What to Do First in Dune: Awakening

Dune: Awakening is a big game, and much like other survival-crafting titles, this one can be a little overwhelming, especially to those who are new to the genre. Hagga Basin is huge, and there's plenty of things to do, so it's no surprise that some players might get a little confused regarding their fist few steps.

The game does a wonderful job at onboarding new Dune: Awakening players, but if you're the type to pursue efficiency in your exploration routes, there are several locations early on that you can take advantage of. Here's a quick guide going over some of the best places you can visit and things you can do as soon as you start a fresh character.

Dune: Awakening Early Progression Route

If you're a completely new player, then the first thing you should do is complete the extended tutorial quests. Once you finish the first tutorial where the game teaches you how to control your character, you'll be given a set of Journey tasks by Zantara, the friendly NPC who helped you out in the beginning.

These quests are important for a number of reasons:

You'll learn how to build your first base.
You'll learn how to produce water from flowers and blood.
You'll get to build your starting set of equipment, including a Sandbike.

The base, water production, and Sandbike parts are the most important bits you need to focus on during this quest chain. Once you have all three up and running, don't head over to Vermillius Gap just yet. Instead, spare some time to check the following locations first.

Essential Unique Equipment Locations in Hagga Basin South

Dune Awakening Esential Unique Items in Hagga Basin

There are multiple POIs in Hagga Basin South that contain excellent starting gear. By finding the main loot chests in these areas, you'll set yourself up for success all the way up to level 50 or 60. Feel free to hit the locations on the map above in any order.

Aren's Vengeance

This is a Unique Kharpov 38 rifle that fires in bursts. Each shot deals reduced damage compared to a regular Kharpov, but if all three shots in a burst connect, it can take down targets much quicker than normal. You can find the schematics for this weapon in a chest in Keyhole Rock. This weapon is strong enough to carry players all the way to the Hagga Rift region.

Hollower Stillsuit

This is a Unique Stillsuit set that offers increased protection. The armor values of each individual piece exceeds even that of the Steel-tier crafted Stillsuit, though it doesn't offer as much protection against heat. Schematics for all parts of this suit can be found in a chest in Dewgap Gateway. Only one piece can spawn at a time — after looting the chest, return later after some time, then loot it again.

Kaleff's Drinker

Kaleff's Drinker is a Unique short blade that drains blood with each hit. It will fill up your Blood Sacks with every hit, making it a very convenient melee weapon that also deals decent damage. The schematics for this can be found in the main loot chest in the Wreck of the Alcyon, along with some Spice-Infused Copper Dust.

The Emperor's Wings Mk1

At the final room of Imperial Testing Station 02, you'll find a chest containing the schematics for the basic version of The Emperor's Wings, a Suspensor Belt that lets you temporarily prevent gravity from affecting you. Suspensor Belts can be used to reach great heights or prevent fall damage, and The Emperor's Wings is easily the best starting Suspensor Belt in the game thanks to its cost-effectiveness.

Where to Go After Hagga Basin

Once you get all the loot you want in the starting zone, the next step is to go north to Vermillius Gap and progress through the Iron tier of the tech tree. After that, you'll want to go the following areas next:

Jabal Eifrit Al-junab and Hagga Rift for Carbon Ore (used for Steel) and Erythrite Crystals (used for Cobalt Paste).
Eastern Shield Wall for Aluminum Ores, Basalt, and weapon parts.
Mysa Tarill for advanced crafting components (Diamondine Dust, Carbide Scraps, Stillsuit Tubing, etc).
Sheol for Jasmium Crystals (used for Duraluminum).
Deep Desert for endgame PvP and Tier 6 Plastanium materials.