Developer Update – April 2026
Dune: Awakening shifts to a PvE-first focus by splitting the Deep Desert into separate PvE and PvP instances and disabling PvP in Hagga Basin.
Key Changes
- 1Deep Desert split into dedicated PvE and PvP instances
- 2All PvP zones in Hagga Basin to be disabled on official Worlds
- 3Resource and spice yields increased by 2.5x in PvP areas
- 4Experimental self-hosted server support with customizable rules
- 5Character transfers enabled from official to self-hosted servers
- 6New Specializations and reworked Landsraad Missions added to Chapter 3
- 7Scalable Testing Stations introduced for PvE progression
All Changes
🎮Gameplay(4)
- newSpecializations: Introduced new Specializations as part of Chapter 3 repeatable gameplay loops.
- changeLandsraad Missions: Reworked Landsraad Missions to improve repeatable gameplay variety.
- changeFaction Rank: Updated Faction Rank progression systems.
- newTesting Stations: Added new scalable Testing Stations for PvE progression.
📅Coming Soon(11)
- removeHagga Basin: All PvP zones in Hagga Basin will be disabled across all official Worlds in Patch 1.3.20.0.
- newDeep Desert: Deep Desert will be split into separate PvE and PvP instances.
- newDeep Desert: New PvE Deep Desert instance will feature zero player combat, including in Shipwreck zones.
- changeDeep Desert: PvP Deep Desert instances will maintain classic conflict across rows B through I.
- buffDeep Desert: Mining and spice harvesting yields will be multiplied by 2.5 in PvP areas to incentivize risk.
- newSelf-hosted Servers: Experimental self-hosted server support is being introduced for private communities.
- newSelf-hosted Servers: Self-hosted servers will allow customization of resource harvesting rates.
- newSelf-hosted Servers: Adjustable limits for base building pieces will be available for self-hosted servers.
- newSelf-hosted Servers: Item durability and base decay options will be customizable on private and self-hosted servers.
- newCharacter Transfer: Character transfers will be enabled from Official/Private servers to self-hosted servers.
- newSelf-hosted Servers: PvP rules will be fully customizable in the first iteration of self-hosted servers.
Summary
PvE-First Philosophy
Following player feedback showing that over 80% of the population engages exclusively with PvE, the developers are restructuring Arrakis to make PvP optional. The core of this change involves a complete separation of the Deep Desert into two distinct instance types, allowing players to choose their level of risk.
Self-Hosted Servers
In a major technical update, self-hosting is coming to the game. This experimental feature will allow players to run their own servers with customizable rules for harvesting, building, and survival mechanics. While the initial setup is technical (requiring Windows Pro and Hyper-V), it grants players full control over their Arrakis experience, including the ability to transfer characters from official servers to private ones.