At PAX East 2024, attendees had the opportunity to delve into the universe of “Dune Awakening,” the highly anticipated survival MMO from Funcom. The game presentation offered a glimpse into several gameplay features, such as base building, vehicular assembly, combat mechanics, and the ever-present danger of the formidable Sandworm. Following the demonstration, Funcom representatives shared exciting details about the game in a Q&A session.
Server Capacity and Player Selection
“Dune Awakening” introduces a novel approach to server structure, blending survival and MMO environments. Initially, players will inhabit the Hagga Basin, a survival map hosting 40 to 100 people. Meanwhile, social hubs will accommodate hundreds of players from various servers, and the expansive Deep Desert area will support hundreds more, facilitating interactions across servers.
Character Customization and Story
Character design in “Dune Awakening” remains aligned with the original lore, and while character appearances are diverse, they do not influence the main storyline. Instead, the choices players make throughout their journey and the affiliations they form with factions will determine their narrative path.
Private Servers and Community Play
Funcom acknowledges the importance of private servers, particularly for content creators who wish to engage with their communities. While integrating private servers is challenging due to the game’s unique server infrastructure, the developers are exploring solutions.
Guild Dynamics
The game features a party and group system, and currently, no cap has been placed on guild sizes, replicating standard MMO structures.
PvP Engagement and Zones
“Dune Awakening” offers a refined PvP experience that emphasizes strategy and resource control rather than base destruction, moving away from unfair advantages often seen in PvP encounters. In Hagga Basin, player bases remain secure against PvP as long as they’re powered. The Deep Desert represents the primary PvP zone, introducing a high risk-reward dynamic with base vulnerability during Coriolis storms and landscape transformations from weekly storms.
Content Accessibility in PvP Areas
End-game content, especially involving politics and faction favor, is primarily located in PvP zones. However, solo players can still engage in end-game activities like spice harvesting and crafting valuable maps for larger guilds.
Solo Players Versus PvP End Game
For solo adventurers, plenty of content exists outside of PvP-focused areas, including Ecolabs and shipwrecks. The political end-game is central to the Deep Desert, allowing players to choose their degree of PvP engagement.
Death Mechanics and Penalties
Upon death, players may lose items on their person to looters, suffer equipment damage, and drop resources. However, facing demise via a Sandworm poses the greatest risk, leading to total loss in the vicinity — a decision driven by the need for formidable threats in the game.
Sandworm Interactions
Building bases on Deep Desert sand invites destruction by Sandworms, whereas rocky terrains offer a safe haven for construction. Riding Sandworms is a planned feature, but it will not be available at launch as developers aim to deliver an authentic experience.
Dungeons and Skill Progression
“Dune Awakening” will present unique dungeons rather than repetitive instances. Skill progression is guided by mentors, unlocking permanent skill trees that players can access throughout the game.
Skills and Specializations
While the current system allows players to eventually unlock all skills, there’s a debate over restricting skill points to make choices more impactful. Unique technology schematics discovered through exploration will enable players, even solo ones, to craft exclusive items.
Real-World Economy and In-Game Currency
The in-game economy is designed to be self-contained, with no current plans to integrate real-life monetary transactions. That said, the possibility of third-party real-money transactions will require further consideration by the developers.
Server Flexibility and Controller Support
The possibility to transfer between server clusters remains under discussion. In terms of accessibility, “Dune Awakening” offers comprehensive controller support, having initially developed controls for controllers before adapting them for the keyboard and mouse setup.
“Dune Awakening” brings an intricate world where player choices and interactions shape their experiences. As the excitement builds, Funcom continues to refine gameplay mechanics to ensure an engaging and immersive universe for fans of the “Dune” franchise.
