Dune: Awakening developer Funcom has released the latest update for the new large-scale survival game, which adds the changes that creative director Joel Bylos recently announced, including changes to ornithopters, the removal of restrictions for visiting sietches, and most significantly, making areas of the Deep Desert PvE zones, to help improve the endgame experience for solo players and those who don't want to engage in the intense PvP gameplay the Deep Desert has become known for.
The entire southern half of the Deep Desert map is now a PvE zone, allowing players who don't want to engage in PvP to harvest and look for high-value resources without having to venture further into the Deep Desert.
That said, there is a greater density of high-value resources if you do venture further north into the Deep Desert and PvP areas. The high risk of engaging in PvP will always grant the highest reward for those willing to take on the risk.
Plasteel plates, for example, can still only be found in PvP zones. The number of active medium spice fields has also been reduced from 8 to 6, while the number of active small spice fields has increased from 20 to 22, and the largest spice fields will still only be found in the north of the Deep Desert.
The Titanium and Stravidium spawn rate has also been reduced in PvE zones, which means that the only way to find large quantities of either will once again be to travel to the PvP regions of the Deep Desert. The respawn time of Titanium and Stravidium has also been increased from 30 to 45 minutes.
Regarding vehicles, the major changes are for the Scout Ornithopters, which now have their speed and maneuverability decreased, should you decide to equip yours with rocket launchers. It's a 20% speed decrease for Scout Ornithopters and a 10% decrease for Assault Ornithopters.
The last few notable aspects of this patch are the restrictions on visiting other sietches being lifted, with any player now able to go to any sietch in their world and claim land wherever they want, and a slew of bug fixes and stability improvements. Beyond that, the last notable aspect of this patch is what it lacks - the changes to the Landsraad that Bylos mentioned in his previous statement.
All of these changes to Dune: Awakening have been met with a mixed reception from players. Some, notably those who have been engaging with PvP, think Funcom already had the right balance. Others, namely those who don't want to engage in PvP, think these changes are for the better. Either way, Funcom has been clear that the team will continue to adapt and balance the game per player feedback. It'll be interesting to see how it evolves over the course of the year, especially when Funcom reveals the first major content drop in a few months time.
About the author: David has been writing about videogames, technology, and culture since 2020, with a focus on reporting daily news across multiple publications, including GameDaily.Biz, GameSkinny, and PlayStation Universe before joining Wccftech in 2025. David started contributing as Canada/US reporter for Wccftech's gaming section in 2025. Besides being up-to-date on the industry's movements, he loves interviewing developers, reviewing games, and writing intricate essays about the symbolism and layered meanings to be found in rich narratives as he's done for publications like GamesIndustry.Biz, LostInCult, and others. Outside of games he loves movies, music, theatre, his hometown, and his family, though not necessarily in that order.
Follow Wccftech on Google to get more of our news coverage in your feeds.
