Funcom has announced major changes to the development of Dune: Awakening, which will arrive in the near future. The key update is a shift in priorities, with the game now primarily focused on PvE experiences. According to the studio, more than 80% of players barely engaged with PvP, prompting a redesign that turns PvP into an optional feature rather than the core gameplay pillar.
With the release of patch 1.3.20.0, players can expect several updates. PvP activities in the Hagga Basin region will be completely disabled across all official servers. The Deep Desert will be split into separate instances, including a PvE mode focused on survival and exploration without player combat, even in shipwreck zones, and a PvP mode with open combat in sectors B I. To balance risk and reward, resource and spice yields in PvP areas will be significantly increased by about 2.5 times.
In addition, the long requested feature of private servers is finally coming to the game. The first version will be available for testing soon, although it will initially include a limited set of customization options. Available settings will cover resource gathering speed, building restrictions, equipment durability, and base destruction mechanics.
Detailed setup instructions will be released alongside the patch. Developers note that the process will be more complex than in most other games. It will require a PC running Microsoft Windows Pro with Hyper-V support, as the server operates through a Linux virtual machine.
The studio also confirmed that console versions are still planned, but will take longer to arrive. While the release was initially expected this summer, the console launch of Dune: Awakening has now been postponed to late 2026.
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