Dune: Awakening – Endgame PvP Changes Tested

Following player complaints about toxic PvP in the Deep Desert, Funcom is testing significant changes to Dune: Awakening’s endgame zone. The developer previously acknowledged griefing issues—including a patched-out exploit that let players crush others with Ornithopters—and promised a plan to address them in an AMA. Now, the studio is acting on that promise by expanding PvE-friendly territory in the Public Test Client (PTC).

Endgame PvP Changes on the Horizon

Creative director Joel Bylos explained in a letter that Funcom wants PvE players to access endgame content without being forced into unwanted PvP interactions. The Deep Desert is designed as an endlessly renewing weekly-reset zone meant to create tension, encourage guild cooperation, and offer high-risk, high-reward loops. However, Bylos admitted the zone’s competitive nature pushed players into engagements they might avoid. To address this, Funcom will flag “some areas” as “Partial Warfare (PvE),” where players can gather rare resources safely. The largest spice fields, shipwrecks, and Landsraad control points will remain “War of Assassins (PvP)” as high-risk, high-reward areas.

Public Test Client Shows Shift

Funcom has already implemented changes on the PTC, expanding the PvE zone near the shield wall from just row A to cover rows A through D and half of row E. This effectively switches roughly half of the Deep Desert from PvP to PvE in the test build. PC Gamer notes that test server adjustments may not reflect the final live game, but the move indicates Funcom is serious about revising the endgame experience.

A Successful but Flawed Launch

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