With the recent release window announcement for Dune: Awakening set for early 2025, Funcom has shed more light on core aspects of the game, including fighting mechanics, resource harvesting, and base building in the desolate world.

You begin your journey in the Dune saga as a prisoner who crash-lands in the desert of Arrakis. Your character’s skills and abilities will depend on the archetype you pick at the start of the game. Whether you become a warrior, Mentat or take on another role, your choice will shape how you navigate and survive the harshness of the most dangerous planet in the universe.

You will be able to play as lone survivor or join one of the fighting factions, Atreides or Harkonnen. Joining a faction unlocks special items and building sets unique to that faction. If you prefer to stay neutral, you can still obtain faction gear by trading with allied players. You’re free to switch sides, but keep in mind that betraying your former allies may provoke their wrath and cause trouble.

To avoid sunstroke and survive extreme heat on Arrakis, the best strategy is to travel at night and stay in the shadows during the day. As you explore the planet, you’ll face trials based on the rituals of the Fremen, the indigenous people of Arrakis. Completing these trials will unlock recipes for crafting advanced gear, such as a steel suit that protects you against the sun and preserves water, as well as a portable steel tent for shelter.

Suspensor belts and Shiga wire are tools that will give you speed and agility when you explore Arrakis. Suspensor belts allow you to fly freely through the air when you upgrade them to the highest level. You can use Shiga wire as a grappling tool to pull yourself quickly. Combine them wisely and you can navigate through the massive world at double your usual speed.

Funcom has introduced dynamic combat mechanics, letting you quickly switch tactics depending on the situation during a fight. You can rapidly engage in a close melee attack by pulling yourself with Shiga wire towards an enemy, and then grapple back to range attacks when you need to retreat. Speed and agility will dominate fights in the Dune: Awakening.

The two most valuable resources you can harvest in the desert are flower sand and spice, both hidden beneath the sands. Changes in the desert environment will reveal flower sand spots, whereas spice is brought to the surface by sandworm blows. Flower sand is crucial for crafting various items, while spice not only affects your character’s abilities but also serves as a key trade commodity. You can use scanners and drones to discover flower sand and spice areas, and tools like static compactors and sandcrawlers to gather them.

Making noise in the open desert whether by walking, gathering resources, driving vehicles can attract sandworms, enormous and extremely dangerous creatures. They move through the sand and emerge suddenly to attack, leaving you with little chance of survival. Sandworms are a constant threat in the desert, so you’ll need a strategy to avoid or escape them.

The game offers multiple building sets for your base. You start with basic options, but as you advance, you can upgrade your structures to more advanced levels, adding better features and visual style. By joining factions like Atreides or Harkonnen, you’ll unlock exclusive building sets that let you personalize your base with designs and styles specific to those factions.

Dune: Awakening is shaping up to be one of the most exciting survival games of 2025, and hopefully we’ll get to playtest the game in the next months.