I absolutely love Dune: Awakening so far. It's even more polished than when I experienced it during the press and creator beta a little while back.
The more I explore, the more I realize that there are plenty of players out there who will start their journey making the same mistakes I did. Mistakes are a terrific learning tool, but teachers can be even better. They can also help save precious resources you might lose if you're able to avoid mistakes thanks to their tips.
Today, I'm excited to share an insider's glimpse into what it takes to thrive in the ever-growing Dune: Awakening. Here's a collection of my top tips and pitfalls to avoid for an instellar start in the world of Dune!
Don't get too attached to your first base
The inner builder in you wants to lash out creatively, but doing so early will spell doom to your sanity in a matter of hours.
After completing what I'd call the "tutorial phase" of Dune: Awakening, you'll need to make your way North and place a new base to call home. Part of this journey forces you to literally abandon your phase, freeing it to everyone, including the elements.
Granted, you could build another sub-fief right after abandoning it to trigger the journey completion, but having a base down here is simply a waste of resources and tax money you'll have to play as time goes on.
You'll want to be a lot closer to the middle of the map as well. Eventually, there will be absolutely no reason to return to Hagga Basin South anyway.
You can get a free bike by getting eaten
Lost your sand bike? Did you know you can get yourself a free sand bike? All you have to do is complete the "Find the Fremen" journey, "The First Trial of AQL."
From there, you'll be tasked with crossing the desert north of Hagga Basin South. Running across the desert on foot will make you an easy meal for a sandworm. Doing it naked means earning a sand bike once you respawn without losing anything.
Yes, that's right, players can earn a free sand bike if they get eaten by a sandworm while crossing. Just make sure to keep everything you own inside a chest, tucked safely away at your base. Getting swallowed means losing all the gear you had on you.
Picking your class doesn't matter — Just not Trooper
After starting the game, every class becomes available via a trainer over time. Each trainer you find will ask that you complete a contract in order to attain their training, but once done, all abilities within their realm of teachings become available.
For example, when you reach the first trading post, Griffin Trading Post, you'll encounter the Trooper class trainer. Completing his contract will net you access to the initial abilities available to the Trooper class. With this, you'll gain access to the grappling hook, the best non-combat ability in the game, along with everything else the class offers for the first tier.
So, if you missed out on something cool your friend has, don't worry; you'll all get access to the same abilities over time.
If anything, I suggest people do NOT pick the Trooper class. Since this can be found early in the game, getting it first means waiting longer for the others.
Enemies drop their shields when shooting
This one is more embarrassing than anything, and something I should have realized sooner rather than later. Or maybe I'm just saying that to make whoever reads this feel better?
Enemies drop their shields when firing a weapon. One instance where this can be useful is for heavy minigunners equipped with shields.
The obviousness may not be noticeable at first, but once they start firing, they're free to take ranged damage. Just make sure you don't waste bullets once they stop firing, as their shields will go up immediately after.
Disruptor SMGs destroy enemy shields
Speaking of shield cheesing, did you know the Disruptor SMG will break down enemy shields?
I didn't either, and shout out to my good friend Will for actually running the SMG in this game. It's something I always overlook, but I'm a precision-based player at range and a shotgun-face slammer up close.
Using the Disruptor gets around the shield mechanic by firing a multitude of darts that hit at varying velocities. This penetrates and inevitably disables the shield altogether after enough darts have been fired.
I played 20 hours of the game before realizing this, and trust me, it makes the game a whole lot easier to just keep a Disruptor handy.
Respawn beacons and respawn points
I was really bad with this one, but after dying a few times from silly things and finding myself back in Hagga Basin South, I'm here to preach the gospel of respawn beacons and setting your respawn point.
After making a new base, your respawn point isn't always automatically set to your latest home. I found this out after falling from a cliff into an enemy base camp, where they pelted me with bullets before I could get up again.
Spawning, I realized my only choice was to use a checkpoint I had across the sand down South. Big mistake.
Another simple remedy is to make use of respawn beacons. They are easily crafted and make a great companion while venturing away from your base.
Plop one of these down outside an intel point or another significant area where you might get into trouble. You'll get back into action much faster, thanks to their use.
Belts, climbing, and even vehicles negate fall damage
There are three ways to avoid fall damage in Dune: Awakening.
The first method is drop-grappling. While falling, so long as you're against a rock face, grabbing a wall will stop your fall and save you from any damage. Regardless of how far you've fallen.
Next are belts. There are various types of these, with some that will gradually negate the effects of gravity entirely.
One such belt, called The Emperor's Wings MK1, will carry whatever momentum you have forwards. Be careful with this type, as you'll have whatever speed hitting that ground that you had when the belt was activated.
Last, but not least, are vehicles. No matter the distance you drop from, you'll take zero fall damage so long as you're in a seat.
I haven't tested this with anything other than the sand bike, but I dove off the top of the hammer rock and hit the ground doing about 150 Km/H. I took zero damage, and my bike didn't either.
Sandworms only attack after surfacing
The attack patterns of sandworms, especially at the beginning, can be a bit awkward to learn. Here's a quick rundown detailing what's actually happening while running from these big jerks.
First, the little wave beneath your character while out on the sand is a mixture of noise and threat levels being generated by your character as they cross. This will increase if sandworms are closer to you.
Once spotted, the wave will shake quite violently, and a worm somewhere nearby will surface.
Respeccing is free but limited
Respeccing in this game doesn't cost a cent. There's no need to go off and make a Yellow Lotus potion like Conan Exiles.
The trade-off is that you can only respec once every 48 hours. So, plan your builds accordingly if you want to swap between PvE and PvP-oriented builds.
Also, you cannot retrain your research. What you learn is what you learn. However, leveling and gathering intel points on the map will mean you can discover every blueprint by the end of the game, so don't worry about missing out on anything.
Dune: Awakening is available on general release from June 10, 2025. While a console launch is planned, initially it's exclusive to PC via Steam.
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