Dune Awakening was lauded for its survivalist take on Frank Herbert's sci-fi epic when it was released last year, but there's one element of Funcom's sci-fi adventure that's proved consistently controversial, and that's its MMO-adjacent elements. Players seemingly love constructing bases and braving the many dangers lurking in Arrakis' deserts, but are less keen on sharing that experience with other players, especially when the game becomes more competitive in its PvP focussed Deep Desert.
Now though, in a move that would please Harkonnens galaxy-wide, Funcom has made it so you can keep Arrakis all to yourself. Dune Awakening's long-sought after single-player mode has arrived. Update 1.5 introduces a tweaked version of Awakening suitable for solo play, while also adjusting Arrakis in a bunch of other ways to make it generally more accessible and less punishing.
Funcom has changed several core mechanics to make solo mode work, chiefly retooling multiplayer-reliant systems so they can work independently. The player-driven market known as the Exchange now functions as a sci-fi supermarket offering a wide-array of items for players to pick up as they please. Meanwhile, its Landsraad political system simulates rival guilds automatically, ensuring it "progresses even without player participation". Finally, while not player-driven, Coriolis storms have been softened so that players can maintain progress in the Deep Desert, though Function cautions that these storms remain "very dangerous."
Perhaps the most interesting addition, though, is difficulty settings. Awakening now features three difficulty presets for both single-player and self-hosted servers, alongside a fourth, customisable difficulty mode that lets players tweak parameters like sandstorms, security zones, item durability, base decay and even XP multipliers.
Alongside adding solo play to Awakening, Funcom has also made its multiplayer less confrontational. Multiplayer can now be played wholly PvE. The Deep Desert's PvP is no longer mandatory, while the starting area of Hagga Basin is now exclusively PvE (although you can make it a "full PvP zone" if you run your own server).
This friendlier approach isn't limited to player interactions either. The game itself has been made less punishing in a variety of ways. Bases can be reconstructed wholesale thanks to a new snapshot system that acts as a blueprint for your entire base. Destroyed vehicles can be recovered for up to 30 days after being lost. Base upkeep taxation has been removed entirely, and the durability penalty upon death has been lowered from 5% to 2%.
Funcom summarises the changes with the line "You don't have to lose things anymore," which, while I understand the sentiment, is a little strange given that Arrakis is supposed to be brutally harsh by its very nature. But Dune Awakening is far from the only game currently trending away from friction. Bungie is adding a permanent PvE mode to Marathon, after its uncompromising extraction shooter failed to maintain a large audience. Even in the realm of single-player, The Blood of Dawnwalker's developer has said it may not include a time-limit system in the sequel (which the studio is already working on) after it proved the most controversial element of the otherwise lauded RPG.
I don't know whether this trend toward smoother, more siloed gaming experiences is a positive one, but given the 2010s were dominated by fiercely challenging soulslikes and hyper-competitive battle-royale games, it is interesting. In any case, If the addition of single-player has ignited your interest in Dune Awakening, Funcom's sci-fi survival sim is half-price until October 1.
