Sandworms

Sandworms, also known as Shai-Hulud by the Fremen, are enormous worms, living in the sands of Arrakis. Feeding on sand plankton and only emerging to protect their territory, being guided by the vibrations caused by their future victims.

They can also grow to extreme lengths in the hundreds of meters. Worm's life cycle is vital for the creation of Spice.

Sandworms of the Deep Desert

Biology

Sandworm Scale

Through the Landsraad Mission Sample Recovery, we get an insight into sandworm biology:

• Resonance Organ - An internal sensory organ believed to allow sandworms to detect seismic vibrations across vast distances.
• Neural Filament - A strand of internal tissue believed to relay impulses throughout the body of a sandworm.
• Mouth Ligament - A ligament from the inner maw of a sandworm, believed to be remarkably resistant to heat and pressure.
• Scale - An intact sandworm scale capable of withstanding extreme heat, pressure, and penetration.

Appearance in-game

Sandworms form one of the main environmental hazards of the game, as they are fiercely territorial and are attracted to any vibrations within the areas they patrol.

In Hagga Basin there are around 10 "small" worms - each measuring approximately 377.5m, whereas in the Deep Desert there are up to 50 smaller worms plus several Grandfather worms, consuming all who dare to linger too long on the open sands.

Small worms

The "small" worms have a tri-jaw appearance, reminiscent of older illustrations such as in the original Analog magazine, David Lynch's Dune (1984) and video games from the 1990s - 2000s from Cryo Interactive and Westwood Studios.

Grandfather worms

The larger "Grandfather" worms have the ring-mouth appearance from Denis Villeneuve's recent movies. They only appear in the Deep Desert and have specific conditions that must be met to summon them:

• They can only be summoned within a large crater spice field.
• There must be at least 2-4 players on the spice field
• The spice field has to be at least 1000m from a server border
• At least 1000 Spice Sand must be gathered (via any method)
• There is an approximate 1 to 2 hour cooldown per server

Experimentation has proven these rules to be somewhat fluid, but these are the "base" mechanics to summon Shai-Hulud.

Aggression Mechanics

Worms are aggressive, and drawn to:

• Walking on the open sands
• Driving a ground vehicle e.g. Sandbike or Buggy
• Flying an aerial vehicle e.g. Ornithopter
• Enabling any Holtzman tech, such as any suspensor or shield
• Using any tools such as Cutterays (be careful when scavenging crashing ships!) or Static Compactors
• Combat
• Placing a Thumper

The more vibrations players make, the higher the threat level each player generates. The worms generally target the players with the highest threat. However, worms will investigate and pursue **anyone** who encroaches on their territory. Stopping movement on the sands does not make them "forget" your intrusion.

The worms have an anti-exploit mechanic where, after multiple failed pursuits, they will teleport under the player and eat them instantly.

Note: Worms could be disabled in the future for Singleplayer and self-hosted game modes.

Worm Threat mechanic

Small worms

Small worm breach

A "small" sandworm typically breaches once as a warning near your location, as shown in the screenshot. It then submerges and attacks from beneath the sand.

Breaching pattern

A "Small" sandworm's breaching pattern has three steps:

• Warning Breach: When your vibration or noise level increases from activities such as running, driving vehicles, or using shields, the wormsign meter fills. Once the meter is full, the worm performs an initial breach, surfacing from the sand and roaring near your position.
• Grace Period: After the initial breach, the worm submerges to reposition. This gives you a short window to escape the open sand.
• Fatal Attack: If you remain on the open sand after the worm finishes repositioning, it charges toward your position and kills you. Your player camera also zooms out during the attack.

When you see or hear a breach, move toward rocky ground or use a vehicle to escape. If you are using an aerial vehicle, gain as much altitude as possible, as a sandworm can still attack an ornithopter that remains close to the sand.

It is recommended to wait until the wormsign meter clears before returning to the open sand and resuming spice harvesting.

Vibration meter

The vibration meter is a UI element at the bottom of the screen that indicates how much attention you are drawing from a sandworm.

• White/Yellow (Low threat): You are generating little noise, and the sandworm is not actively pursuing you.
• Orange (Moderate threat): The sandworm is aware of your activity and may begin moving toward you.
• Red (Danger): The sandworm is close and performs an initial warning breach.

Other breach indicators

You can also see a red breach indicator on your compass at the top of the screen. It shows where to watch for sand clouds surrounding the worm's initial breach.

When the overland map is opened, this indicator also appears on the map and helps you identify the worm's breach location.

Grandfather worms

Grandfather worm rising

Breaching pattern

A "Grandfather" sandworm's breaching pattern has two steps:

• Warning Vibration: When your vibration or noise level increases from activities such as running, driving vehicles, or using shields, the wormsign meter fills. Once the meter is full, your player camera begins to shake. The worm starts its fatal breach within the ring-mouth area and produces a short, thunder-like sound.
• Fatal Attack: After this sound, the worm begins to rise and envelop the entire area. This leaves you with limited time to escape the area. You can escape using an ornithopter, have a Carrier Ornithopter pick up your vehicle, or use other means of escape, such as an Advanced Suspensor Belt.

Vibration meter

The vibration meter is a UI element at the bottom of the screen that indicates how much attention you are drawing from the "Grandfather" sandworm.

• White/Yellow (Low threat): You are generating little noise, and the sandworm is not actively pursuing you.
• Orange (Moderate threat): The sandworm is aware of your activity and may begin to breach.
• Red (Danger): The sandworm begins its breaching animation, starting with the short, thunder-like sound.

Note: A "Small" sandworm may breach within a "Grandfather" sandworm's territory. For example, if the "Grandfather" sandworm is undergoing a cooldown, a "Small" sandworm may breach while you are collecting spice within the ring-mouth area.

Being Eaten By a Sandworm

If a player is eaten by a Sandworm, they lose all carried items, including gear and equipment. The only items not lost are the Vehicle Backup Tool and quest items.

Upon dying to a sandworm, you can respawn with a Worm Tooth, which can be crafted into an Unfixed Crysknife.

On a player's first death to the worm, they are sent to a spice limbo realm and greeted by The Guide, where they are given the mercy of being able to respawn with a sandbike (if they have just lost their first to the worm). Second chances are rare on Arrakis - do not take it for granted!

Riding a Sandworm

Sandworm riding is not something that can currently be performed.

This may change in future.

So when we do bring stuff like sandworm riding into the game, it'll feel like an epic moment like in the movies, still respecting how the lore described it and how complicated that is as a thing," Andreas Hayley explains. "You have to be trained in the Fremen ways to be able to even attempt such a thing. And then at the same time, it needs to be an interesting gameplay mechanic, and that's a tricky balance to strike, but I think the team can pull that off.

Gallery

An intact sandworm scale capable of withstanding extreme heat, pressure, and penetration.

Deep Desert Ringmouth

Deep Desert Ringmouth

Deep Desert Ringmouth