Dune Awakening base building guide

Want to build a base in Dune Awakening? Constructing a base is one of the very first things you'll do on Arrakis, and it's also one of the most important things to get right. The weather is one of the most dangerous enemies in Dune Awakening, so having a base to shield you from the sun, regular sandstorms, and the highly dangerous Coriolis Storm is essential to survival on Arrakis.

With our Dune Awakening base building guide, you'll have all the information you need to create the perfect stronghold, capable of withstanding almost anything the desert planet throws at you. For even more help in your adventures, check out our guides on how to get water in Dune Awakening, and the latest on how private servers work now that the MMO game has officially launched.

How to build a base in Dune Awakening

To start building a base in Dune Awakening, you first have to place a Sub-Fief or an Advanced Sub-Fief console with the Construction Tool, setting the boundaries of the territory that you can build in. A regular Sub-Fief's territory can't be expanded, but Advanced Sub-Fief territory can by using Staking Units and Vertical Staking Units.

Don't forget, you have to pay taxes on all bases with a Sub-Fief. The more bases you have, the more you'll owe in taxes. If you don't pay taxes, the shields to your base will eventually power down, leaving the building to decay over time.

It's important to remember that you can claim other players' abandoned bases by placing a Sub-Fief within it. This is very handy if you happen to come across an abandoned base that has machines already built inside, saving you time and resources. You'll know a base is abandoned if you can walk through the door and access any of its machines, or if you can't see a Sub-Fief console inside.

Build the base shell

Once you've marked your territory with a Sub-Fief, it's time to construct your base. Equip the Construction Tool and load-up on Granite and Scrap Metal to get to work. The basic parts you're going to use the most during construction are: floors, walls, roofs, stairs, and doors. These are all found under the 'Building Sets' tab while the Construction Tool is equipped.

For those looking for a little more nuance to their designs, you can peruse these menus to use things like slopes, corner stairs, ladders, roof hatches, and railings. To keep you and your items as safe as possible from both the weather and other players, you should aim to enclose your entire base with walls.

To see everything you can build, press the 'R' key while the Construction Tool is equipped to expand the build menu and tab between categories. Initially, you only have access to the starter designs, but as you complete quests and join factions, you'll unlock access to different design types. So you might want to hold off on building the base of your dreams if you'd like a more unique appearance down the line.

Dune Awakening base building essentials

Here's what we recommend every base should have in Dune Awakening:

• Fuel-Powered Generator
• Blood Purifier
• Fabricator
• Ore Refinery
• Storage Chests
• Recycler

Now that you've built the shell of your base, you can start constructing important machines from the 'Placeables' tab of the build menu. With these basic Placeables in your base, you'll have access to water, power, and the ability to make, store, and recycle items.

Just remember that to power the machines at your base (and to keep your base's shields active), you need to make sure you have enough resources in your power source. If using a Fuel-Powered Generator, this means you need to fill it with enough Fuel Cells to keep your base running.

When you're at the point where you can unlock more Placeables in your base, you might want to create bases with only one purpose, so you might not need everything we've listed above. For example, if you want a water-farming base, then you should invest in everything you need to store water from Windtraps, such as Water Cisterns.

How to move base in Dune Awakening

Moving your Dune Awakening base requires a lot of back and forth if you have lots of resources that you don't want to abandon. While you'll unlock vehicles that can store additional resources later on, you're forced to use the Sandbike at first.

Here's how to move your base in Dune Awakening:

• Copy your base's shell with a Solido Replicator.
• Use a vehicle to store your important items in.
• Recycle any items with the Recycler that you're not going to take with you.
• Delete your Placeables to get materials back, or leave them for others.
• Find a new location and place a Sub-Fief console.
• Put the required building materials into your inventory, then use your Solido Replicator inside the Sub-Fief's range.
• Move items from your vehicle into your new base.

You construct a Sandbike as part of the 'Across the Gap' main story quest. If you don't want to wait this long, and you have the research menu fully unlocked, use the Welding Torch tool with the required parts to build a Sandbike in the beginning.

Additionally, if you've spent a lot of time on the design of your base, then we highly recommend using a Solido Replicator to save a blueprint of it. This item scans your base to store its layout, allowing you to use it again elsewhere to immediately construct the same base layout, as long as you have the required resources to build it in your inventory.

Solido Replicators are single-use items, meaning they will break as soon as you construct a base shell from one. However, you can just make another Solido Replicator in a Fabricator and scan the base again to use that design once more.

Given how important base building is in Dune Awakening, we've laid out some handy tips to get you started.

Pay your taxes

Keep in mind that when you use Sub-Fief consoles, you need to pay taxes in exchange for claiming this area of land. You can do this by travelling to the Arrakeen and Harko Village settlements.

Pick a suitable base location

Building a base beside a mercenary camp is a great way to have a constant source of blood, but there are many other factors you might want to consider when building a base later on. Such as proximity to resources, main settlements, Tradeposts, or even other players.

Avoid open sand

If you don't want a Sand Worm ruining all your hard work, then stick to the valleys, cliffs, and sheer edges of land!

Be careful when editing a house

Everything is connected, so if you accidentally destroy the ground your Sub-Fief console is on, you can lose your Staking Units and consequently, your expanded territory. It's also really easy to lose your entire house if you destroy key pieces of architecture.

Have a backup base blueprint

As it's so easy to accidentally ruin your base while editing it, keeping a blueprint of your base with a Solido Replicator is highly recommended if you've spent a long time working on your design. You don't want it lost for good if you accidentally mess with the wrong foundation piece.

Unlock pre-made base blueprints

If you don't feel like dabbling in complicated architecture, you can create simple bases in the beginning and switch to these pre-made blueprints when you get them. You can even get blueprints from other players and NPCs by trading.

That's all you need to start building the perfect Dune Awakening base. For more help on your journey across Arrakis, check out our guides on Dune Awakening Blood Purifiers, and the current server status for Dune awakening if you find you're unable to log in.