Dune: Awakening's beta testers are struggling in the deadly environment of the desert on Arrakis.
Dune: Awakening has entered beta testing, and we get a first glimpse of the deadly traps awaiting players. Testers report being killed more than once due to the constant threats of dehydration and giant sandworms, which we Earthlings only know from a place called Australia.
Fans of the books probably won't be that surprised: sandworms and thirst are problems easily anticipated.
What began as a small core group of testers has grown steadily over time, but these two threats remain the most significant obstacles for the growing player base. A blog post published at the end of 2024 by Funcom provides more insights into the still ongoing beta.
Welcome to Arrakis
The desert planet Arrakis in Dune: Awakening not only contains the precious spice, but also giant, deadly sandworms and a scorching heat. Since water is a rare resource on a desert planet, one cannot afford to waste a single drop of this precious liquid. To survive, players wear special suits that collect and recycle every bodily fluid you can think of, even though you'd rather not.
The blog post published the most common causes of death in the game, revealing that NPCs account for 58% of player deaths. They are followed by sandworms at 27%, with dehydration closely behind in third place at 22%.
What happens on Arrakis stays on Arrakis
Even in the distant future where Dune takes place, the survival of the fittest is still very much a reality. Players must get creative to avoid shortening their experience through the gruesome death of dehydration. The game lets you extract blood from dead bodies by inserting a needle into the corpse. The blood is then sucked out, filling up a carry-on bag. You can either drink the blood immediately or bring it back to your base, where a craftable machine will transform the collected blood into drinkable water – highly recommended doing it that way.
According to the blog post, animals can be drained for their blood as well. Yes, even the cute and harmless muad’dibs, the tiny desert mice, can be killed for a few precious drops. Around 100 players have already done the unthinkable, using the blood stored in the little creatures' large ears to survive. But hey, you're not yourself when you're thirsty, right?
So, are you excited for Dune: Awakening? Drop your thoughts in the comments!