Summary
- Players can stay hydrated to survive in Dune: Awakening by drinking blood, using dew fields, and avoiding the harsh sunlight.
- Progression in the game involves choosing a mentor, upgrading skills, and collecting materials for crafting.
- Players will need to watch out for sandworms and adapt to the dangerous environment of Arrakis to thrive in this open-world MMO.
As part of Dune: Awakening's recent showcase, developer Funcom has revealed that hydration plays a major role in the forthcoming open-world survival MMO, in which players can drink the blood of slain enemies to stay alive, in addition to other methods. Funcom has yet to confirm a release date for Dune: Awakening.
Dune: Awakening's showcase highlighted plenty of other details regarding the anticipated title, such as its setting and progression aspects. The game is set on Arrakis and features the planet's giant sandworms, which are meant to be avoided rather than defeated. As for progression, players choose their character's initial strengths by selecting a mentor at the beginning of the game, although users won't be confined to this class type forever. Additionally, players need to consistently upgrade their skill trees if they wish to thrive in Arrakis' harsh environment.
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Funcom's Chief Creative Officer, Joel Bylos, also revealed that the survival aspect of Dune: Awakening features hydration as a central focus. "Arrakis is all about the heat and the water," said Bylos, before he explained that hydration can be achieved in multiple ways, including drinking the blood of dead enemies. Players can also utilize dew fields and consume plant fiber to achieve hydration, although the latter does more harm than good after a while. Bylos further explained that avoiding sunlight is an important aspect of staying hydrated, which players can do by staying in the shade during the daytime and traveling by night.
Trailer for Dune Awakening
Funcom also expanded on some of Dune: Awakening's previously revealed details by touching on its crafting mechanics. Players can collect materials like stone, copper, and iron to create bases, weapons, gear, and clothing. The blueprints for a player-created base can even be sold to other users through an in-game system. As users progress further into the game, they can also use the planet's materials to create machines, which can create advanced weapons and tools.
Similar to the books and movies, Dune: Awakening features sandworms as one of its main threats. Whenever a player is walking on the desert's surface without using sandworm counters like a thumper, it's only a matter of time until one of the giant worms speeds toward the user. However, there will be varying types of sandworms, with the deep desert harboring the most lethal ones. Funcom confirmed that players are not able to ride sandworms like Paul Atreides, at launch at least.
In addition to this recent showcase, Dune fans on Xbox can participate in a sweepstakes event that gifts the winner with a "floating" Dune controller, Xbox Series S, and Ornithopter stand. The event runs until March 25.
Dune: Awakening
- Released
- June 10, 2025
WHERE TO PLAY
Rise from survival to dominance on the most dangerous planet in the universe. Dune: Awakening combines the grit and creativity of sandbox survival games with the social interactivity of a large, persistent multiplayer game to create a unique and ambitious Open World Survival MMO.
Awaken The Sleeper
Your journey begins on Arrakis, with its vast deserts and colossal sandworms. Meet characters from the movies and books as you follow your story across Dune. Discover new allies and enemies and exploit your relationships to uncover the mystery that lies just beneath the surface of the sands.
Choose Your Identity
Craft your identity and build your prowess, from deep character creation to skills and abilities taught by specialists like Mentats and Bene Gesserit. Declare your loyalties by what you wear and become known by what you do, whether you are a specialized master or multi-talented adept.
Explore Arrakis Like Never Before
Dune: Awakening brings the epic landscapes of Arrakis to vivid life. Explore boundless rolling dunes, ancient underground Ecology Labs, and deep canyons pockmarked with caves, where bandits seek easy prey. Wander the bustling villages before braving the lawless and ever-changing deep desert.
