Dune: Awakening Puts Arrakis to the Test with Military Survival Expert John Hudson

Funcom has recruited British military survival expert John Hudson to examine one of the most important questions behind Dune: Awakening: how could a human being realistically survive on Arrakis?

Presented as part of the game’s “Expert Mode” series, the new feature places the desert survival systems of Dune: Awakening under professional scrutiny. Hudson draws on his experience designing and delivering survival training in extreme environments, including deserts, to assess the dangers awaiting anyone forced to cross the unforgiving landscape of Frank Herbert’s universe.

His conclusion is hardly surprising: surviving Arrakis would require far more than carrying a large container of water. Every journey would need to account for exposure, shade, shelter, changing conditions, limited resources and the ability of a group to work together. One bad decision could create a chain of problems with fatal consequences.

The feature also highlights why Arrakis works so well as the setting for a survival game. Hostile soldiers, political factions and rival players may be immediate threats, but the planet itself remains the most consistent enemy.

Arrakis Is More Than a Dramatic Backdrop

Many games use deserts primarily as visual environments. They offer vast horizons, ancient ruins and naturally sparse terrain, but their extreme conditions rarely affect the player beyond reducing visibility or changing the scenery.

Dune: Awakening takes a different approach. Heat, thirst, exposure and sandworms are fundamental parts of the experience, forcing players to evaluate the environment before moving through it. A distant objective cannot simply be approached in a straight line when doing so means spending too long beneath the sun or crossing a large stretch of exposed sand.

Hudson’s assessment reinforces the logic behind that design. Desert survival is based on managing several connected dangers rather than overcoming a single obstacle. Dehydration can impair judgement, poor judgement can lead to navigational mistakes, and those mistakes can leave someone exposed when conditions become worse.

That makes preparation part of the actual journey. Players need to consider how much water they can carry, where they may find shelter and whether they have enough resources to return safely. Reaching a destination is only half of the equation when the trip back remains just as dangerous.

Water Is the Foundation of Every Expedition

Water discipline is naturally one of the central subjects in any discussion about surviving Arrakis. In Dune: Awakening, hydration is a constant concern rather than a background statistic that players can ignore for hours.

The game provides several increasingly sophisticated ways to obtain and conserve water. Early survival involves harvesting dew and making careful use of limited supplies. As players advance, they gain access to equipment such as stillsuits and Blood Purifiers, the latter converting blood collected from defeated enemies into drinkable water.

The technology belongs firmly to the science-fiction setting, but the underlying survival principle remains recognisable: water cannot be treated as an unlimited resource. Every activity has a cost, and longer expeditions demand better preparation.

Hudson’s perspective places additional emphasis on avoiding unnecessary water loss. Carrying more supplies is useful, but preventing excessive exposure is equally important. Travelling without a route, remaining under direct sunlight and performing demanding activities during the hottest periods would rapidly turn a manageable situation into an emergency.

For players, that means the hydration meter represents more than an inconvenience. It creates a practical limit on exploration and determines how aggressively someone can pursue an objective before retreat becomes necessary.

Rock Formations Become Natural Lifelines

Hudson was particularly impressed by the rocky formations created for Dune: Awakening, describing them as “incredibly realistic.” Their surfaces appear shaped by sustained exposure to sand and wind, matching the kind of geological features that could provide valuable protection in a real desert environment.

These formations are not merely decorative landmarks. A large rock face can offer shade from the sun, protection from wind and a safer position above the open desert. On Arrakis, elevated rocky ground also provides separation from the sandworms moving below the surface.

That gives the environment a readable survival language. Open dunes represent exposure and danger, while rock formations promise temporary security. Experienced players naturally begin connecting these safe areas when planning a route, treating them as islands separated by dangerous stretches of sand.

The effectiveness of this design lies in how quickly it becomes intuitive. Players do not need a lengthy explanation to understand that a shadowed overhang is safer than a sunlit dune. The fiction, visual design and gameplay systems all communicate the same message.

Hudson’s observations suggest that Funcom has captured an important detail: in an extreme environment, shelter does not always mean a constructed building. Sometimes it is simply the best protection the surrounding terrain can provide.

Sandstorms Punish Poor Planning

Arrakis also presents conditions that can change rapidly. Sandstorms reduce visibility, interfere with navigation and make exposed travel considerably more dangerous. When a storm arrives, continuing blindly toward an objective may be far riskier than abandoning the journey and looking for immediate shelter.

This is where planning becomes especially valuable. A prepared player should already know where nearby protection can be found and how far they are from a base or substantial rock formation. Someone who has used all their water reaching an objective has very little margin left when the weather changes.

Hudson’s survival logic therefore applies before the storm is visible. Preparation is not a reaction performed once something goes wrong; it is the work that prevents an unexpected event from becoming a disaster.

Dune: Awakening turns that principle into tension. Players are constantly tempted to travel farther, collect another resource or remain outside for a few more minutes. The environment makes those decisions meaningful because the safest option is not always the most rewarding one.

Sandworms Change the Rules of Movement

Most desert survival training does not need to account for colossal creatures capable of swallowing vehicles, but sandworms are essential to the identity of Arrakis. Their presence transforms movement across open terrain into another form of resource management.

Crossing sand creates risk. The longer someone remains exposed, the greater the possibility of attracting a worm and losing not only their life but also valuable equipment or transportation. Rocky ground consequently becomes useful for more than protection against heat and storms: it offers a place to stop, reassess the route and escape the danger beneath the dunes.

This changes how distance is perceived. Two locations may appear close on a map, yet the safest route between them could involve following a much longer chain of rocks and elevated terrain. Vehicles can reduce travel time, but they do not remove the need to understand the landscape.

The result is a world in which navigation becomes part of survival. Arrakis is not simply crossed; it must be interpreted.

A Group Can Carry More, but It Must Work Together

Hudson also addresses the advantages and complications of surviving as a group. Multiple people can transport additional water, equipment and other essential supplies, while also supporting one another when conditions deteriorate.

However, a group consumes more resources and depends on coordination. If everyone prepares only for themselves, a single struggling member can endanger the entire expedition. Effective teams must decide what they need, distribute supplies sensibly and agree on when to continue or retreat.

That translates naturally into Dune: Awakening’s multiplayer structure. Groups can divide responsibilities, establish bases and prepare for larger expeditions, but greater ambition creates larger logistical requirements. A lengthy journey into dangerous territory demands more than assembling players with powerful weapons.

Combat strength is only one layer of survival. A heavily armed squad can still be defeated by thirst, exposure or a badly planned crossing. This is one of the most distinctly Dune-like elements of the game: control over resources and movement can be more decisive than raw force.

Real Survival Principles Meet Dune Technology

Dune: Awakening is not intended to be a completely realistic simulation. Stillsuits, blood-processing equipment, personal shields and the immense sandworms of Arrakis belong to science fiction. Hudson’s analysis does not make those elements scientifically ordinary.

What the game can reproduce is the reasoning behind survival. Water must be protected, exposure must be limited, shelter must be identified and every expedition must leave room for unexpected problems. The individual tools may be fictional, but the decisions they create are grounded in genuine survival priorities.

That balance allows the game to remain recognisably Dune without reducing Arrakis to a cinematic playground. Its extreme conditions influence the player’s routines, travel plans and relationship with the landscape.

The expert feature is also arriving at an important moment for Dune: Awakening. Following its PC debut, Funcom is preparing to bring the open-world survival game to PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X|S on September 22, 2026. Deluxe and Ultimate Edition owners on consoles are expected to receive access beginning September 17.

For those preparing to arrive on Arrakis for the first time, Hudson’s message is clear. Survival begins long before a sandworm appears or an enemy opens fire. It begins with respecting the environment, recognising the limits of available resources and understanding that every trip into the desert needs a way home.