Frequently Asked Questions

Since Dune: Awakening was revealed in August 2022, there have been many questions asked by the community. Below is a list of the most commonly asked questions, along with the most up-to-date knowledge gathered from various sources

Development and Release

What is the release date?

The release window is Early 2025 for PC, with consoles (Xbox Series X|S, Playstation 5) later.

Is there a beta and how do I sign up?

Closed Beta tests have been ongoing since December 2023, and have been running a persistent test (servers online 24/7) since mid-2024, under strict NDA. There is a newsletter signup on the Official Website, but to be considered for the closed beta you need to fill out the Closed Beta Player Survey.

What are the system requirements?

Currently, no system requirements have been published yet, as more optimizations are needed before the development team can make an assessment. However, in the unoptimized beta state, some devs have been able to run the game on an Nvidia GeForce 1070Ti on very low settings. For more information see the Game Release page.

Does the game support DLSS?

Yes players have already been able to utilize DLSS, improving their FPS.

Will the game be on cloud gaming platforms? (e.g. nVidia GeForce Now)

No official support for cloud gaming has been published yet. However it has been reported that the game has been opted into the GeForce Now programme (although this is not a guarantee that it will be accepted/integrated) and the SteamDB page indicates that the game has been tagged with Cloud Gaming and GeForce Now support.

Will the game have Cross Platform Play/Progession between PC and Consoles?

Right now the focus is on the PC release before bringing Consoles up to pairity, so right now they cannot confirm crossplay however the devs do want to support it, it's also up to the platforms themselves.

Gameplay

Servers

Will there be private servers?

The server architecture of the game is much more complex than a standard single-server multiplayer game, but Funcom are looking into the possibility of providing private instances of Hagga Basin which players could rent directly from the company, so people can play with their friends.

There are no plans on releasing dedicated server software itself, due to the complexity of hosting and to help reduce the likelihood of cheaters finding exploits in server code

What is the maximum server population?

The architecture of the game means that there are several servers linked together in one persistent world. There are many instances of the "Hagga Basin" map, linked to one shared Deep Desert map and Social Hubs, connected by the Overland map. The maximum server population depends on the map -

• Deep Desert - "Hundreds of Players" between 500 and 900, but consists of 9 servers seamlessly meshed together, each capable of supporting up to 100 players.
• Hagga Basin - at least 40 players per instance, but this is very likely to increase with optimization.

Combat

Will the game feature Directional Melee Combat (DMC)?

No.. This topic was very popular especially in late 2022, and became a meme in the Official Discord Server. For more information, see the Directional Melee Combat (meme) page.

Will the game have shields like the movies?

Yes, the game will feature Holtzman shields. These shield the user from fast moving objects (projectiles, fast melee attacks) but not slow moving ones. For practicality, shields will temporarily break given a large amount of damage, but will regenerate. They require power to function. For more information, see the dedicated Shield page.

PVP

Is PVP forced?

No. PvP is only enabled in certain zones, which the player gets fair warning of when entering. The majority of Hagga Basin is PvE only (with the exception of Shipwrecks as they are subject to the Right of Salvage), and the Deep Desert is mostly PvP.. PvP in the game is designed to be high-risk-high-reward, but it is possible to entirely avoid PvP, although expect the rate of gaining endgame resources to be much slower in comparison to taking the risk.

Will there be Base Raiding?

The game will feature player bases (See: Building), the aim for PvP combat is for players to be steered away from each other's bases and towards battling over resources. However, if a player decides not to keep their shield maintained, they are left vulnerable to the environment and other players depending on where their base is situated.. In addition, some sandstorms in the Deep Desert PVP Zones can temporarily disable base shields for a period of time, making them vulnerable. However this is designed to be limited and not at times when the majority of players in the timezone would be offline

Will there be Full Loot drops?

Generally no. When the player dies, they only drop carried spice, money and a portion of their resources, as well as taking durability damage on equipped items. In PvE zones, they can only loot their own dropped items, but in PvP zones other players can. Additionally, if a player is eaten by a sandworm, they lose everything and respawn naked. For more information, see the Death Mechanics page. However, there is a possibility that guilds may vote in the Landsraad endgame political system to enable The Right of Salvage in the Deep Desert for a week and have players drop all items and gear