The latest beta for Dune: Awakening gave players a first real taste of life on Arrakis in the form of a survival MMO. Funcom’s adaptation of the iconic sci-fi universe isn’t shy about throwing sand, spice, and death into the mix. But beneath the dust storms and desert combat, the game still struggles to capture the deeper spirit of Dune — especially without letting you fully become the Fremen.
Surviving Arrakis feels atmospheric, but often repetitive
One of the most interesting elements in the beta was how the game tied survival mechanics to the harsh environment of Dune. Avoiding heatstroke by sticking to shadows, constantly managing your hydration, and fearing the ever-present sandworms turned the desert into a living threat. These moments, like hiding from the sun instead of just fighting enemies, add a layer of immersion that’s easy to underestimate.
However, for every creative touch, there’s a grindy echo from countless other survival games. Collecting resources to build bases, upgrading power generators, and repeating mining sequences quickly wears thin. The fancy sand-themed setting can’t fully mask how often you’re just punching the same survival loop without meaningful variation.
The game teases Dune’s mythology but doesn’t fully embrace it
Dune: Awakening lets you choose origins — from Atreides-trained warriors to Bene Gesserit acolytes — each with unique abilities. It’s a cool way to mix player choice with lore, giving you grappling hooks, melee skills, or even mind control. Still, these faction powers feel a bit out of place when the core gameplay is about crafting and surviving. It’s as if the story elements and the survival mechanics are running parallel but not quite intersecting.
More importantly, the Fremen — the heart of Dune’s cultural and ecological narrative — aren’t playable at the start. Instead, you play as an outsider searching for them, mirroring Paul Atreides’ original journey. The game includes dream-vision sequences with Fremen teachings, hinting at a future where you might gain their skills. But for now, it feels like a missed opportunity to let players live the experience of being a desert warrior, not just discover it.
Sandworms, blood-water, and the potential for player stories
The sandworms are every bit as thrilling as you’d hope. Their presence turns open desert exploration into a tense gamble. The idea that you could eventually lure a worm onto your enemies or even ride one sounds like the kind of emergent gameplay that could make this world shine. Funcom hasn’t confirmed worm-riding at launch, but the community is already dreaming about what Arrakis PvP could become if that feature lands.
Extracting water from blood — one of Dune’s most intimate and grim survival rituals — is in the game. But for now, it’s just another resource loop with no social or narrative context. There’s real potential here for player-driven ceremonies or alliances based on this mechanic, but it’s not there yet. When it is, it could add a meaningful layer to how players interact in this world.
Current PvP exploits undermine immersion, but devs are listening
The recent beta weekend was marred by a “knife meta” stunlock exploit that had players watching vain attempts to channel Paul Atreides’ slow blade technique into spammed knife flurries. Even with Holtzmann shields supposed to block fast attacks, players found ways to corner opponents into helpless stabbings. It doesn’t fit the lore, and it doesn’t make for fun combat.
Thankfully, Funcom’s devs have acknowledged the issue and say it’s already fixed in internal builds. Seeing them respond quickly to player feedback — and even address the exploits during live streams — is a positive sign. It shows they’re paying attention, even if the beta exposed some rough edges in the combat system.
Why Dune: Awakening feels like a world waiting to be unlocked
Dune: Awakening isn’t quite the transformative Dune experience fans might have hoped for, but it isn’t failing to inspire either. It’s a survival game wearing a Dune skin at the moment, but with moments of genuine thematic resonance. The heat, the sand, the worms — they all speak to something primal in the Dune mythos.
What’s missing is the cultural depth. The Fremen, with their blood oaths, sandwalking, and symbiotic relationship with the desert, are the missing link. Funcom seems to be building towards that, but for now, players are left exploring Arrakis as outsiders, crafting boxes on a beautiful but brutal planet.
If the developers unlock the full Fremen experience — and give players a reason to live in harmony with the sand instead of just fighting in it — Dune: Awakening could move from being a routine survival game to something that truly stands in the dunes of its source material.