The Dune: Awakening community has been buzzing with feedback following a recent Reddit AMA hosted by Funcom. Players dove deep into the game's core systems, with discussions laser-focused on the endgame experience and the often-fraught balance between PVE and PVP. The developers, taking note of the passionate discourse, promised a formal response regarding their vision for the game's future. It's clear the player base is invested, and the spice of Arrakis isn't the only thing generating heat these days.

The Community's Wishlist for a Better Arrakis

Now that the cat's out of the bag that Funcom is actively working on improvements, players have been vocal about their top priorities. The conversation isn't just about fixing bugs; it's about refining the very systems that define the late-game loop. Folks are hoping the devs don't just give 'lip service' but deliver meaningful changes that address long-standing pain points.

Endgame Systems: The Landsraad Conundrum

A primary point of contention is the Landsraad Contribution system. This weekly resetting 'Bingo board' of server-wide tasks allows players to complete objectives for rewards. However, the current implementation has a major flaw: once a certain number of players claim a task tile, it becomes locked for everyone else. This creates a 'first-come, first-served' frenzy that heavily penalizes players who can't no-life the game waiting for resets.

As one player, Hmuda, put it on the subreddit: "Honestly, I'd settle for making the Landsraad tasks endless even after they are completed, so they are not locked down 5 seconds after they go live, and everyone can contribute to get the rewards." The community sentiment is clear—they want cooperative, accessible endgame goals, not a mad, punishing scramble.

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Vehicle Balance: Sky vs. Sand

Another major area begging for a rebalance is the vehicle meta. Right now, the game heavily favors air superiority, to the point where ground vehicles often feel like an afterthought. The scout ornithopter, in particular, has become a source of frustration.

  • The Scout Ornithopter Problem: This agile flyer, which resembles a helicopter with dragonfly wings, is currently king of the skies and combat. It flies at top speed while packing a punch comparable to the much slower, ostensibly more combat-focused 'assault' variant. Many players are calling for direct nerfs to its rocket attachments and overall effectiveness, hoping to see a clearer distinction between scout and assault roles.

  • Ground Vehicle Neglect: Players have invested time and resources into crafting a cool array of ground vehicles, but often find little reason to use them. Whether in PVE content or PVP skirmishes, taking to the air is almost always the optimal choice. The community is hoping for more reasons to traverse the majestic dunes on wheels or treads, perhaps through specific terrain challenges, anti-air threats, or unique ground-vehicle-only rewards.

Creative Director Joel Bylos has already acknowledged this imbalance, stating, "The current balance between vehicles and on-foot is not tuned to our liking and there are multiple changes in the pipeline to address this." This gives players a glimmer of hope that the upcoming changes will be substantive.

A Dose of Skepticism in the Great Desert

Not everyone in the community is holding their breath for a revolution, though. Alongside the hopeful suggestions runs a strong undercurrent of skepticism. Some veterans of live-service games have been burned before and expect the status quo to remain largely intact.

One user, New_Philosophy_1735, summed up this sentiment cynically: "[I'm] Waiting for them to triple down on how everything is just fine and working as intended." This reflects a fear that developer vision can sometimes be inflexible, leading to community concerns being acknowledged but ultimately sidelined. It's a classic case of 'I'll believe it when I see it.' The real test will be in the specifics of tomorrow's promised message from the Creative Director.

What's Next for the Fight for Arrakis?

The ball is now in Funcom's court. The AMA and subsequent Discord discussions have laid out a clear community mandate:

  1. Revamp the Landsraad system to be more inclusive and less punishing for casual players.

  2. Reign in the scout ornithopter to establish clearer vehicle roles and a healthier PVP meta.

  3. Give ground vehicles a purpose to diversify gameplay and make the entire vehicle tech tree relevant.

The developers' response tomorrow will be crucial. Will they offer concrete plans and timelines, or will it be a broader vision statement? The community is watching closely, hoping for changes that make the endgame grind less of a chore and the battles for spice more dynamic and balanced. After all, on Arrakis, adaptation is the key to survival—and that goes for game developers as much as it does for the Fremen. The future of Dune: Awakening hinges on how well Funcom listens and adapts to the voices from the sands.