Story Overview #

Dune: Awakening is set in an alternate timeline where Paul Atreides was never born, Lady Jessica had a daughter, and Duke Leto survived the Harkonnen assault. The Fremen have vanished, and Arrakis is locked in a brutal struggle between House Atreides and House Harkonnen for control of spice. Players, known as Sleepers, are sent to Arrakis by the Bene Gesserit to uncover the mystery of the Fremen and shape the evolving political landscape through their actions and alliances.

Official Funcom Story Videos:

Class System & Abilities #

Players select a mentor (class) at creation—Trooper, Mentat, Bene Gesserit, Swordmaster, or Planetologist—each with a unique starting ability. As you progress, you can unlock and combine abilities from all classes, enabling deep customization and hybrid builds.

Official Funcom Video:

PvE and PvP Areas (with Sizes) #

• Instanced PvE regions like Hagga Basin (about 55 km²), where players can build, craft, and explore safely.
• Massive open PvPvE zones such as the Deep Desert (500–576 km², with a 24 km-long PvE-only corridor), where players compete over spice blooms, resources, and territory.
• Social hubs including Arrakeen and Harko Village, which are safe areas for trading and socializing.

Official Funcom Video:

Overland Map & Deep Desert Activities #

The overland map is a real-time, top-down navigation layer for traveling between regions, managing logistics, and accessing dynamic events. In the Deep Desert, players engage in spice harvesting, base building, sandworm encounters, and both PvE and PvP events. The map supports seamless transitions and large-scale multiplayer activity.

Official Funcom Video:

Base Building in PvE and PvP Areas & Shield Generators #

PvE Areas (e.g., Hagga Basin): Players can build permanent, highly customizable bases that are shielded from PvP attacks. These bases serve as safe havens for crafting, storage, farming, and socializing. PvE bases are protected by Holtzman shield technology, making them impervious to offline raiding and griefing. This allows for long-term planning and creativity without the threat of other players destroying your work.

PvP Areas (Deep Desert): Bases in the Deep Desert are more vulnerable and strategic. While shields make them impenetrable most of the time, periodic sandstorms disable all base shields during peak hours, making bases temporarily susceptible to raids. During these windows, attackers can target shield generators or storage for loot. After the storm, shields reactivate, restoring base protection. Most main bases are kept in PvE zones for safety, with temporary or forward bases in PvP areas for resource control and raids.

Powering Shield Generators: Shield generators require a steady supply of fuel to remain active. Players must deposit fuel cells into the generator to keep the shield online. If the generator runs out of fuel, the shield will drop, leaving the base exposed to environmental hazards and attacks. Regular maintenance and resource management are critical to base defense, especially in the Deep Desert.

Official Funcom Video:

Faction System and Switching Rules #

Players initially align with House Atreides or House Harkonnen, affecting gameplay, reputation, and unique rewards. After officially joining a faction, you may betray and switch to the other, but this is a one-time opportunity per faction. Once you leave or betray a faction, you cannot return to it—your decision is permanent for that house. This rule will apply to all future factions as well.

“Should you decide to betray a faction and become the other faction, that does not mean that you lose access to the other stuff. But what it does mean is that you cannot become the previous faction that you were again… you are able to betray every single faction in this game even ones in the future that come out one time. And once you betray that faction you can then, no longer become, let’s say, Atreides if you betrayed Atreides.”

Community Made Video:

Player Guilds – Size, Function, and Political Power #

Guilds (up to 32 players each) are central to Dune: Awakening’s collaborative and competitive gameplay, shaping the political, economic, and military fabric of Arrakis. Guilds can align with major Houses, participate in the Landsraad (server-wide political competition), earn votes, and influence rules that affect the whole world. Guilds build and co-own bases, manage permissions, engage in PvP and PvE events, and coordinate large-scale activities like sieges and spice raids. Friendly fire is active for AoE abilities, requiring careful coordination.

Official Funcom Video: