While Dune: Awakening is chock-full of a variety of different hazards for players to both manage and avoid, there is arguably nothing quite like the sandworm. These monstrous creatures burrow through the ground beneath players' feet at all times, but the threat of their emergence increases as players begin making noise on the open sand — as per Dune lore. Should players make too much noise while moving on the sand from rocky ground to rocky ground in Dune: Awakening, a sandworm could explode from the ground, looking for its next meal.
A threat they may be, however, there's an intriguing side to the inclusion of sandworms in Dune: Awakening and the threat that they pose. Sure, it would have been impossible to make a Dune game without featuring sandworms in some capacity, as it would likely have caused fans of the franchise to roar in anger louder than the sandworms themselves. But what's most interesting about them is the psychological effects they have on players, and how, even though it's best to avoid them at all costs, they might not want to.
Dune: Awakening's Silence Speaks Louder Than Words
Dune: Awakening turns quiet into a weapon, using sparse dialogue and haunting stillness to reinforce its world’s danger, loneliness, and weight.
Dune: Awakening's Sandworms Make for a Thrilling Game of Cat and Mouse
Dune: Awakening's Sandworms Are Notoriously Dangerous
Dune: Awakening's Arrakis is a dangerous place for many reasons, but its sandworms are especially so. To unsuspecting players, these otherworldly creatures may look like nothing more than a bit of scenery meant to make the world of Dune: Awakening feel more authentic by being in the background. Early on in the game, sandworms will typically emerge from the ground in the distance, maintaining some distance between themselves and the player but still sending a warning.
Like its sandworms, Dune: Awakening's storms present a dangerous threat to players as well, as succumbing to them also means a permanent loss of inventory.
However, should players remain on the open sand for too long, the sandworm will emerge once more. Only, this time, will it begin chasing players before eventually gobbling them up without mercy. This is where sandworms show their truly threatening side — where their bark quite literally turns into a bite. If players are eaten by a sandworm in Dune: Awakening, they will lose everything on their person permanently, unlike when dying a normal death and getting a chance to retrieve said inventory. This applies to any sandbikes caught in the mouth of the sandworm as well, making sandworms an even greater threat to those who have made substantial crafting progress.
Sandworms Are a Threat Too Fun to Avoid
Here's where the peculiar side of Dune: Awakening's sandworms comes in though. Of all the dangers in Arrakis, yes, there is almost nothing more fearsome than a sandworm, but there is also nothing more thrilling to experience. Dune: Awakening's storms may be just as threatening as a sandworm, but there is really no excitement in outrunning them — at least, compared to the adrenaline rush that comes with being chased by a sandworm. It's an experience that everyone in Dune: Awakening should have, but it's one that usually comes at a great cost.
If players are eaten by a sandworm in Dune: Awakening, they will lose everything on their person permanently.
Even so, it is that cost that makes a sandworm chase the thrill that it is. The deep-seated fear that comes with agitating a sandworm and then attempting to outrun it is founded on the fact that it could lead to significant backtracking for players in Dune: Awakening. Of course, one could just run out into the open sand completely naked with empty pockets if they wanted to attract a sandworm without risk, but where's the fun in that? All of this is to say that there has arguably never been a more addictive threat than Dune: Awakening's sandworms in survival gaming history, but it only comes with being willing to risk it all for one of the best virtual rollercoaster rides in the industry.
WHERE TO PLAY
- Genre(s)
- Open-World, Survival, MMO
