Summary
Dune: Awakeningis one of the most anticipated survival games of the year, and despite somechanges in messaging over the past few monthsand arecent delay of the game until June(we can now at least say we’re going to play Dune in June), you will finally be able to explore Arrakis in the upcoming public beta for Dune Awakening on May 9.
This weekend beta fiesta will cover the first 20 hours of the story and most of the first act of the game, as you set out on foot in the scorching desert on the hunt for water.
Arrakis Is Open For Business On May 9
Get Your Stillsuit Ready
The beta will include the starting Hagga Basin area, where you can build your first base, set up your blood processing station, and eventually build a sandbike to traverse the dunes.Watch out for the sandworms.
That being said, the test won’t not include any of the major endgame activities, like the Deep Desert PvP zone or the Landsraad Council, where the two powerful houses - the Harkonenns and the Atreides - vie for power with the help of thousands of players. The first 20 hours or so of Dune: Awakening focus primarily on learning how to survive in Arrakis, crafting a stillsuit and harvesting water from plants to survive.
This is the first time players will be able to explore Dune: Awakening for themselves. Access to the beta isn’t guaranteed,but you can wishlist the game on Steam and then request access to the playtest. Some codes will also be available via the Global Dune: Awakening LAN Broadcast on May 10, streamed on Twitch via London and PAX East.
Dune: Awakening isn’t directly linked to either Frank Herbert’s original novels or the more recent Denis Villeneuve films, although Paul Atreides' stillsuit is available as additional pre-launch DLC. Yes, that’s right, you’re able to climb right into Timothee Chalamet’s slimy piss-suit. Yep. Lovely.
Instead, Dune: Awakening reimagines the conflict on Arrakis, placing you in the shoes of a ragged survivor on a hostile planet. You have one simple instruction: “Find the Fremen, Wake the Sleeper.” Side with either the house of Atredies or the house of Harkonnen to wage war over the precious Spice, which you’ll now be able to get a first taste of in less than a month.
