If you can believe it, players have been exploring the sands of Arrakis for more than one year now in Dune: Awakening! The game has received plenty of content over the last year and has shown no sign of slowing down, with even more big updates on the way. But before those arrive, we're here to celebrate its anniversary with 10 of the most memorable moments that players experience on Arrakis.

Celebrating the First Anniversary of Dune: Awakening - Top 10 Most Memorable Moments on Arrakis

Every great adventure has a beginning, and your first steps onto Arrakis are certainly memorable. When you first walk into that oppressive sun, you might at first feel blinded. Arrakis immediately makes it clear that it doesn't care whether you live or die, with plenty of things lying in wait to kill you. Welcome to Dune: Awakening! You're not a legend yet. You're not a powerful noble or legendary warrior. You're simply another survivor trying to endure one of the most hostile environments in the galaxy, and it's on a planet you might know well from the films and books.

Constructing Your First Base

At first, survival feels impossible. Water is scarce, resources are limited, and every expedition into the desert feels risky. Then comes your very first base. A nice way to make your mark in the nearly infinite sands of Arrakis. You won't have the prettiest place around at the beginning, but it's better than dying in the desert heat. And it's all yours! With time, your base will continue to evolve, and the memories of playing and returning here will build up as well. While you'll eventually surpass it, there's no place like your first home.

Your First Sandworm Encounter

Everyone knows the sandworms are out there. You've heard the stories. You've seen the warnings. You know that moving across open sand can attract the monsters. But they're even bigger than you think. Maybe you notice a distant rumble. Maybe the sand begins to shift beneath your feet. Then suddenly, the biggest worm you've ever seen is already on top of you. You can try to dodge it or outrun it, but we wouldn't be surprised if most players' first experience ended the same way: inside a worm's belly, losing hours of progress and resources. The sandworms are the great equalizer of Dune: Awakening - with no ability to fight them back, they spell ruin for players, no matter their gear levels. But while they're a thorn in every spice farmer's side, the first time you get got certainly sticks with you.

Your First Big Spice Run

On Arrakis, spice is everything. You'll need it if you want to become more than a stranded, little survivor. The first time you manage to score a heap of spice makes you feel like you're on your way to ruling Arrakis. Of course, the thing about spice is that you can never have enough. The excitement isn't just about gathering a valuable resource. It's about knowing everyone else wants it too. Each time you head out for spice, you wonder if you should gather more or make it out alive while you can. However, you already know what you need to do: get more spice. With your spice, you can power your base. Take it to a market and trade for valuable gear. Use it to pay your way through relationships with the game's factions. Or, once you're reaching the endgame, start crafting some of the most powerful gear in the game. If you're truly desperate in combat, you can even consume your spice to buff yourself with increased damage, reduced cooldowns, and more. Of course, you can get hooked on the stuff. But, if you do, you can always fix your addiction by doing what all Dune: Awakening players need to do: get more spice.

Experiencing the Cone of Silence

This one might be especially special for fans who loved Dune long before jumping into Dune: Awakening. There's just something special about a unique piece of lore coming to life in your own experience. It's an easter egg that you can experience when playing the game's campaign. When you speak with Elara Tuek at Harko Village, you'll notice she seems to be sitting under some form of spotlight. However, it's a cone of silence, and the sound around you is immediately muffled. It doesn't serve a purpose for gameplay. It's simply here as an extra touch for the fans, and it's a strong indication that Dune: Awakening has been made with loving detail.

Mastering Your Playstyle and Build

Early on, you might have a hard time figuring things out. You experiment with weapons, abilities, gear, and strategies while trying to discover what works best. Maybe you're constantly changing your loadout, or maybe it just feels hard to play. Eventually, something will click. Your abilities begin to complement each other, and combat encounters become smoother. Once you figure out which style of combat makes the most sense to you, you'll be slicing or blasting your foes apart in no time. Whether you've embraced stealth, ranged combat, swordplay, political influence, or a unique combination of skills, mastering your preferred playstyle is when you finally feel dangerous.

Flying an Ornithopter

Arguably, the one thing that feels just as iconic as a giant sandworm is the huge burst of freedom when you climb into an ornithopter. For hours, you've crossed dunes on foot, carefully planning routes and avoiding threats. Now you're gracefully soaring and darting above everything. You can take in the endless horizons of the desert from above, and maybe do a few tricks if you'd like. Of course, this is also a great way to reach zones you couldn't before. The northern reaches of the world, for example, are only accessible via an ornithopter. Getting your own personalized flying machine is a huge sign that you're finally moving up in the world of Dune: Awakening. Not only are you ready for tougher challenges, but you'll have access to even more tools. Whether you're using the Scout or Assault variant, you can kit your ornithopter with extra storage, weapons, and performance improvements. A few splashes of your personal color choices can help you stand out from the crowd, too.

Heading Into the Vermillius Gap

Here's a terrifying moment for any Dune: Awakening player: the first time you head toward the Vermillius Gap. There are few spots on Arrakis that make you feel as much anticipation and caution as this enormous slab of sand. The journey itself feels significant. You know you're entering a region filled with opportunity, danger, and hostility. Resources become more valuable, and mistakes become more costly. While you've been getting better at the game, the planet and the zones you are starting to explore have only become more deadly. While it's not an endgame level challenge, the Vermillius Gap is a big skill check as you progress through Dune: Awakening. This stretch of Arrakis is covered in quicksand, pockets of radiation, and sandworm-attracting drum sand. If you can avoid the natural dangers, you're still in trouble. There are plenty of wreckages and outposts here that can house rare loot caches. That's good news, but you're likely not the only player out hunting for them. Good luck! You'll need it.

Wielding the Power of the Bene Gesserit

The Dune universe is filled with iconic factions, but the Bene Gesserit are one of the most mysterious. Unlocking and utilizing their abilities creates one of the most memorable power fantasies in the game. The ability Compel, for example, can have you command targets to walk directly toward you. Reaching into someone's mind and bending them to your will is creepy, powerful, and pretty cool. While you can always unlock new abilities with multiple factions, it's the Bene Gesserit that teaches you that power is more than spice and guns. In fact, while plenty of the Bene Gesserit powers are a boon in combat, they also enable you to become even harder for Arrakis to kill. The Prana-Bindu training offered by the sisters essentially hacks into your character's nervous system. With it, you can gain increased poison resistance. Passive buffs can also increase the rate at which you heal, boost your agility, and more. Of course, as fans of Dune's story will love to know, the more quests you complete for the sisterhood, the more lore you'll unlock about their secretive order.

Reaching the Political Endgame

Surviving the hostile desert of Arrakis is only the beginning. As players progress, the struggle for water, resources, and equipment evolves into a fight for control. You'll form alliances with some factions, and fight bitterly with others. The political endgame transforms Arrakis into a series of mind games. Sure, you'll still head out and do some fighting, but now you've got long-term goals to meet. Victories are no longer measured solely by what you've built or gathered, but by the influence you manage to build with the right people. It's all about warfare, now. It's the culmination of everything that came before. Continue to survive, explore, and dominate in combat, but do so with the goal of generating enough power to bend Arrakis to your will. You'll compete against players across the entire server in your struggle for control. Weekly challenges that give your faction server-wide perks, taking on unique bosses, and grinding high-level dungeons for some of the most powerful gear in the game are only the tip of the iceberg. Especially with news that Dune: Awakening will continue to receive more content and updates. There's plenty of endgame challenges on the horizon for even the most dedicated explorers of Arrakis.