Dune: Awakening has launched a free trial on Steam, letting players go into the world of Arrakis without upfront cost until August 24. The trial offers 10 hours of gameplay focused on the Hagga Basin area, giving a solid taste of the survival MMO’s environment and mechanics.
Anyone curious about the game can download it and look at much of the map, except for Harko Village, Arrakeen, and the Deep Desert. It’s a neat chance to get a feel for the game’s pacing and challenges without commitment. What’s kinda nice is that the trial’s 10-hour timer only counts while you’re playing, so you won’t lose time just idling.
Progress made during the trial isn’t lost either. If you decide to buy the full game during or after the trial, your character’s journey progress, level, skill and tech points, and backpack contents will carry over. However, your base and vehicles won’t transfer, though you can blueprint your base or back up vehicles to keep them. Solaris currency above 10,000 won’t move over either. These details are good to keep in mind before making the jump.
Free Trial players will be on dedicated servers, separate from those who already own the game. If you want to play with friends after purchasing, you need to pick the same server World they’re on during the trial, then you can transfer your character to any server in that World once you buy the game.
Buying the game during or after the trial also unlocks some nice extras. You’ll get the Desert Mechanic cosmetic items, which existing players can also find at in-game vendors, plus a bundle of basic materials to help rebuild your base quickly. That’s a helpful little boost when starting fresh.
Arrakis awaits new Sleepers willing to face its harsh deserts and giant sandworms. Will you take part in its unforgiving world? As Dune reminds us, “A poison – so subtle, so insidious… so irreversible. It won’t even kill you unless you stop taking it. We can’t leave Arrakis unless we take part of Arrakis with us.”
Feel free to share your thoughts or experiences with the trial in the comments below.
