Survival MMO Dune: Awakening wants to 'pull people away from competing and fighting over bases' and have them battle over spice instead

GamesMMODune AwakeningSurvival MMO Dune: Awakening wants to ‘pull people away from competing and fighting over bases’ and have them battle over spice insteadWhen you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.Here’s how it works.

When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.Here’s how it works.

(Image credit: Funcom)

Sci-fi character from Dune

Earlier this month we learned a bit more about survival MMO Dune: Awakening’s base-building system—namely, that to claim a piece of Arrakis for yourself, you have to pay the emperor for it. Yep, even 20,000 years in the future on an alien planet,you’ve still gotta pay taxes.

Those resources will most often be spice (also called melange), the drug that’s the most precious resource in the entire galaxy. “Spice blows” will occur as world events in Dune: Awakening, visible to players around the map as a huge geyser of spice erupts from the sand like a volcano. During the race to harvest these spice blows, or while trying to transport their haul, is where Funcom would like players to battle, rather than raiding each other’s home bases.

“We think PvP works best when people are vying over resources, or trying to return resources to base, and fighting over something that’s not as personal as your base,” said Scott Junior, executive producer of Dune: Awakening. “So, that’s what we’re trying to do here.”

We don’t want to attract the people that want to kick over your sandcastle.Scott Junior, executive producer

We don’t want to attract the people that want to kick over your sandcastle.

Which isn’t to say bases can’t ever be invaded. “There is a way to do it,” Junior said. Players use a device called a sub-fief console to claim land and establish their base, and that console has a shield. “If you generate the shield, then players can’t interact with you,” said Junior. “Like Joel said, we don’t want to attract the people that want to kick over your sandcastle.”

If your shield depletes or you turn it off, your base will be vulnerable, not just to other players but to damage from events like sandstorms. And as you advance through the game and move deeper into the world, you may reach a point where you want to participate in base raids against other players.

The biggest gaming news, reviews and hardware deals

“In the starting map, base raids will be pretty much non-existent,” Junior said. “However in the later stages, which are more of a PvP type thing, there will be scenarios where something like that can happen. However, the player basically has to opt into it in order for that to happen.”

More about mmoOld meets new as classic MMO players worship a famous Vtuber via gifts of bones so she can max out the Prayer skillWoW’s finally upgrading its dreaded swirlies so players can actually tell where it’s safe to standLatestThermaltake’s new 2000 W PSU is too powerful to be sold in the USA and comes with four PCIe 5.0 GPU power connectorsSee more latest►

More about mmo

Old meets new as classic MMO players worship a famous Vtuber via gifts of bones so she can max out the Prayer skillWoW’s finally upgrading its dreaded swirlies so players can actually tell where it’s safe to stand

A party of runescape adventurers

Old meets new as classic MMO players worship a famous Vtuber via gifts of bones so she can max out the Prayer skill

World of Warcraft

WoW’s finally upgrading its dreaded swirlies so players can actually tell where it’s safe to stand

LatestThermaltake’s new 2000 W PSU is too powerful to be sold in the USA and comes with four PCIe 5.0 GPU power connectorsSee more latest►

Latest

Thermaltake’s new 2000 W PSU is too powerful to be sold in the USA and comes with four PCIe 5.0 GPU power connectors

Two Thermaltake PSUs on show at CES 2025, one very large and the other very small.

Thermaltake’s new 2000 W PSU is too powerful to be sold in the USA and comes with four PCIe 5.0 GPU power connectors

See more latest►

Most PopularDeus Ex: Mankind Divided writer didn’t like the ending either: ‘Nothing is resolved’It seems like Square’s finally consistently taking the PC ports of Final Fantasy seriouslyLike a Dragon: Pirate Yakuza in Hawaii looks more like a zany RGG take on Black Flag than I dared hopeThe most important tool in Remedy’s new co-op FPS is the shower: ‘Saving water is essential’If you missed it over the holidays, this noir Half-Life 2 mod turns you into a hardboiled detective in Prohibition-era ChicagoPath of Exile 2 players are calling foul on Elon Musk’s high-level hardcore character after he streams his struggles with core game mechanicsAlan Emrich, the game designer and writer who coined the term ‘4X,’ has diedTrack down a missing person in this ‘Geoguessr-inspired detective game’ set on an alien planetOld meets new as classic MMO players worship a famous Vtuber via gifts of bones so she can max out the Prayer skillHyper Light Breaker will cost $30 and for a limited time come with a free copy of DrifterFallout season 2 filming delayed due to massive LA fires

Most Popular

Deus Ex: Mankind Divided writer didn’t like the ending either: ‘Nothing is resolved’

It seems like Square’s finally consistently taking the PC ports of Final Fantasy seriously

Like a Dragon: Pirate Yakuza in Hawaii looks more like a zany RGG take on Black Flag than I dared hope

The most important tool in Remedy’s new co-op FPS is the shower: ‘Saving water is essential’

If you missed it over the holidays, this noir Half-Life 2 mod turns you into a hardboiled detective in Prohibition-era Chicago

Path of Exile 2 players are calling foul on Elon Musk’s high-level hardcore character after he streams his struggles with core game mechanics

Alan Emrich, the game designer and writer who coined the term ‘4X,’ has died

Track down a missing person in this ‘Geoguessr-inspired detective game’ set on an alien planet

Old meets new as classic MMO players worship a famous Vtuber via gifts of bones so she can max out the Prayer skill

Hyper Light Breaker will cost $30 and for a limited time come with a free copy of Drifter

Fallout season 2 filming delayed due to massive LA fires

HARDWARE BUYING GUIDESLATEST GAME REVIEWS1Best Steam Deck accessories in Australia for 2025: Our favorite docks, powerbanks and gamepads2Best graphics card for laptops: the mobile GPUs I’d want in my next gaming laptop3Best mini PCs in 2025: The compact computers I love the most4Best 14-inch gaming laptop: The top compact gaming laptops I’ve held in these hands5Best Mini-ITX motherboards in 2025: My pick from all the mini mobo marvels I’ve tested1Thank Goodness You’re Here! review: An anarchic treasure trove of jokes and skits2Shiren the Wanderer: The Mystery Dungeon of Serpentcoil Island review—like juggling chainsaws on horseback3WD Black SN850X 8 TB NVMe SSD review4Ikea Utespelare desk review5Asus ROG Harpe Ace Mini wireless mouse review

HARDWARE BUYING GUIDESLATEST GAME REVIEWS

1Best Steam Deck accessories in Australia for 2025: Our favorite docks, powerbanks and gamepads

A bunch of the best Steam Deck accessories on a blue background.

1Best Steam Deck accessories in Australia for 2025: Our favorite docks, powerbanks and gamepads

Best Steam Deck accessories in Australia for 2025: Our favorite docks, powerbanks and gamepads

2Best graphics card for laptops: the mobile GPUs I’d want in my next gaming laptop

Best graphics card for laptops: the mobile GPUs I’d want in my next gaming laptop

3Best mini PCs in 2025: The compact computers I love the most

Best mini PCs in 2025: The compact computers I love the most

4Best 14-inch gaming laptop: The top compact gaming laptops I’ve held in these hands

Best 14-inch gaming laptop: The top compact gaming laptops I’ve held in these hands

5Best Mini-ITX motherboards in 2025: My pick from all the mini mobo marvels I’ve tested

Best Mini-ITX motherboards in 2025: My pick from all the mini mobo marvels I’ve tested

1Thank Goodness You’re Here! review: An anarchic treasure trove of jokes and skits

Thank Goodness You’re Here review

1Thank Goodness You’re Here! review: An anarchic treasure trove of jokes and skits

Thank Goodness You’re Here! review: An anarchic treasure trove of jokes and skits

2Shiren the Wanderer: The Mystery Dungeon of Serpentcoil Island review—like juggling chainsaws on horseback

Shiren the Wanderer: The Mystery Dungeon of Serpentcoil Island review—like juggling chainsaws on horseback

3WD Black SN850X 8 TB NVMe SSD review

WD Black SN850X 8 TB NVMe SSD review

4Ikea Utespelare desk review

Ikea Utespelare desk review

5Asus ROG Harpe Ace Mini wireless mouse review

Asus ROG Harpe Ace Mini wireless mouse review

The biggest gaming news, reviews and hardware deals#

The biggest gaming news, reviews and hardware deals