Dune Awakening Update: 3rd Faction, Dueling & More

       by        Game: Dune Awakening Guide        Tags: Dune Awakening Update

dune awakening flying in deep desert
The sands of Arrakis are shifting with Dune: Awakening's latest developer updates, bringing a wave of thrilling changes for solo and multiplayer adventurers alike. From the tease of a mysterious third faction to the introduction of player dueling, new maps, and quality-of-life tweaks like vehicle fall damage and view distance, there's plenty to explore. Whether you're a spice farmer or a PvP warrior, these updates promise to elevate your journey. For more Dune: Awakening insights, consider bookmarking our site and visiting our Solari and items shop, brimming with materials and vehicles to conquer the dunes.

Third Faction Tease: A Game-Changer for Arrakis

One of the most tantalizing reveals is the confirmation of a third faction joining the Atreides and Harkonnen rivalry. While details remain scarce, the developers hinted at its arrival, potentially post-launch, to address faction imbalance. In this common MMO challenge, one side dominates (e.g., a 7:1 Atreides-to-Harkonnen ratio in beta). This faction could level the playing field, offering new lore, cosmetics, and gameplay dynamics. To prepare, consider exploring both current factions' content and cosmetics before the third faction drops, as switching factions resets your reputation progress.

Player Duelling: Test Your Skills Anywhere

PvP fans, rejoice—player dueling is on the way! This feature will let you challenge friends or rivals to 1v1 battles, likely anywhere on Arrakis, including your base. Dueling offers a safe way to test builds, weapons, and strategies without risking loot, perfect for honing skills or just messing around. With Dune: Awakening's high time-to-kill (TTK) design, duels will emphasize mobility and tactics, leveraging tools like suspensor belts and knee charge abilities. The developers plan to maintain this high time-to-kill (TTK) to avoid one-shot kills, ensuring strategic depth.

New Maps: Expanding Beyond Huga Basin

If the Deep Desert's PvP chaos isn't your vibe, you'll love the confirmation of new maps similar to Huga Basin. These PvE-focused areas will introduce fresh quests, contracts, and exploration opportunities, catering to players who prefer crafting and survival over ornithopter dogfights. While no release timeline was shared, these maps are likely to be free content updates, ensuring all players can dive in without incurring extra costs. Keep grinding Huga Basin's contracts to stay ahead when new zones arrive.

Vehicle Fall Damage and Environmental Fixes

Vehicle fall damage has been a hot topic, with players split on its absence. Currently, vehicles are immune to damage from falls or environmental collisions (e.g., hitting rocks), a change made in response to beta feedback that complained about frequent vehicle damage. This setup adds flexibility, especially for solo players navigating Arrakis' janky terrain, but some argue it breaks immersion. The devs have no plans to reintroduce fall damage, citing its negative impact on gameplay, though they're open to reevaluating if feedback shifts. For now, feel free to yeet your buggy off cliffs guilt-free.

View Distance: A Work in Progress

Limited view distance (capped at 500 meters, even on ultra settings) has led to surprise PvP encounters, especially with ornithopters popping into view unexpectedly. The developers acknowledge this issue but caution that increasing view distance requires extensive testing to avoid performance issues or game-breaking bugs. While no fix is confirmed, it's on their radar, so keep an eye on patch notes for potential tweaks. In the meantime, stay vigilant in the Deep Desert to avoid ambushes.

Vehicle Headlights and New Modules

Mining in dark corners of Arrakis is tougher without reliable headlights, especially since they turn off when switching seats (e.g., from driving a buggy to using its mining ray). Unfortunately, this is a technical limitation, and fixing it would require significant code rework, making it a low priority. However, brighter news comes with confirmed plans for new vehicle modules, like functional nose guns or co-pilot roles for assault ornithopters. These additions will enhance combat and exploration, although details and timelines remain to be determined.

Coriolis Storm: No Changes Planned

The Coriolis storm, a weekly event reshaping the Deep Desert, won't see its duration shortened despite player requests. Its hour-long apex, where visibility drops to near-zero, is intentional, designed as an imposing planetary force. The devs advise packing up early, as storm warnings give ample notice. This reinforces the need for strategic planning in the Deep Desert, especially for solo players farming spice sand.

Server Restarts and Vehicle Loss

Losing vehicles to server restarts or Coriolis storms is a pain point, especially if you log back in to find your sandbike totaled. The developers are improving server restart notifications (now displayed centrally on-screen) and exploring ways to mitigate vehicle losses, such as a “safe state” for vehicles left during restarts. Until then, avoid leaving vehicles in the Deep Desert during storms or restarts, and check in-game service messages to stay informed.

Future Content: Free Updates and DLCs

Good news for budget-conscious players: most content updates, including new maps, tiers, and research items, will be free. Paid DLCs will focus on optional cosmetics, ensuring core gameplay remains accessible. Deluxe and Ultimate Edition owners (or Season Pass buyers) will get extra cosmetics, with future DLCs promising “meatier” content compared to launch offerings. A roadmap detailing these plans is expected once the post-launch chaos settles, likely to be shared during the June 19, 2025, Reddit AMA.

Building Upgrades: High Priority

Upgrading base building pieces is a top player request, and the devs are prioritizing it. Currently, replacing old pieces with new building sets (e.g., from future updates) requires destroying and rebuilding, which risks structural collapse. A streamlined upgrade system would simplify this, making base customization less tedious. While blueprint replication ease is a lower priority, expect building upgrades to roll out sooner.

Ground-Based PvP and Flying Worms

The devs recognize that Deep Desert PvP is dominated by ornithopter combat, with missile-thumping chases frustrating ground-based players. They're exploring ways to balance ground PvP, though no specifics were shared. Meanwhile, the rare but hilarious “flying worm” bug—where sandworms leap to eat low-flying ornithopters—has been acknowledged. It's not intended, and the devs are working on fixes. If you lose gear to a flying worm, contact support for potential assistance.

FAQs About Dune: Awakening's Coming Updates

1. When will the third faction be added to Dune: Awakening?

It's confirmed, but there is no set release date, possibly post-launch. Details will likely emerge in future AMAs or roadmaps.

2. How does player dueling work?

Dueling will allow 1v1 PvP battles anywhere, likely with a consent-based system to enter a PvP state, ideal for testing builds or friendly skirmishes.

3. Will new maps be free?

Yes, new maps similar to Huga Basin will be free content updates, accessible to all players.

4. Why don't vehicles take fall damage?

Fall and environmental damage were disabled after beta feedback found them too punishing. The devs have no plans to reintroduce them currently.

5. Can view distance be increased?

It's under evaluation, but changes require extensive testing to avoid performance issues. No timeline has been confirmed.

Thanks for Reading

Dune: Awakening is shaping up to be a dynamic survival MMO with its third faction, dueling, new maps, and player-driven tweaks. Whether you're dodging flying worms or plotting your next spice haul, these updates promise a richer Arrakis. Keep following MMOJUGG for more guides to stay ahead in the desert!

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