In recent years, the Dune universe has been enjoying a true gaming renaissance. After the sharp strategy gameplay of Dune: Spice Wars and nostalgic memories of the legendary Dune II from the ’90s, Funcom is now pushing into new territory. With Dune Awakening, the Norwegian studio best known for Conan Exiles — is taking a massive gamble: transforming Frank Herbert’s dense and brutal world into an open-world survival MMO.
With multiplayer games still massively popular, Funcom hopes to set a new benchmark by blending exploration, survival, and political intrigue on the desert world of Arrakis. After spending several hours in its unforgiving sands, here’s what we think of this ambitious title.
🌵 A Harsh Start on Arrakis
Forget about being a messiah. In Dune Awakening, you start as an ordinary, desperate adventurer — no grand destiny, no noble title. You play a fully customizable outsider, dropped into Arrakis by a mysterious faction to investigate the disappearance of the Fremen and awaken the sleeper.
Character creation is impressive, offering a deep editor that goes even further than Conan Exiles. From a weathered survivor to a charismatic desert lord, you can create whatever look fits your vision. It’s an immersive first step even before setting foot on the sand.
Naturally, your adventure kicks off with a good old fashioned ship crash (survival game tradition, right?). You wake up in the Hagga Basin, a harsh, half-forgotten region where you learn the basics. But there are no cozy forests or berry bushes here. Just heat, thirst, and the looming threat of death.
đź’§ Surviving the Desert
Unlike many survival games that juggle hunger, fatigue, and body temperature, Dune Awakening simplifies it: water is your only vital need. Finding it? That’s the real challenge. Early on, you’ll collect dew from plants, sip through your suit, or even convert the blood of your enemies into drinkable water (yes, seriously). Later, moisture traps inspired by Fremen tech help you survive longer, but water always remains precious.
This desperate need for hydration makes every expedition tense and meaningful. It’s a refreshing change from typical survival loops.
🏜️ Explore a Shifting World
Funcom emphasizes exploration over base micromanagement. As you roam the sands, you’ll scavenge old eco-stations, shipwrecks, and outposts. The world itself changes over time, storms reshape landscapes, opening up new areas and sealing off others. It adds a dynamic feel that keeps exploration exciting, even after hours of play.
Movement upgrades like sand bikes and ornithopters eventually let you glide or race across the shifting dunes — a dream come true for Dune fans.
🔨 Building for Survival
While base-building isn’t the core of Dune Awakening, it’s still an important survival pillar. You’ll start by cobbling together a rough shelter but soon move on to constructing machinery like water extractors, ore purifiers, and crafting workshops.
Inspired by Conan Exiles, construction here feels modular and free, allowing players to build everything from hidden caves to imposing Harkonnen-style fortresses. Bases also serve a strategic purpose: crafting rare items, storing resources, and acting as your stronghold against rival players.
In PvP zones, however, your base can be attacked, so defense is just as crucial as style.
⚔️ Combat: Smart and Brutal
Combat in Dune Awakening cleverly incorporates iconic elements from the Dune universe. Quick attacks are blocked by energy shields, forcing you to alternate between fast weapons and slower, shield-piercing blades. Some enemies even demand specialized disruptor weapons to bring down.
It’s a thoughtful system that makes fights challenging and strategic, not just button-mashing affairs.
Native threats also loom large. Sandworms, while impossible to fight head-on, make entire areas dangerous with their mere presence. Visual and sound cues warn of their approach, but you’d better move fast unless you want to lose everything.
🌟 Spice: Power With a Price
No Dune game would be complete without the Spice, and here it’s not just a resource, it’s a risk. Consuming Spice-infused foods or liquors grants prescient abilities, helping you react faster in battle or predict movements. But addiction soon follows, bringing hallucinations, withdrawal symptoms, and a blurred line between reality and illusion.
In areas heavily affected by Spice storms or Coriolis events, the effects become overwhelming, distorting visuals, summoning phantom enemies, and turning the game into a surreal, nerve-wracking experience. It’s a bold design choice that genuinely sets Dune Awakening apart from other survival MMOs.
🎯 Final Thoughts: We’re All In
After our first hands-on experience, one thing is clear: Dune Awakening isn’t just another survival game. It’s an ambitious reimagining of Frank Herbert’s universe, offering deep survival mechanics, a rich political landscape, and a world that feels alive and hostile.
The alternate storyline, focusing on Aristus instead of Paul Atreides, opens up fresh narrative possibilities and makes every player’s journey feel truly personal.
Of course, the big question is whether Funcom can maintain this ambition over time, but if the early experience is any indication, Dune Awakening could be one of the most exciting MMO survival games on the horizon.
We’ve tasted the spice. And now, we’re hooked.
