New to Dune: Awakening? Our beginner’s guide covers the best starting classes, how to build your first base, PvP tips, and everything you need to survive on Arrakis.
If you’ve just picked up Dune: Awakening or are considering diving in, you might feel a little lost in Arrakis’ vast desert. You’re not alone. This expansive online survival game immerses you into a perilous world filled with danger, competitors, and unique survival mechanics that are quintessential to an MMO experience.
Whether you’re trying to decide which class to choose, understand how to set up your base, or learn how to dodge sandworms, this guide will provide the tools you need to make your initiation into Dune: Awakening smooth and enjoyable.
What Is Dune: Awakening?
Dune: Awakening is an online survival game set on the formidable desert world of Arrakis, inspired by the iconic Dune universe. Think of it as a blend of open-world adventure and survival MMO, where you’ll interact with, and sometimes combat, actual players.
Your mission? Survive, create a base, and establish your presence in a realm teeming with sandworms, rival players, and unpredictable weather. You must manage resources wisely, craft equipment, and make strategic decisions about where to set up your sanctuary.
The game launches you into immediate action, allowing you to explore, collaborate with friends, and tackle monumental challenges as you progress.
Getting Started: Character Creation and the Best Starting Classes
When setting out in Dune: Awakening, you’ll first encounter character creation. This can appear overwhelming, but worry not, as it is more about personal flair than technical advantages.
Character Appearance:
You can customize your character’s appearance freely—long hair, a beard, or a minimalistic look— it all boils down to personal preference. Importantly, your looks have no impact on gameplay.
Background and Heritage:
Next, you will select a background and heritage. These choices primarily influence dialogues and unlock emotes that suit your character narrative—there’s no single "best" choice.
Choosing Your Class:
Now, the class selection is impactful. You’ll have four classes to pick from:
- Trooper
- Swordmaster
- Mentat
- Bene Gesserit
Here’s a crucial tip: avoid picking Trooper as your starting class. While it’s not a bad choice, you can unlock Trooper skills quite rapidly through NPC interactions. Instead, start with Swordmaster, Mentat, or Bene Gesserit: they offer unique abilities that aren’t easily accessible.
- Swordmaster: This class boasts excellent movement skills, ideal for quick traversal.
- Mentat: You can deploy a turret to assist you in battle.
- Bene Gesserit: Equipped with a special voice, they can manipulate enemies.
Regardless of your selection, gradually mastering all class abilities is achievable by locating trainers and questing.
Servers and Playing With Friends
Understanding server mechanics is vital, especially if you’re keen on teaming up with friends. The game organizes servers into Sietches within a larger group called Worlds. A World comprises multiple Sietches—ideal for organized gameplay.
What’s a World? What’s a Sietch?
- World: Encompasses around 20 unique Sietches.
- Sietch: The specific server where your character operates.
Each World features a shared Social Hub and Deep Desert, allowing inter-server interactions. Nevertheless, your starting area, known as Hagga Basin, is confined to your Sietch, affecting early game progress and base-building.
Playing With Friends:
Coordinate with your friends beforehand to ensure you’re on the same Sietch for seamless collaboration. Though you can meet in shared zones even if you’re on different Sietches, building bases and tackling missions is best done within the same server.
Taking a moment to strategize can greatly enhance your gameplay experience.
Survival Tips: Water, Sun, and How to Stay Alive
In Dune: Awakening, water is paramount. You don’t have to monitor hunger, but hydration is essential. Your first survival lesson: limit sun exposure; once your meter fills up, you’ll feel fatigued, leading to faster dehydration.
If you find yourself low on water, your immediate task is to locate plants and drink their dew—albeit temporarily. Setting up a base is your next objective, where you can produce larger quantities of water.
After crafting a Blood Extractor and acquiring Blood Sacks, you can collect blood from defeated foes, purifying it back at your base for safe hydration. This process may seem bizarre, but it’s a core part of survival.
For efficient resource management, invest in Cisterns to store more water. Additionally, equip yourself with Literjons (canteens) for travel. Another critical tool to prioritize is the Dew Reaper, which significantly boosts your water collection from plants.
Leveling Up and Early Progression
Progressing in Dune: Awakening hinges on leveling up and acquiring new skills. Exploring various locations and completing quests grant valuable experience points (XP). Each level-up rewards you with skill points to enhance your abilities.
Exploration boosts your XP and may uncover resource-rich areas. Don’t stick strictly to the main paths—discovering new locations is beneficial.
Engaging in combat and resource collection also feeds into your leveling progress. If you’re with friends, consider situating your base near active zones, allowing for collaborative leveling during battles.
Stay alert for special events, like enemy ships dropping at night, which often yield extra loot and XP.
Building Your First Base (And What Not to Do)
Creating your first base is thrilling, but essential tips can save you time and resources.
Keep It Simple at First: Your initial base is transitory—don’t invest heavily in it. Provide the essentials: storage, crafting stations, and a Blood Purifier for water. Reserve elaborate designs for when you have a permanent location.
As you transition, remember to dismantle vital components and loot storage. You can use the Solido Replicator to copy treasured setups for future use.
Watch Your Power: If your base malfunctions, check the generator and ensure you’re not exceeding its power limit. Adding more machines may require additional generators or turning off unneeded devices.
Choose a Smart Location: Avoid building in exposed sand. Opt for locations shielded by rocks or near resource hot spots for ease of access. If you’re into PvP, consider building near active conflict areas, but new players may enjoy the safety of quieter regions.
After establishing your base, mark it as your respawn point for effortless quick returns should you perish.
Vehicles in Dune: Awakening: How to Get and Protect Your Sandbike
Once you get settled, aim to build your first Sandbike. Following early quests naturally guide you to this task. Always carry three essentials: a Fuel Cell, Repair Wire, and a Vehicle Backup Tool. The last tool enables safe pickup and storage of your bike, offering peace of mind against theft or environmental hazards.
Park your bike inside your base, or utilize the backup tool when not in use. Be cautious—sandstorms can wreak havoc on uncovered vehicles. If you gather frequently, you can unload materials from your bike into your base storage without hassle.
PvP and How to Handle Sandworms
Dune: Awakening beautifully merges PvE and PvP elements, keeping players on their toes. If you aim for battles, station your base near frequented conflict zones, but safeguard your valuables!
When encountering sandworms, should one pursue you on your bike, the best course of action is to jump off; worms often redirect to the bike instead. However, stick close to rocky outcrops for cover.
As you delve deeper into the game, keep an eye out for unique Schematics and Permits. These can help you craft rare items; remember—most are single-use, necessitating more discoveries to replenish your stock.
In conclusion, our ultimate guide to getting started in Dune: Awakening strives to ease your entry into the game. Though initially daunting, with the right starting class, a straightforward base, and strategic survival tactics, you’ll find yourself ahead of the curve.
For more guides, news, and tier lists, check out our dedicated Dune: Awakening hub.
