You may recall Funcom's recent AMA where they promised Dune: Awakening players they were "already developing solutions" to improve PvP in the Deep Desert – an area some players called "toxic" due to griefing issues, even after removing the ability to crush others with Ornithopters.
In a frank community letter, creative director Joel Bylos stated "we want PvE-focused players to experience endgame content without mandatory PvP interactions," emphasizing that "forcing PvE players into unwanted PvP conflicts contradicts our design philosophy."
"We remain committed to the Deep Desert's core vision – a weekly-resetting zone offering high-risk, high-reward gameplay. The area was designed to create tension, requiring vigilance as you navigate the most hazardous region on Dune's deadly planet. We envisioned players forming alliances to survive these harsh conditions."
Bylos acknowledged the zone's hyper-competitive nature was pushing PvE players into unwanted conflicts. As a solution, "specific sectors" of the Deep Desert will now be marked as "Partial Warfare (PvE)" zones where players can harvest rare materials safely. However, the richest spice fields, derelict ships, and Landsraad control points will maintain their "War of Assassins (PvP)" status as high-value danger zones.
Remarkably, just 48 hours after this announcement, Funcom began testing substantial gameplay overhauls.
These changes coincide with the launch of the Public Test Client, where players can experiment with new features while understanding they may encounter bugs. To improve endgame accessibility, the PvE-safe zone near the Shield Wall has been expanded to include sectors A through D, plus half of E within the Deep Desert.
This represents a dramatic shift from the current configuration where only sector A was PvE-safe – effectively converting half the Deep Desert from PvP to PvE territory.
As PC Gamer noted, such radical changes aren't guaranteed for the live version – the test server exists specifically for experimentation – but it demonstrates Funcom's commitment to reshaping the endgame experience.
Dune: Awakening has achieved remarkable success since launch, maintaining a 'Very Positive' Steam rating. Within hours of its June 10 release, Funcom's survival MMO attracted over 142,000 concurrent players on Steam, recently peaking at 189,333 simultaneous players. The game has already surpassed 1 million total players, becoming Funcom's fastest-selling title.
We awarded Dune: Awakening an 8/10 in our review, praising it as: "An outstanding survival MMO that beautifully captures Frank Herbert's universe, for better and occasionally worse. The progression from parched scavenger to Arrakis power-player delivers consistent satisfaction, with worldbuilding that delights franchise fans. Though combat falters at times and endgame content needs refinement, the experience shines overall."
For newcomers, we recommend exploring the available character classes and consulting our story walkthrough. Our resource guides detail where to find iron, steel, and aluminum, while our Trainers locations guide offers vital survival strategies for Arrakis.
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