The endgame of Dune: Awakening is currently causing discussions within the community. Especially PvE fans feel disadvantaged, while the controversial Landsraad system is also under criticism. Now the developers are speaking up with concrete plans.
What is being criticized?
- A large part of the endgame in Dune: Awakening takes place in the Deep Desert. There, players collect the Spice, the most important resource in the world, which is necessary for various things.
- The current PvP focus is strongly on aerial combat in this area. Solo players have a hard time here, as those traveling alone often have little chance against organized groups or large guilds.
- The Landsraad system, one of the few endgame features without PvP, is also causing frustration. Guilds can complete the emerging tasks easily, while solo players often get left behind.
In a message on the website for Dune: Awakening, Creative Director Joel Bylos is addressing the community now and reporting on the plans for PvE and PvP content. The goal is for PvE players to also experience the endgame and have access to the content.
The Deep Desert will get PvE zones
According to Bylos, they still firmly believe in the vision of the Deep Desert as the centerpiece of the endgame: a location that resets weekly, full of rewards, risks, and variety. It should always be worthwhile to enter “the most dangerous part of the most dangerous planet in the universe.”
What do the developers have planned for PvE fans? PvE players will essentially get their own areas in the Deep Desert where they can farm resources. Bylos specifically writes:
In the near future, some areas of the Deep Desert will be marked as “partial war zones (PvE)” where players can explore testing stations and harvest T6 resources without being exposed to the danger of unwanted conflict. It is important to emphasize that the top gameplay levels are balanced for guilds and groups – so those playing solo will still find it grindy.
Bylos emphasizes that important hotspots, such as Landsraad control points, shipwrecks, and the largest spice fields within this area of the Deep Desert will remain marked as “Assassins’ War (PvP)” and thus as areas with high risk but also with high rewards.
Furthermore, the Creative Director explains that PvP is only supposed to happen if all parties want to fight over the location. Players should always be able to retreat with their collected loot. “Those who are smart and vigilant do not have to fight if they do not want to. Those who flee must interrupt their current task, but it should always be a decision,” he writes.
Additionally, Funcom plans to regularly add endgame content and PvE content. This will be done through free updates and in the form of DLCs and expansions, Bylos writes.
Ornithopters should not dominate battles
Here’s how PvP is being adjusted: Funcom plans to make PvP battles more balanced and is making adjustments accordingly in Dune: Awakening. Ornithopters will always be important for traveling in the desert, but they should not be the dominant force in combat.
Adjustments include:
- The speed and agility of scout ornithopters with missile launchers will be reduced
- Missiles from scout ornithopters will generate more heat
- Boosters will now provide a maximum speed bonus regardless of wings, ensuring that ornithopters with boosters are the fastest vehicles in the game
- A new T5 infantry rocket weapon will be introduced to improve the dynamics between vehicles and ground troops
- Ornithopters will always be important for traveling in the desert, but they should not be the dominant force in combat
- Additionally, there will be changes to mechanics such as respawn times, vehicle storage, hand scanners, and other mechanics that are currently being abused in the Deep Desert
A mechanic that griefers currently exploit is stealing ornithopters from other players when they enter the Deep Desert with them (via Reddit).
Landsraad system as a framework for endgame activities
What is being changed in the Landsraad system? The Landsraad feature is currently the only endgame content that goes beyond pure grinding and does not rely on PvP. You complete weekly tasks to help your house gain supremacy. However, guilds have a massive advantage here and can complete tasks almost directly.
Here’s what Funcom is planning now:
- The activities should become more diverse with the expansion of the game world
- There should be more dungeons with bosses dropping endgame loot
- There should be more quests with specific requirements and more delivery missions with non-stackable components
- If there will be raids, there should also be tasks linked to the Landsraad
- Essentially, the Landsraad system should serve as a structural framework for all endgame activities
The Landsraad itself consists of 25 houses, whose representatives you encounter in the game world. By completing tasks for them, you can bring houses to the side of the Atreides or Harkonnen. More about the system can be found here: Dune: Awakening Landsraad, factions, and guilds – what you need to know about Atreides versus Harkonnen
