There s "Nothing Really Stopping" Funcom Adding More Planets To Dune: Awakening

It’s understandable, albeit unfortunate, why the newest preview didn’t give much of the more MMO elements of the title away simply due to the location of the demo. However, what was clear from my time with the game was that Funcom has deeply leaned into the harsher aspects of Arrakis, with an emphasis on players having to build their character up from nothing . Even basic traversal is difficult at first, and it really captures the feeling of being lost and struggling in the desert post-crash. Though it’s hard, this harshness contributes to future feelings of accomplishment as w


A nice co-op feature mentioned during the demo was that players can either half or full build objects , either placing a hologram of what they will look like somewhere or fully crafting them, to aid in collaborative building. As players build up their bases, they will also have to work to maintain them. Things like lighting and machinery require power systems to be made in order to run, and in general the bases built will require taxes to be paid on the land on which they


**Dune: Awakening ** brings together survival and MMO elements with the beloved IP as a framework, taking players to Arrakis where they’ll fight against sandworms, hot sun, other players, and a myriad of other threats to become a successful desert dweller. The title comes from Funcom, which previously produced another massive online experience with Conan Exiles . Though the game doesn’t have a finalized release date yet besides a 2025 window, it’s already entered a playable beta for players lucky enough to snag a s


Combat is exciting when you're going toe-to-toe with someone who has a personal shield , which you need to push through with a wind-up heavy melee attack. Depending on your build, you have myriad options available: pepper them with ranged attacks to throw them off, run/rush with the aforementioned movement abilities, or throw down in an epic knife fight, parrying and dodging at the right times. NPCs don't always put up a fight, but I'm interested in fully exploring the game's PVP element (an optional zone) in the final build. There's a lot of potential here in this combat foundat


The act of crafting is fairly painless . If you have the resources, you queue a researched item up in a menu (from anywhere you like), wait a few seconds, and boom, your harvesting tool/blood bag/weapon is done. Once I got into the groove of things, running around and making progress felt good, until I hit a new hurdle and ran out of resources again. It's the nature of the ge


Dune: Awakening 's Benchmark Mode, meanwhile, runs through scenes involving ornithopters and sandworms to stress test a system. Developer Funcom hasn't yet revealed any details about required specs, so if they still aren't available after the release date announcement, the Benchmark Mode could be the best way to determine whether a PC is up to the task . Dune: Awakening is built in Unreal Engine 5 and features plenty of apparent graphical detail and sophisticated lighting, so it could be a challenge without some strong sp


Another thing to consider is settling close to larger camps and POIs, which will give you easier access to combat XP and loot. This is essentially a leveling multiplier if that's what you're looking for, and because of the satisfying combat mechanics, farming camps and leveling don't feel like a cho


This allows you to build hybrid characters, and will take some real time to find out what works for your playstyle the best, which is why choosing your starting class is such an important decision. The sandworms are near, and there's no time to waste starting o


Dune: Awakening isn't all combat, though. Most of your time on Arrakis will be spent surviving . Whether that includes draining blood from enemies to convert to water, or licking the dew off of various flora in caves and shade, you always need to stay hydrated. The harsh sun of the planet Arrakis is constantly beaming down on you, too, and sandworms patrol the deserts with ruthless efficie


I recommend staying close to the rocks as much as possible, and when you need to cross open spaces, look for paths that don't leave you exposed for long periods of time. Avoid dashing or jumping, as it will create more noise and attract sandworms to your location much fas


However, the Dune world isn’t just the modern films. There’s the saga of books Funcom has primarly worked from, previous Dune strategy games, and the movie directed by the late David Lynch. With so much lore, it’s been a challenge for Funcom to ensure no mistakes make their way into the game. Helpfully, "Joel [Bylos, Dune: Awakening’s Creative Director] knows everything," Whelan says. "He knows the books inside and out, so you cannot get things past him because he sits right behind me, so he will catch thin


As an MMO, the multiplayer component is obviously a defining element of Dune Awakening News: Awakening , expanding the scope of Conan Exiles , Funcom's previous multiplayer survival game. That also means that Dune: Awakening is sacrificing the ability to take on its challenges in single-player, so anyone looking for a solitary experience on Arrakis might have to turn to one of the various Dune strategy games made over the ye