Experiencing Death by Sandworm in Dune: Awakening far surpasses the severity of any other demise you could encounter.
A Horror in Dune: Awakening's Desert – The Sandworms
The sandworms prowling the desolate landscapes of Dune: Awakening are a bone-chilling menace. They're colossal, they're agile, and they're summoned whenever you dare to tread upon the sun-scorched gaps between rugged rock formations in the dunes because their sensitive senses detect even the puniest footprints. The sight of the dunes pulsating as they burrow through the sand is nerve-wracking, and the moment they erupt from the sands and roar is downright petrifying.
Sandworms in Dune: Awakening aren't just tyrants of terror; they're also ruthless ground shredders that can obliterate your gaming progress instantaneously. To put it bluntly, they frickin' eat you – and your gear – and there's no taking it back.
Demise by sandworm isn't like succumbing to other perils in Funcom's new survival MMO. Die in PvE combat and you'll drop some loot, but it'll stay where it is, allowing you to return later and collect it. Your weaponry, armor, and equipment remain intact upon respawn. PvP is akin, with opponents capable of looting the remnants you leave behind; however, your gear remains intact, albeit with some damage.
But a sandworm's feast can spell a completely different story. If a sandworm snaps you up, everything you were carrying disappears – forever. It's, well, gone. No inventory-retrieving backpack, no gravestone to pay respects, and nothing in your inventory will make it out alive to feast upon worm-food, including weapons, armor, tools, and resources.
Enduring a vehicular demise is equally disheartening. Should a sandworm devour your vehicle while you're behind the wheel, say goodbye to the wheels and the precious minutes or hours you built it. Just like me during the beta, where I rapidly discovered that sandworms have a thing against bikers and didn't grant me a new one post-digestion.
The predicament escalated when I respawned far from my base across the agonizing expanse of the desert between zones, rendering me stranded without a speeder bike. My briefs were the only thing I clutched onto as I ventured into building a new base in the midst of emptiness – just to construct a new bike and traverse the game's map back to my original abode. The whole debacle was as enjoyable as gnawing off my own toes.
I've heard tales of fellow players finding a slight silver lining in their first sandworm-inflicted bike damage, receiving replacement pieces as reimbursement. However, these lucky breaks didn't extend any further than my dismal fate. The merciless ritual of sandworm consumption repeated itself twice in two separate beta phases, leaving me without a proper steed each time. Either Funcom despises me or the Worm-god, Shai-Hulud, holds a grudge.
The only resource you're left with once swallowed by a sandworm is a worm tooth that you can craft into a knife. But let's be real, who needs another knife? Seems like a brutal prank to me.
Here's my advice: avoid those blasted thrash-beasts at all costs. Save your resources, store backups, and pray to the gaming gods that you never take a bite out of their smug, sandy grins. And if you see me trudging around the desert with nothing but my underpants and unbearable longing, don't be a jerk – lend me a speeder bike, will ya?
Christopher LivingstonI started gaming with the mighty IBM PC in the 1980s and couldn't stop since. I started writing about games in the early 2000s, and in 2014, PC Gamer finally hired me after I pestered them with numerous query emails! I eagerly embrace survival games and simulation titles, often neglecting storylines in favor of crafting my own tales for NPCs. Twitter LinkedIn
References[1] Storeygard, M. (2021, September 13). Dune: Awakening – Certain Sandworm Death Prevents You From Respawning At Your Base. MMORPG. https://www.mmorpg.com/news/certain-sandworm-death-prevents-you-from-respawning-at-your-base-in-dune-awakening-2000124093[2] Livingston, S. (2021, September 20). Dune: Awakening beta autopsy – Hogging worms, mining the meta, and exploring the galaxy. PC Gamer. https://www.pcgamer.com/dune-awakening-beta-autopsy-hogging-worms-mining-the-meta-and-exploring-the-galaxy/[3] Franken, C. (2021, September 20). Dune: Awakening Beta Impressions. IGN. https://www.ign.com/articles/dune-awakening-beta-impressions
- After losing everything to an encounter with the colossal sandworms in Dune: Awakening, I found solace in the entertainment realm, engrossing myself in movies-and-tv shows to distract me from my losses.
- In the sci-fi-and-fantasy series I watched, I found a sense of hope and victory – a stark contrast to the grim reality of the game where I was continually devoured by sandworms.
- Watching the characters in these shows win their games tempered my frustration, making me believe that even in Dune: Awakening, there could be a way to emerge victorious instead of becoming worm-food.
- I started paying more attention to game strategy videos, seeking tactics to outwit the sandworms instead of simply avoiding them, and I couldn't help but feel optimistic – like I was ready to bet on a different outcome for my character in the next season of the game.
