Dune Awakening: Planetologist & Iron Stage Walkthrough
Time: 2025-05-15 by mmojugg Game: Dune Awakening Guide
Navigating the early game in Dune: Awakening's Open Beta (9-12 May 2025) can be daunting, but unlocking the Planetologist class and progressing through the Iron Stage will set you up for success. This comprehensive walkthrough guides you through acquiring the Planetologist skill, building an optimal base, and mastering iron production in Haga Basin South and Vermilious Gap. Save yourself hours of trial and error and prepare for the full launch on 10 June 2025. For more Arrakis strategies, bookmark MMOJUGG.
Part 1: Unlocking the Planetologist Class
The Planetologist class increases resource production, making it ideal for crafting and base building. Here's how to unlock it in Haga Basin South:
Locate the Planetologist NPC:
Where: North of Imperial Testing Station #2, accessible by sandbike or on foot. From the station, follow a path uphill to a hidden NPC in a small alcove.
Tip: Use a sandbike (made from copper, micro-sandwich fabric and salvaged metal) for faster travel. Watch out for patrol ships at night, which will deploy force fields and troops.
Complete the Quest:
Objective: Talk to the NPC who gives you a quest to retrieve a Mimic Film Manifest from Imperial Testing Station #2.
How: Enter the station and locate a secret room behind a bookshelf with an orange highlighted light. The manifest is inside (check the previous video stream for exact navigation).
Rewards: 700 XP, 2,000 Solari and unlocks the Planetologist class.
Note: You can pick up multiple quests in the station (e.g. for schematics), so keep track of the correct one in your journal.
Invest in Planetologist Skills:
Options: Access the skill tree (press 'P') and choose from:
Increased Yield (10%): Increases resource extraction (e.g. iron, copper, water), ideal for base building.
Suspensor Pad: Increases mobility (less relevant early on).
Cutteray Mining: Improves mining efficiency.
Vehicle Repair: Reduces repair costs (situational).
Recommendation: Prioritise increased yields for faster resource gathering, especially iron and water.
Tip: Every 10% increase in yield is like getting an extra resource for every 10 collected, which significantly speeds up progress.
Time Estimate: 15–20 minutes, including travel and dungeon exploration.
Part 2: Building an Iron-Stage Base in Vermilious Gap
A well-placed base in Vermilious Gap (north of Haga Basin South) is crucial for iron production and water management. This video shows you how to choose the best location for your base, with plenty of resources.
Choose the Perfect Location:
Criteria:
Water Access: Multiple dew patches (5-6 in the video) for 14,000-24,000 water per day via Dew Reapers and Liter Johns, especially at dawn (optimal harvest time, check sundial with 'T').
Resource Nodes: Iron, granite and copper nearby for crafting and building.
Enemies: NPC camps for blood extraction (using Caleb's Drinker dagger) and later Fremen Death Stills for water.
Worm Safety: Build in a rocky canyon to avoid sandworm attacks, which destroy sand bases.
Video's Spot: East Vermilious Gap, with 5+ water spots, granite, iron, copper and NPC camps. It's flat, shaded and worm-proof, making it one of the best early-game locations.
Tip: Avoid crowded areas (check for other Sub-Thief Consoles) and make sure you have shade to reduce the risk of heatstroke.
Build the base:
Sub-Thief Console: Place an advanced Sub-Thief Console (made from salvaged metal and copper) on dirt to claim a 4x4 or 3x3 build area. Avoid placing on removable tiles, as destroying them will wipe the console (a bug Funcom may fix).
Design: Create a two-tier base:
Ground Floor: Crafting stations (e.g. Smelter, Fabricator, Blood Purifier MK1), storage and water systems (Chemical Station, Recycler). Place under stairs for efficiency.
Upper Floor: Above-ground parking garage for sandbikes and buggies, accessed via a double-wide ramp (two tiles wide, no staircase for easy vehicle entry).
Materials: Use the Coe Kum Shelter set (granite-based, desert aesthetic) over the Com Facility (higher HP but less thematic). Expect to collect 400-500 granite, 50-100 copper ore and salvaged metal.
Windows: Add the second floor for natural light, as the interiors are dark. Use wedge walls and archways for style.
Shield Generator: Place in a low-traffic corner and refuel with fuel cells (1 cell = 1 hour, aim for 24 hours). Unfuelled bases will take Sandstorm damage (minor in PvE zones, as shown when the player's power goes out).
Tip: Build usability first (foundation, roof, crafting) and beautify later (pillars, decoration). Quick Deposit with 'E' to match storage saves time.
Key Stations:
Blood Purifier MK1 (x2): Turns blood (from NPCs or Caleb's Drinker) into water. Upgrade to MK2 later (unlocked through storyline, requires 16 silicone, 20 complex machinery).
Smelter (x2): One for copper bars, one for iron bars. Each requires water, copper ore or iron ore.
Chemical Station: Produces fuel cells, silicone and lubricants for generators and vehicles.
Recycler: Breaks down unwanted items (e.g. old Dew Reapers) into basic components such as micro-sandwich fibre.
Storage: Use Small Storage Boxes initially (upgrade later), as they pull resources automatically for crafting within the base.
Tip: Copper bars are a bottleneck; collect 50-100 bars early on to craft water systems and stations.
Time Estimate: 2–3 hours with a group, 5–6 hours solo, assuming you buy key tools (see below).
Part 3: Acquiring Iron and Key Tools in Anvil
Iron production requires a Cutteray MK2 and water, both of which can be easily obtained by visiting Anvil, a northern trading hub in Vermilious Gap.
Travel to Anvil:
Route: From Haga Basin South, cross the desert north to Vermilious Gap, avoiding the drum sand (triggers sandworms). Use a sand bike and travel at night to avoid heatstroke, but beware of patrol ships.
Tip: If a worm appears, retreat to rocky terrain. Carry blood bags (from the Blood Purifiers) and bandages for hydration and injuries.
Shop at Anvil:
Contracts: Accept all available contracts from the contract board (near the House Atreides/Harkonnen NPCs) for 2,000-5,000 Solari and XP. Examples include killing NPCs, looting chests, or exploring outposts.
Sell Loot: Trade salvaged items from crashed aircraft or shipwrecks (e.g. Holtzman actuators, rangefinders, complex machinery) to the vendor for 1,000-2,000 Solari. The player earns ~1,000 Solari from a wreck.
Buy Essentials (~6,000 Solari in total):
Cutteray MK2 (2,600 Solari): Required for iron mining (48% yield vs. 72% for copper/granite). Check mining yields, as some variants prioritise iron over copper.
Dew Reaper (3,000 Solari): Harvests dew from plants at dawn for 2,000–8,000 water per patch (boosted by Planetologist's Increased Yield).
Holtzman Shield MK1 (optional, 2,000 Solari): Protects against PvE/PvP damage, essential in PvP zones.
Medium Blood Sack (optional, 500 Solari): Stores more blood for water production.
Tip: Avoid overpriced items such as Blood Extractor MK2 (drops frequently) or Handheld Resource Scanners (craftable). Earn Solari from contracts and wrecks in 1-2 hours.
Mine Iron:
Where: Iron nodes are abundant in Vermilious Gap, especially near the base (check rocky outcrops). Use the Cutteray MK2 in analysis mode to target weak spots for higher yields.
Process: Smelt iron ore with water in a Smelter to produce Iron Ingots. Each ingot requires ~4-6 ore and water (exact ratio varies).
Tip: The Planetologist's 10% Yield skill increases iron extraction and saves time. Nodes will respawn every ~10 minutes, so keep moving between nearby nodes.
Harvest water:
Dew Reapers: At dawn (check sundial with 'T'), use the Dew Reaper on dew patches to fill liter jars (1,000-2,000 water each, up to 8,000 per patch with Planetologist skills). The base site has 5–6 patches, yielding 14,000–24,000 daily.
Blood Extraction: Kill NPCs with Caleb's Drinker (schematic from dungeons, extracts 1,000 blood per hit) or Blood Extractor MK1/MK2 (2,000 blood with MK2). Convert blood to water with Blood Purifier.
Fremen Death Stills (later): Process NPC corpses for 24,000+ water daily, reducing reliance on dew.
Tip: Store water in a Chemical Station's water system (requires 25 copper ingots) to power Smelters and crafting..
Time Estimate: 1–2 hours to earn Solari and buy tools, 1 hour to mine initial iron and water.
Part 5: Why This Strategy Saves Time
The video's approach cuts progression time from 10–12 hours to 2–3 hours by:
Buying Tools: Spending 5,000-6,000 solari on a Cutteray MK2 and Dew Reaper avoids 3-4 hours of dungeon grinding for iron access.
Optimal Base Location: 14,000-24,000 daily water and abundant iron/granite/copper nodes eliminate resource shortages.
Planetologist Yield: 10% extra resources speed up crafting and construction.
Group Play: With 8–15 guildmates (as shown), resource collection and dungeon clears are 2–3x faster.
FAQs About Planetologist & Iron Stage in Dune Awakening
How do I unlock Planetologist?
Visit the NPC north of Imperial Testing Station #2, retrieve the Mimic Film Manifest from a secret room and return it to unlock the class (700 XP, 2,000 Solari).
What's the best base location for iron?
East Vermilious Gap, with 5-6 dew patches (14,000-24,000 water per day), iron, granite, copper and NPC camps, in a worm-proof canyon.
How do I get a Cutteray MK2?
Buy it for 2,600 Solari in Anvil (earned through contracts and wreck looting) to mine iron efficiently. Avoid grinding dungeons for it.
Why is copper a bottleneck?
Smelters, chemical stations and water systems require copper bars. Gather 100-150 ore early as nodes respawn every 10 minutes.
Is this base viable long-term?
It's ideal for the early iron stage, but less so later as Fremen Death Stills (using NPC bodies) yield 24,000+ water, reducing the reliance on dew.
Thanks for Reading
This walkthrough for Dune: Awakening's open beta equips you to unlock Planetologist, build a resource-rich base, and conquer the iron stage in hours, not days. Grab your Cutteray MK2, harvest 24,000 water daily, and dominate Vermilious Gap. Keep an eye out for Funcom's launch updates, as resource respawns or dungeon loot may change. Dive into Haga Basin and rule Arrakis! Check out MMOJUGG for more guides on how to thrive in the sands.
Table of Content
Buy Dune Awakening Solari
Buy Dune Awakening Items
Dune Awakening Boosting