Blogs
on April 20, 2026
While it isn’t clear if working with the Harkonnens in Dune: Awakening is required, it does seem like building bases in the desert is a major part of the game. While I’m willing to suspend my disbelief for the sake of gameplay and ignore how unlikely that safely building such structures would be on Arrakis, I’m still not so enthusiastic about actually doing it. Being an outsider building bases on Arrakis feels very **counter-intuitive to the major anti-colonial message the Dune series communicates
Thankfully, Dune Awakening doesn’t make the mistake of asking you to fill your inventory with resources for hours at a time without doing anything else, instead ensuring each resource you collect is instantly used for something that helps you progress. However, there’s still a repetitiveness to general tasks that can’t be igno
The full game has not yet launched, and there was even a delay in its release, but the recent Beta version of the game shows a lot of promise. While the story breaks from the traditional narrative that is generally beloved by fans, this gives players an opportunity to interact with iconic characters such as Duke Leto, Lady Jessica, Gurney Halleck, swordmaster Duncan Idaho, and Mentat Thufir Hawat. There are also distinct character classes that offer various unique skills, which include the Trooper, Mentat, Bene Gesserit, Swordmaster, and Planetologist class
Alternatively titled Dune 2: Battle for Arrakis, this Dune classic is easily one of the most beloved in the franchise. It was one of the first games to include features such as a mouse-driven system for base building and unit control, which was innovative at the time. This design laid the foundation for future RTS games. Dune Awakening Guide II also introduced a world map for mission selection and a technology tree for building dependencies, which both contributed to dynamic and engaging gameplay. Its influence is present in iconic strategy games like Warcraft and Age of Empi
One of the clearest indications we will be taking on the role of the villain in Dune: Awakening comes from clips showing the player working with, and even bowing to Harkonnens . While the world of Dune is rarely so simple as saying one faction is the clear good guys, the Harkonnens are very clearly one of the worst groups . They are power-hungry and violent, and they aren’t afraid to kill their allies or own family members to get ah
Upon its full release in September 2023, Dune: Spice Wars received generally mixed reviews. Screen Rant 's early access preview praised the game's strong sense of exploration and relative polish, but noted a lack of variety and narrative depth. While Spice Wars didn't capture the complex political intrigue characteristic of the Dune series, it was still awarded Strategy/Simulation Game of the Year at the 27th Annual D.I.C.E. Awards, highlighting its strong strategic gameplay and faithful representation of the Dune unive
Arrakis should belong to the Fremen. The only reason other factions are even interested in the planet is to exploit it for its Spice. In Dune , this is a clear condemnation of how colonial powers exploit native populations for their own interests in a region’s natural resources. Unfortunately, it seems like Dune: Awakening will be forcing players to become one of these colonial forces by establishing their own bases on Fremen land. Worse still, one clip from the trailer and a major shift in the game’s narrative suggests that players may take this even furt
Therefore, every time you must head out into the desert to find something, you’ll be weaving between islands to avoid the worm, checking in corners for resources to scavenge and sticking to the moving shadows to avoid dehydration. Funcom has done a great job of adding a level of excitement to what are otherwise standard survival activities that feel like they belong in this iconic unive
Zantara was injured in the escape, giving us tasks to survive now through a communication device. We acquired some basic armor, began collecting resources with our cutteray, and crafted a Maula Pistol (which uses darts instead of bullets given the shield technology of Dune and how ineffective firearms became). Then we researched and crafted binoculars and a respawn beacon. What we could not scavenge ourselves, of course, we needed to take from others. We identified a nearby scavenger camp with our binoculars and attacked them for resources. Using those, as well as finding more resources, let us craft a Construction T
The world itself really captures the desolate, dangerous feeling of being out in the desert, with little touches that add to the immersion. As I was dying of dehydration, for example, my character’s vision slowly changed - dunes in the distance that were once clear got hazy, almost appearing more like a mirage. Though players begin in the Hagga Basin, they’ll eventually be able to travel elsewhere with an ornithopter , like the Harko Village, which serves as a sort of social