Dune: Awakening Update Boosts Endgame Desert Play

Funcom is outpacing our coverage with rapid-fire updates to Dune: Awakening. Just as we reported on the Public Test Client and plans to expand the PvE zone in the Deep Desert, the studio has announced this major change is going live for all players starting today, June 26.

Massive PvE Expansion Goes Live

"The entire southern half of the Deep Desert is now a PvE zone," Funcom revealed in today's patch notes. "Players seeking pure PvE experiences can now explore safely, with Imperial Testing Stations and caves in this area now protected from PvP encounters."

"We're committed to refining this balance based on community feedback," the developers affirmed.

This update directly addresses player concerns raised during a recent AMA about improving PvP in the Deep Desert. Previous frustrations stemmed from endgame toxicity, even after fixes to prevent Ornithopter griefing.

"Our vision ensures PvE players can fully experience endgame content," explained creative director Joel Bylos. "We're not forcing PvP on anyone, but we still believe in preserving the Deep Desert's danger - where strategic guild cooperation becomes vital for survival and rewards."

Important notes: Control Points and Shipwrecks remain PvP-enabled across the entire map, creating localized combat zones within PvE areas (similar to Hagga Basin mechanics). Ornithopters receive balancing tweaks - Scout variants lose 20% speed with rocket launchers, Assault versions lose 10%.

The update also introduces new reporting tools for text chat and player interactions via the Inspect menu.

Dune: Awakening Patch 1.1.0.17 Highlights

Deep Desert Changes

The first major rebalancing between PvE and PvP arrives as discussed in the Creative Director's message. Key adjustments include:

• Northern regions feature more dangerous PvP areas with superior rewards (2-6 schematics vs PvE's 1)
• Resource distribution shifts - Plasteel plates now exclusively drop in PvP zones
• Spice field quantities adjusted (medium fields reduced, small fields increased)
• Titanium and Stravidium spawn rates reworked to favor northern PvP regions
• Imperial Testing Stations now appear in both zone types with weekly rotation

Vehicle Updates

• New speed penalties for rocket-equipped Ornithopters
• Mid-air dismounts now drop vehicles vertically to prevent losses
• Temporary workaround for quicksand interaction issues

Quality-of-Life Improvements

• Removed Sietch visitation restrictions - players can now claim land anywhere
• Enhanced game stability and NVIDIA driver support
• New player reporting system implemented

Notable Fixes

• Resolved infinite loading screens during network issues
• Fixed client crashes when traveling between servers
• Addressed melee combat obstruction by corpses
• Corrected UI issues and localization problems
• Emotes now persist through skill tree respecs

Since its impressive June 10 launch, Dune: Awakening has achieved remarkable success, peaking at 189,333 concurrent players and surpassing 1 million total players - making it Funcom's fastest-selling title to date. Our team awarded it a strong 8/10 in review.

New players should explore our class breakdown, walkthrough guides, and resource location tips covering iron, steel, aluminum, and Trainers to master survival on Arrakis.