In Dune: Awakening viele players returned over the weekend or visited Arrakis for the first time. One thing has particularly satisfied them.
Why are more people playing Dune: Awakening again? As with most games, Dune: Awakening gradually lost more and more players after its release. Now the developers have released the major update “Chapter 2” and simultaneously launched a free weekend, allowing all players to try out Dune: Awakening.
On SteamDB, the effects of this can be seen. More than 44,000 players played the survival MMO during peak times. That’s almost twice as many as the weekend before with 24,000 players. While the new players had to first learn what Dune: Awakening is, the returnees used the time for the new update and are now drawing their conclusions.
Here you can see the trailer:
Story update convinces the returnees
What did the returnees like? The story update of Dune: Awakening pleased the returnees. On Reddit players praise the free main story update and especially highlight the storytelling and immersion that the developers have created with their narrative.
In contrast, many criticize the mission design. Often players are sent from A to B, and a character does this almost constantly. The technical side of the game is also criticized by players on Reddit, too many faulty missions, including missing text, cloud the immersion.
While the scope of the update disappointed long-term players of the MMO and even led to insults directed at the chief, the returnees probably had fewer problems with it. These issues hardly find mention in the article about the story.
What are the players saying? The players of Dune: Awakening draw a positive conclusion on the story expansion. They write on Reddit, what they like:
- carbsrbest: “The DLC was a lot of fun! I wish we could have used the Treadwheel in some way.”
- Davidhalljr15: “I liked the story, but the constant back and forth bothered me, much of it could have been done over the radio. I liked how the story was continued and how it delved deeper into the lore. I definitely want to see more of that.”
- danSnow7: “I liked the part of the story with the test stations. Most of the sand people story was obviously cut or redesigned. I thought there would be a story around the bearer who also transported the harvester, after all, both were shot down, right? The Treadwheel was not integrated into the story at all, it was just added as a reward. And then the DLC just ends with a note that thanks, which seemed strangely disconnected.”
While the returnees were able to experience the new story for free, some probably faced a complete restart. The base they once built is probably long gone: Dune: Awakening lures players back with a new update, but they now wonder: Where is my base?
