A message from the Creative Director on PvE and PVP in Dune Awakening

In a message dated June 23, 2025, Joel Bylos, the Creative Director of Dune: Awakening, addressed community feedback regarding the game's endgame, focusing on the balance between PvE and PvP elements. Here are the key points:

• Commitment to PvE Accessibility: Bylos emphasized that Funcom does not intend to force PvE players into unwanted PvP interactions. The goal is to ensure PvE players can fully engage with endgame content. In response to player concerns about the highly competitive Deep Desert, select areas will soon be designated as "Partial Warfare (PvE)" zones, allowing players to explore and gather high-tier (T6) resources without PvP risks. However, the deepest zones, including major spice fields, shipwrecks, and Landsraad control points, will remain "War of Assassins (PvP)" areas to preserve high-risk, high-reward gameplay.
• Deep Desert Vision: The Deep Desert, a core endgame area that resets weekly, is designed to create a rewarding activity loop with a sense of danger. Funcom envisioned players forming guilds to tackle its challenges collaboratively. While the developers remain committed to this concept, they acknowledged that the current PvP-heavy design has excluded some PvE players, prompting upcoming changes to make the area more inclusive.
• PvP Dynamics: The intended PvP experience in the Deep Desert is not mandatory combat but rather a choice-driven system. Players should be able to retreat with their gathered resources if they avoid mistakes and stay vigilant. PvP encounters are meant to occur when both parties choose to contest specific objectives, like spice blooms or shipwrecks. To address imbalances, such as the dominance of scout ornithopters, Funcom plans to nerf their maneuverability when equipped with rocket pods, increase heat generation from rockets, and boost the speed of non-combat ornithopters. A new T5 infantry rocket launcher will also be added to improve ground-to-vehicle combat dynamics.
• Landsraad System Improvements: The Landsraad, a daily/weekly quest system tied to the politics of the Dune universe, aims to provide engaging activities for both PvE and PvP players. Bylos admitted the current system is simplistic, relying heavily on item hand-ins and crafting. Planned updates include more diverse activities, such as dungeons with bosses dropping endgame loot, specialized contracts, and delivery tasks with non-stockpilable components. The system will also be adjusted to reduce the advantage of stockpiling and better reward solo and small-group players, addressing complaints that it currently favors large guilds.
• Community Response and Developer Intent: The message responds to player feedback from a recent AMA, where concerns about PvP griefing and endgame accessibility were prominent. Funcom acknowledged that the initial vision for the Deep Desert didn’t fully align with player experiences, particularly due to issues like ganking and unbalanced air combat. The upcoming changes aim to make the game more inclusive while maintaining the high-stakes feel of the Deep Desert. Community reactions on platforms like Reddit show cautious optimism, with some players praising the increased PvE options and others worried that reducing PvP intensity might dilute the game’s unique risk-reward dynamic.