only later for Atreides. Don't mix them! If you alternate contracts, reputation points will be added and subtracted from each other.

You might end up still at reputation 0 even after 20 contracts, which can significantly affect future dialogues in contracts and their rewards. Strategic reputation building is key for later game phases.

Additional Tips for More Experienced Players

11. Planetologist and Passive Bonuses

Invest many points into Planetologist, whom you'll find at "Testing Station No. 2" on the mountain above the center in a beautiful garden. You can also loot this garden and potentially harvest water from Primrose.

Thanks to Planetologist, you'll have passively higher income from the cutterray, which you use for farming various resources from ores through cutting ships to opening boxes (to which this passive bonus also applies). Read more about bonuses in the Planetologist article.

12. Beware of One-Time Schematics

Schematics that you unlock through research are always for one-time use only. So be careful not to get eaten by a worm or have them completely destroyed!

If you tend to destroy things often, you might want to explore the Trooper skill tree (first contract in the Harkonnen town), which increases weapon durability.

13. Save and Recycle Materials

Don't waste high-quality materials in the early game. Materials such as stardust, unique ingots, or spice essence become very useful in later game phases for crafting advanced items.

Don't throw away items and other things unnecessarily on the ground! Eventually, you'll build special facilities in your base that allow you to dismantle these items and extract valuable materials from them. These salvaged components will save you a lot of time that you would otherwise spend collecting in dungeons and towns.

A simple rule is: If you don't know exactly what a material is for, save it. Use common materials for everyday items and save advanced resources for special projects.

14. Balance Risk and Reward When Harvesting Spice

Spice harvesting is one of the riskiest but also most profitable activities in the game. Start with small harvests and gradually work your way up to larger operations.

Always have an escape plan ready when a worm appears. A combination of thumpers and an ornithopter can be vital. Without thumpers to distract worms, or the ability to quickly escape by air, you shouldn't risk larger spice harvesting operations.

15. Communicate and Build Alliances

Although Dune Awakening is a game where everyone primarily looks after their own survival, cooperation with other players can bring you enormous advantages, especially in later game phases.

Create a network of allies with whom you can trade, share information, or harvest spice together. In a desert world where everyone is a potential enemy, a loyal ally is invaluable.

To connect with the Czech and Slovak community, join our Dune Awakening CZ/SK Discord server, where you'll find many other players, tips, tricks, and can participate in joint activities.

Conclusion

Dune Awakening is a complex game with many layers and systems. It's important to find the right balance between exploration, building, combat, and politics. By following these tips, you'll significantly ease your entry into the world of Arrakis and avoid many frustrations that might otherwise befall you.

Most importantly – don't rush. The game isn't designed for quick completion but for gradual discovery and immersion in the fascinating world of Dune. Accept the rhythm of the desert, be patient, and you'll survive.

Question to ponder: Which of these tips would you miss the most if you didn't know about it beforehand? And what gameplay style do you plan to apply on Arrakis?

Related Articles:

• Armors in Dune Awakening - Complete Guide to Survival Gear on Arrakis
• Hidden Treasures of Arrakis - A Comprehensive Resource Guide for Dune Awakening
• The best settings for every player who wants to run Dune Awakening smoothly and without lag

FAQ

Q: Is it necessary to start as a Mentat, or are there other good specializations for beginners?
A: Mentat is most advantageous thanks to The Sentinel ability, but if you prefer a different gameplay style, Trooper (damage and durability) or Bene Gesserit (fast movement and Voice abilities) are also good choices.

Q: How large is the Dune Awakening world and how long does it take to explore it?
A: The Arrakis map is enormous, and complete exploration takes approximately 550 hours. The game has several biometric zones including deserts, rocky areas, and populated centers. For more detailed information, I recommend watching my YouTube video about Dune Awakening FAQ.

Q: Are there seasonal resets like in some survival games?
A: According to available information, Funcom isn't planning complete resets, but rather long-term evolutionary changes to the world connected with story events.

Q: Can I play Dune Awakening completely solo, or is cooperation necessary?
A: The game is fully playable solo, but some advanced activities like large spice harvests or certain PvP zones are significantly easier in cooperation with other players.

Q: How often do worms appear and is there an effective way to avoid them?
A: Each location contains roughly 5-11 worms, with a maximum of 2 appearing at once (usually just 1, two worms simultaneously appear only in extreme situations). The frequency of appearances depends on the area and your activities. Walking on sand, mining, and using machinery attracts worms. You can use thumpers to distract them, or move on rocks and solid surfaces.