Huge new Dune Awakening update basically reworks the entire endgame, rebuilding Landsraad and overhauling missions

Dune Awakening is a game with so much promise. Set in Frank Herbert's iconic sci-fi world, its sprawling reimagining of the sweltering world of Arrakis, coupled with its colossal sandworms and ornithopters, set the stage for the perfect survival MMO. But it's hardly been smooth sailing for Funcom, with endgame content consistently coming under fire, as well as its PvP experience, which has, as is often the case, fallen victim to waves of cheaters. Coming into Chapter 3, however, the game is getting its "biggest update yet," which overhauls the Landsraad system and deepens several endgame systems.

Let's start with the Landsraad. Before Chapter 3, you and your guildmates would spend your time completing missions and vying for a seat at the political table. 25 positions were up for grabs, with the Landsraad resetting weekly to ensure a consistent turnover of players. While it's great on paper, the system ran into a few issues post-launch, with most quests boiling down to 'go here, get this,' making them more of an annoying timesink than anything else.

The system has been "rebuilt from the ground up," says Dune Awakening's creative director, Josh Bylos, and adds new rewards for both grouped-up and solo players, as well as expanded faction ranks and the new specialization system. You'll now be able to choose from Combat, Crafting, Exploring, Gathering, or Sabotage, allowing you to level up your way.

There are also five new challenge locations, which boost your faction progress, influence Landsraad control, and contribute specialization XP, alongside five new Testing Stations with their associated bosses. The Augment Station also lets you level up tier 6 gear to make you even more formidable than you probably already are.

Speaking of gear, there are some new weapons, too. There's the formidable dual-wield knives that remind me a little bit of Feyd-Rautha's in Dune Part Two, the Pyrocket, and a rework to the Rapier, which is music to my ears.

And, of course, we've got hours-worth of new story content, which picks up where Chapter 2 left off and sees you battle your way through the Neo Carthog dueling ring while you uncover your past and face some uncomfortable truths.

There's also the paid Raiders of the Land DLC, which is included for players who already own a Season Pass. It adds a whole slew of new building components (73 to be precise) and 17 decoration pieces inspired by the Imperium's law-bending Smugglers. There's a lot of blue, yellow, and brown, so if you're looking to transform your home away from home into a contraband paradise, this is absolutely the pack for you.

Funcom has confirmed that Dune Awakening Chapter 3 arrives in early 2026. The Chapter 3 update is free for all players, but the Raiders of the Land DLC costs $9.99 for those who don't own a Season Pass. It's also 35% off in the Steam Winter Sale; the game's deepest discount yet. You can grab it here.

As someone who loves a good MMO, I've been looking for a reason to take a trip back to Arrakis. I'm pretty sure my first base is long gone (as is my Maud'Dib terrarium, I miss you 'lil guy), but I'm excited to see how far the game has come. For now, though, Christmas feels like the perfect time to rewatch the movies, right? So get on it.