Private servers are coming to Dune: Awakening, albeit with “concessions” to make sure gamers retain the large-scale facets of multiplayer worlds.
Developer Funcom confirmed the information in an replace posted to the Steam store page, revealing “rentable personal servers” will likely be accessible from the second the sport goes reside for “head begin” (learn: early entry) gamers on Thursday, June 5.
“We’ve beforehand communicated that personal servers are for post-launch, however we’re completely happy to share that progress has been quicker than anticipated,” the group stated. “We do, nonetheless, wish to handle expectations about how personal servers work in Dune: Awakening. As , this isn’t your typical survival sport.”
Every server will belong to a World consisting of “a number of different servers,” all of which can share the identical social hubs and Deep Desert. Funcom stated that by doing this, it’s going to assist retain a “neighbourhood-like really feel.”
“We determined early on that we didn’t wish to take away the large-scale multiplayer facets of the sport as that’s such an important a part of the Dune: Awakening expertise, and the sport’s content material and mechanics are deeply rooted on this setup,” the replace defined.
“That meant we needed to make some concessions when it comes to how a lot management gamers have over their personal servers. The result’s a mannequin the place you may have fewer settings accessible than you’ll in another survival video games equivalent to Conan Exiles.”
So when you resolve to hire a personal server, you will have one Hagga Basin, identical to the official server, and belong to a World of different personal servers (and you can decide which one when signing up). You won’t be able to hire or management social hubs or the Deep Desert, however you’ll be able to nonetheless “take full benefit of Dune: Awakening’s large-scale multiplayer content material and mechanics.”
Sufficient of what you aren’t getting — what about what you do get when you hire a personal server? Funcom stated you can disable safety zones completely, “making all components of Hagga Basin PvP enabled,” or you’ll be able to have pockets of PvP, very like the official servers. You may also disable taxation and sandstorms, in addition to identify your server and set a password for it. Private server homeowners may also go to different World servers in the event that they know the password and even declare land (one thing you’ll be able to’t even do on the official servers).
“Enabling personal servers for Dune: Awakening has not been trivial contemplating our distinctive large-scale multiplayer setup, and it was vital to us to retain the elemental MMO-like gameplay that makes Dune: Awakening so distinctive,” the group concluded. “Which means it does include some restrictions on how one can configure them in comparison with another survival video games equivalent to Conan Exiles.
“However we hope that this service will nonetheless be significant to these of you preferring to play on servers you don’t have to share with others, and we hope that the shared World construction will add an additional dimension with out taking away from the distinctive content material and mechanics that makes Dune: Awakening what it’s.”
“As a longtime fan of Dune, it additionally simply feels so good to discover and be taught extra a couple of world that I’m fairly keen on, and Funcom has clearly put a ton of effort into worldbuilding and lore, even regardless of taking fairly a little bit of inventive liberty by inserting Awakening inside a parallel actuality and canon than the books/films,” we wrote in IGN’s Dune: Awakening closed beta impressions preview.
“There are little particulars which have an enormous influence on gameplay. I received’t go into spoilers, however this type of consideration to element touches nearly each facet of the world, together with the factions and characters you meet alongside the way in which, which ought to be a deal with for any fan of the setting.”
Dune: Awakening is ready to launch on June 10, 2025, on PC, PlayStation 5, and Xbox Collection X and S after a three-week delay to repair points recognized throughout its beta testing. Gamers with a “head begin,” nonetheless, get to play 5 days early, from June 5. For extra, take a look at particulars on the MMO’s enterprise mannequin and post-launch plans. We have additionally bought the world launch time schedule for Dune: Awakening proper right here for you, too.
Vikki Blake is a reporter for IGN, in addition to a critic, columnist, and advisor with 15+ years expertise working with a few of the world’s greatest gaming websites and publications. She’s additionally a Guardian, Spartan, Silent Hillian, Legend, and perpetually Excessive Chaos. Discover her at BlueSky.