“Your Slice Of Arrakis”: Dune Awakening’s New Trailer Finally Shows What Building A Base Looks Like

Funcom just dropped a brand-new trailer for Dune: Awakening, and it focuses on what every survival game needs to get right: base-building. If you’ve ever dreamt of throwing up walls in the middle of a deadly desert infested with skyscraper-sized worms, now’s your chance. The latest gameplay footage doesn’t just tease cosmetic forts—it shows off some pretty damn functional architecture that could keep you alive long enough to worry about spice taxes.

It’s worth stepping back and remembering who’s behind this whole thing. Dune: Awakening is being developed by Funcom, the studio responsible for Conan Exiles—another survival sandbox that blended lore-heavy fantasy with deep base-building and crafting mechanics. If you’ve ever built a decapitation tower in Conan, you know Funcom takes its structure systems seriously.

They’re bringing that same energy to the sands of Arrakis.

“For Your Walls Must Stand Against The Unfathomable Forces Of Arrakis, Your Arrakis”

“For your walls must stand against the unfathomable forces of Arrakis, your Arrakis.”

That’s how the narrator signs off in the trailer, and honestly, it nails the vibe. This isn’t just a build-for-the-sake-of-it system. In Dune: Awakening, your base is your lifeline. Massive sandstorms, blood extraction facilities, shielded garages—it’s more Mad Max by way of sci-fi than Minecraft in the desert.

Structures twist around jagged rocks, line dune crests, and even tunnel into natural formations. They’re not cute or cozy. They’re raw, pragmatic, and built to defy a planet that actively wants to kill you.

Build With Friends, Sell Your Blueprints, Pay Your Taxes

The trailer revealed a blueprint system, which makes building a little less grindy and a lot more collaborative. Once someone sets a blueprint down, other players can pitch in materials to get the base up and running. It’s kind of like Fortnite meets communal architecture—but with a spice-fueled economy.

Better still, you can sell those blueprints. So if you’re more into designing than raiding, you can become Arrakis’ most in-demand desert architect. Build a base, save the design, and start hawking it to the highest bidder. Spice may flow, but your income could be blueprints.

Oh, and did I mention taxes?

“You have to pay tax. Cheers, Emperor.”

Yes, Dune: Awakening forces you to pay the Empire for your land. The bigger your base, the more you owe. It’s hilariously on-brand for the universe—and surprisingly realistic for a sci-fi game.

It's Not Just Cosmetic—Base Identity Is Tied To Your House

Your base reflects your House allegiance—whether you ride for the Atreides or the Harkonnen. That goes beyond banners. It influences architectural style, color schemes, even the design of your vehicles. This also applies to your ornithopters, sandbikes, and their garages, which are actual buildable modules inside your compound.

It’s a neat way to tie faction loyalty into world-building—literally. The Empire may tax you, but you still get to show off your House pride in steel, stone, and spice-powered tech.

Dune’s Cultural Comeback Is Real

Let’s be real: Dune is having a moment. Denis Villeneuve’s Dune: Part Two crushed at the box office this year, finally bringing the scale and philosophical depth of Herbert’s books to mainstream cinema. It was visually stunning, narratively intense, and full of world-building that had people Googling “gom jabbar” in public.

Dune: Awakening rides that wave. And unlike a cheap tie-in, it’s digging into the actual survival horror of life on Arrakis. It doesn’t just borrow spice and sand—it’s fully committed to the lore.

If you remember the old-school David Lynch Dune (the one from 1984, where Sting walks around like he just escaped a Bowie music video), you’ll know this IP has always attracted weird, ambitious creatives. Lynch even directed one of the strangest PlayStation 2 commercials ever, a trippy fever dream with whispered dialogue and spooky suburbia.

So it’s fitting that a Dune survival MMO looks like a Lynchian fever dream turned functional. Weird, intense, and way too real.

The Devs Are Taking Their Time—And That’s A Good Sign

The team at Funcom has already delayed the game to June, stating that player feedback gave them a ton of data to act on. This delay isn’t a red flag—it’s a sign they’re listening. This isn’t a pump-and-dump MMO. They want Dune: Awakening to last.

“With a bit more time to cook, we can act on a lot more of the feedback.”

Polish, iteration, and community input are rare in survival MMOs at this scale. So far, this game looks like it's getting the time and attention it deserves.

Every Major Dune Video Game So Far:

You’re Building Death Forts On A Murder Planet

Between the detailed structure system, faction design, economy mechanics, and lore accuracy, Dune: Awakening might just be the rare MMO that respects your time and your taste. It’s a game where you can:

• Build a sandstorm-proof fortress
• Pay taxes to a galactic empire
• Extract water from enemy blood
• Sell your designs to other players
• Fly an ornithopter back to your faction's garage

That’s not survival. That’s full-on Dune roleplay.

The public beta kicks off May 9. If you’ve ever wanted to carve your own piece of Arrakis out of dust and blood, now’s your chance. Just don’t skimp on the walls. The worms are watching.