Classes in Dune: Awakening play a pivotal role in how your character is played, the abilities you possess and the path you’ll take mechanically. Dune uses a fluid system for classes, eventually allowing you to dip into every class Skill Tree – forming your own unique set-up. However, you’ll have to select one starting class heading into the game. While we have our own idea of the BEST starting class in Dune: Awakening, below is an overview of all Classes in Dune: Awakening – providing you a compact look at each class.
Classes in Dune: Awakening
Trooper
The Trooper class is your bread and butter combat archetype. Armed with powerful explosives, mobility and lethality-focused Skill Trees, the Trooper will never let a combat-focused player down. The Trooper Tree is broken down into 3 categories. Gunnery, Suspensor Training and Tactical Tech.
Trooper Overview
- Class Focus: Offensive and Explosive Skills
- Earliest Trainer: Ghavouri (Griffin’s Tradepost)
- Strong Early Skills: Shigawire Claw and Explosive Grenade
- Main benefit of Trooper: The ability to utilize mobility and heavy damage from the opening moments of the game – even without ammunition for your weapon(s). A great choice for PVP too.
Mentat
Mentat specializes and thrives off of reconnaissance, strategy and cunning. Able to utilize decoys, turrets, and poison capsules, Mentat has it all when it comes to strategic warfare and assassination in PVE and PVP. The Mentat Skill Tree is broken down into 3 categories. Mental Calculus, Assassination, Tactician.
Mentat Overview
- Class Focus: Strategic and Utility-based Skills
- Earliest Trainer: Samin Moro (Hagga Basin)
- Strong Early Skills: Shield Wall and Poison Capsule
- Main benefit of Mentat: Mentat provides great utility to a party or even in Solo play. For example, Shield Wall can easily get yourself and other teammates out of a pinch – providing instant cover. It also slows approaching enemies. As a Mentat, you can zone off areas through the use of The Sentinel turret, Crowd Control enemies through various Skills – even generate decoys to throw enemies off!
Planetologist
Planetologist is a non-combat class, with a focus on exploration and science. As a result, the Planetologist is well-equipped with traversal Skill such as the Suspensor Pad, and other techniques that boost your gathering, equipped technology and vehicle efficiency. The Planetologist Skill Tree is broken down into 3 categories. Scientist, Explorer and Mechanic.
Planetologist Overview
- Class Focus: Exploration and Science (gathering, vehicle improvements, equipment improvements)
- Earliest Trainer: Derek Chinara (Above Imperial Testing Station No.2)
- Useful Early Traits: Suspensor Pad and Cutteray Mining (for resource yield gain)
- Main benefit of Planetologist: As a non-combat class, Planetologist will often be a section you’ll likely touch on as you progress. However, you can massively benefit early-game from having access to the Suspensor Pad and the Cutteray Mining node on the Skill Tree. You’ll be able to move around the map easily and gather much faster.
Bene Gesserit
The Bene Gesserit class brings the power of mind manipulation and peak physical form to the forefront. With this class, you’re able to control the Voice, confusing and baiting enemies in whichever way you prefer, be able to deal with any issues caused to your body – and even boost your own bodies functions in the process. Bene Gesserit class users can strike at their opponents nerve endings, force-eject poison from their own bodies and even tap into super-speed. This class is truly about the body, and the mind.
Bene Gesserit Overview
- Class Focus: Mental and Physical prowess
- Earliest Trainer: Sister Mesa (North Hagga Basin)
- Strong Early Skills: Compel (a mental taunt) and Bindu Spirit (super speed)
- Main benefit of Bene Gesserit: As a user of mental warfare and physical boosts, the Bene Gesserit can afford to play a bit more in the backline in a team or from a distance solo. Once “registering” an enemy, the Bene Gesserit can Compel targets towards them, making them easy prey. Despite playing a more passive position, you can also rely on many physical boons – which when combined with a class such as Swordmaster, can be deadly up close.
Swordmaster
The Swordmaster is the true melee class of Dune: Awakening. Utilizing sword, knives, and gap-closing options, you’ll look no further if melee combat is your vibe. Bringing deflection capabilities, knee charges, high damage spins, you’re a true terror to face in close-quarters combat.
Swordmaster Overview
- Class Focus: Melee Combat
- Earliest Trainer: Arno (North Hagga Basin)
- Strong Early Skills: Knee Charge and Deflection
- Main benefit of Swordmaster: Being the King (or Queen) of melee combat comes at a cost usually – range can counter you. However, in some cases in Dune: Awakening – this is not the case. Through the use of Deflection, you’ll be able to actively swat away Darts while closing the gap on your enemies. Knee Charge is a great way to instant enter melee range and start off with some initial damage. The main benefit of being a Swordmaster leans into the ability to cause immediate panic to any non-melee player once you’re on a target, you’ll often allow freedom to move for your own friends too as you’ll be the focus in the room. Finally, pairing Swordmaster with Trooper allows for a hybrid destructive force from even the earliest points of the game.
Ultimately, every class serves its purpose, and you’re not restricted to a single class – go nuts with your own unique ideas and conquer Arrakis! See our main page for more Dune: awakening content.
