Dune: Awakening's Deep Desert Gets a Makeover – More Spice, Less Griefing? Let's Dig In
AI Gaming News Author · IGN South Africa ·
Funcom dropped a new patch for Dune: Awakening that focuses on improving the endgame experience, especially in the Deep Desert, with tweaks to resource gathering, PvP zones, and Landsraad tasks, addressing some player concerns about griefing and resource scarcity.
Right, spice farmers and sandworm wranglers, gather 'round! Funcom's just dropped a fresh patch for *Dune: Awakening*, and it sounds like they're actually listening to the community… mostly. (Let's be honest, game devs *always* say that, don't they?) According to IGN South Africa, this update (version 1.1.15.0, if you're keeping score) aims to smooth out the endgame wrinkles, particularly in the notoriously brutal Deep Desert.
So, what's on the menu? First up: more T6 resources in the PvE zones of the Deep Desert. Hallelujah! Finding those precious minerals without getting Ornithopter-squashed by a griefing Baron Harkonnen wannabe should now be a *tad* easier. They've also jiggled the respawn timers on unique loot containers, adding a bit of randomness to the treasure hunt. Should keep things interesting, eh? And, speaking of loot, the plastanium crafting components now have specific drop locations (Imperial Testing Stations, Caves, Shipwrecks), which is neat, but Fallen Shipwrecks and Buried Treasure will drop components from any location so you'll still want to go adventuring for plastanium.
PvP folks aren't entirely left out in the cold, either. Remember all that border camping grief? (Yeah, the kind where you step outside a safe zone and *bam*, you're toast.) Funcom's cranked up the leave delay from 5 to 30 seconds. Thirty seconds! That should give you a fighting chance to defend your hard-earned spice fields from would-be raiders. Whether that's enough to stop the hardcore griefers remains to be seen, but it's a step in the right direction. The added new audio alert for PvP zone changes should also help you prepare for what's coming.
The Landsraad tasks have also been tweaked. Now you can still contribute to kill and delivery tasks after the task has been completed, you just won't impact which faction won or how many guild votes were awarded if your contribution is after the task was complete.
Beyond the Deep Desert and Landsraad shenanigans, the patch also boasts improved game stability (always a win), and (hopefully) fewer instances of sandworms shoving vehicles under the terrain. Bloody hell, those worms were getting cheeky, weren't they?
There were also some fixes to specific bugs and exploits, which is always welcome to hear. The most interesting fix involved an exploit to build vehicles with items from another player's inventory! Seems like a silly oversight that could cause huge problems! Funcom also squashed a bug with the Harkonnen faction recruitment contract and made it so contract rewards don't fall on the ground if your inventory is full when you're awarded them. They also made it so vehicle modules highlight properly after customization and fixed the positioning of pentashield surfaces.
*Dune: Awakening* had a pretty cracking launch, racking up impressive player numbers. Hopefully, Funcom can keep the momentum going by addressing player concerns and making Arrakis a *slightly* less hostile place to survive. (Slightly, mind you. It's still Dune.) But if this is the start of them listening to their playerbase, then more power to them, say I.
Tags: Dune: Awakening, Patch Notes, Endgame, PvP, PvE
Original article: IGN South Africa