When you start playing the world of Dune Awakening, you quickly learn that survival is the most important skill. The desert is full of dangers like thirst, enemies, and tough environments. One of the first things you should focus on is managing your water and health. For example, crafting a litter John, a due ripper, and a medium blood pack as soon as possible will help you meet your survival needs. The due ripper is very useful because it lets you collect a lot of water from plants, especially at night, which is the safest and best time to do it. You will also need a way to store the water you collect, and that is where the litter John comes in handy. You can buy the Hajra MK1 version early from the merchant at the Griffin Outpost, and it holds almost a full hydration bar’s worth of water.
Medium blood packs are also very helpful because each one can hold as much as three small packs, saving you space. You can drink directly from the blood pack if you really need to hydrate quickly, but be careful because every sip will reduce your health by 10% temporarily. This means you should avoid using it before big fights or boss battles. Instead, it’s better to purify the blood at your base to get pure water back. Speaking of staying hydrated, getting a still suit as soon as possible is a big advantage. The still suit gives you a second hydration bar that slowly fills over time, so you can use it to stay out exploring longer without worrying too much about your water supply.
Water is one of the most important resources in the game because many advanced materials require large amounts of it. You can collect water from night plants, testing stations, and enemies. It’s smart to build some purifiers at your base early so they can work in the background while you explore. This way, you always have water ready for crafting or drinking. Testing stations are especially useful because they have lots of water and loot, so visiting them often helps keep you prepared. When you gather extra water, you can store it in extra litter John for later use.
Building Your Defenses and Improving Tools
In addition to managing water, protecting yourself from enemies is very important. One of the best ways to do this early on is to craft and equip a horseman shield as soon as you can. This shield gives you a big boost to your defense, especially against fast-moving enemy attacks like projectiles. However, it has some weaknesses. Slow blades and slow ammo like drill shots can get through it easily. Poison attacks are also great because they bypass the shield completely. Knowing how to use your shield well can help you survive tough fights, especially against enemies with big guns.
Another way to improve your efficiency is by unlocking the planettologist skill line quickly. You can do this by talking to Derek Skinara near the Imperial testing station. To unlock it, you need to find special station records in a secret room inside testing station number two. This skill line helps you get more materials when mining with your Catarray tool, which is very useful for collecting resources faster.
Mining efficiency is important because it affects how much you get from each resource. Sometimes, even with the same tool, you might get different amounts depending on its efficiency level for that material. For example, mining granite with good efficiency gives you much more than mining iron ore with poor efficiency. To get better results, upgrade your tools whenever you can, aiming for MK2 or MK3 versions or unique tools you find during your adventures.
| Resource | Mining Efficiency | Yield Amount | Notes |
| Granite | Good | 65 | Higher yield because efficiency is good |
| Iron Ore | Poor | 37 | Lower yield due to poor efficiency |
Crafting unique items in the game requires emperor permits, which work like special schematics. Each permit can only be used once. After you craft the item, the permit is consumed along with the materials. You can find more permits by farming containers in testing stations, shipwrecks, and enemy outposts. These containers reset every 45 in-game minutes so you can farm them repeatedly. Another option is to buy Dune: Awakening items and permits from other players or trade posts, which can save you time and resources.
Advancing Your Journey and Taking Care of Your Equipment
As you explore and fight, completing contracts is a great way to gain experience points (XP) and sometimes unique items. Some contracts are part of chains that reward you with free, unique gear without needing permits. For example, a payback mission in Vernelius gap gives you a special SMG called Way of the Wanderer without crafting. Completing these contracts can also unlock cosmetic items to customize your character’s look.
Don’t forget to follow the main story missions. They unlock important features like the compactor, which is needed for crafting special materials, and powerful abilities that reduce cooldown times. This means you can use your skills more often, which helps in battles and exploration.
Gear durability is another key factor to manage. All items, including weapons, tools, clothes, and vehicles, wear down and eventually break. When an item breaks, it loses all its benefits. You can improve durability by investing points in perks related to weapon, clothing, and vehicle durability. Repair stations let you fix your gear for less cost than making new items, and recyclers allow you to get back some materials from broken equipment. This way, you don’t waste resources and can keep your gear working longer.
For moving around the desert, the Shigawire claw and Emperor’s Wings are very helpful. They let you climb and glide, which is useful in the many high places you’ll find. You get the claw early at the Griffin Outpost and the wings after defeating a boss in testing station number two, so be sure to grab them early.
Carrying survey probes is also smart. Using the probes helps you reveal parts of the desert map, making it easier to find important locations and plan your next steps. Discovering new map areas also grants XP, helping you level up faster. Make sure you are a high enough level for the probes to work properly.
Vehicles like the sandbike speed up travel across the desert and are a must-have. You can get a free vehicle early, and later craft your own sandbike during story missions. Keep your vehicle safe by storing it inside a tool when you’re not using it to avoid damage from the harsh environment. An interesting trick is that you can jump off your bike from high places without taking fall damage, which helps when exploring cliffs or mountains.
Finally, one of the most important things you need to manage carefully is your in-game currency, called Dune Awakening Solari. This is what you use to buy upgrades, items, and trade with other players. Always keep track of your Solari and spend it wisely. Whether you want to improve your gear or buy Dune: Awakening items, having enough Solari will make your journey smoother and more enjoyable.
By following these tips — managing your water and health carefully, protecting yourself with good gear, upgrading your tools, completing contracts, and wisely handling your resources and currency — you can survive and thrive in the challenging desert world of Dune Awakening.
