Welcome to our Beginners Survival guide for Dune: Awakening. In this guide, we’ll go over all the basic requirements to ensure your survival on Arrakis. In this dangerous desert planet, you’ll be dealing with the elements, hostile people – not to mention the giant worm! As a result, you’ll need to be fully prepared to deal with several aspects of the world.
How to Survive in Dune: Awakening
There is a few things to watch out for, especially early on as these survival mechanics come in pretty quickly. Below, we’ll discuss each key mechanic to deal with and how to deal with them.
Water and Hydration
Hydration, both a key aspect of surviving in real life and other survival games, once again plays a key role in Dune: Awakening too.
Your hydration is measured by the vertical blue bar on the left of your UI. This meter continues to deplete over time, with some other elements of the planet causing it to deplete faster.
There is a few key ways to gain hydration and find water sources – eventually creating reservoirs and filtration systems too!
Dew
Dew is the easiest and earliest access you’ll have to a hydration source. Simply walk up to the plants and hold interact to begin drinking up some dew. It is important to note, however, that dew can only get your hydration level to 1/3.
Once you have access to a Dew Reaper, you’ll be able to use it to harvest dew from plants and put them into containers in your inventory (such as a Literjon).
Blood
Blood is the lifeforce of every living being. In Arrakis, this is no different. As a result, crafting tools such as a Blood Extractor comes in handy to take blood from fallen enemies.
In Dune: Awakening, this extracted blood (you’ll need a Blood Sack to contain the blood in your inventory) can be drank raw to keep yourself alive (although it comes with side effects). Alternatively, you can take the blood to your base, and purify it in a Blood Purifier station.
Water Cisterns provide an addition way to store water, whether it’s from blood or harvested with a Reaper.
Heat
Being a desert planet, Arrakis comes full force with the heat of the sun baring down on it. A meter appears on your screen should you be directly exposed to sunlight.
If the meter fully fills, you’ll be inflicted with Sunstroke. Sunstroke de-buffs you and rapidly drains your hydration meter. As a result, make sure to find occasional shade or at the very least, equip yourself with armor that has cooling.
Sandworm (Shai-Hulud)
Lurking beneath the expansive sands of Arrakis is a terrifying threat. A threat that you’re in-fact better off avoiding at all costs. This is the Sandworm (also known as Shai-Hulud). Sandworms travel and move frequently between the massively open spaces of sand. As a result, try to minimize your amount of time spent on the open sand and stick to more solid ground.
A meter will appear on your screen, indicating the presence of Shai-Hulud. The intensity of the waves on the meter shows how close-by Shai-Hulud is – and if entirely red – they have revealed themselves.
Utilities
Utilities are a small but important part of staying alive in Dune: Awakening. Most craft-able tools can help you in some way when you’re in a pinch. For example, even a Cutter (gathering tool) can help you quickly bring in some materials to create a make-shift base when a Sandstorm is coming.
It is important that you travel around and consider bringing the following:
- Cutter
- Blood Sack
- Literjon
- Power Pack
- Healkits
Each of the above can help you in some way. Blood Sacks and Literjon keeps you hydrated on your adventures (or stores water and blood to take home). Power Packs play a key role in keeping your other electrical tools useable which is a must. Finally, healkits work the same way bandages do in most games – a quick way to keep your health topped up!
Sandstorms
Periodically, an extreme weather warning is pinged to your communications system. It is a heads up that a massive Sandstorm is coming to your sector. As a result, it is important to know what to do when this message is received.
The Sandstorm itself and the direction it is coming from can be seen quite clearly if you’re out in the open. The most important thing to do when you see this, is to simply find shelter immediately. Above your hydration bar, you’ll receive an indicator telling you whether or not you’re “unsheltered” or “sheltered”. Hiding inside a cave, or getting back into your own base is enough to keep you safe.
If you’re caught out in a Sandstorm, you’ll repeatedly take damage until you die. Be careful out there!
Patrol Ships
At various points (especially during the night) – you’ll see low-hovering spaceships patrolling the area with spotlights. These ships are on the hunt for people such as yourself, if you’re caught by the spotlight, you’ll get stuck in a tractor beam. Shortly after, armed personnel descend from the ship to kill you.
As a result, steering clear from these ships is a high priority while you’re out and about in your journeys.
For more information, similar to our beginners Survival guide for Dune: Awakening, check out our full Dune: Awakening section.
