Background information
Dune: Awakening is gripping and overwhelming
by Philipp Rüegg
Dune: Awakening – your settlements are an assault on good taste
29.7.2025
Translation: Patrik Stainbrook
Pictures: Debora Pape
New hit game Dune: Awakening gives you a lot of freedom to build an impressive base. However, in this article, I’ll show you what it looks like when creativity meets a lack of taste or talent.
In Dune: Awakening, you can let your creative juices flow when building your own base. Some gamers craft impressive desert palaces that blend harmoniously into the setting. Others place… less value on aesthetics. Their dwellings lack any architectural aspirations.
To investigate further, I went sightseeing on my server. I quickly discovered buildings that could at best be described as merely functional and unimaginative as far as the eye can see. In the worst case, they’re stone middle fingers for everyone who flies past them. Here’s my personal bottom 8 list of the worst building sins.
I didn’t pay any attention to simple, functional prefabricated buildings – only horror bases that reveal a certain creative frenzy. Their builders must’ve also reached the endgame or at least got close to make my list.
No. 8: this Harkonnen castle
Someone here obviously amassed a lot of wealth and invested in a considerable fleet of ornithopters. While building their massive fortress, this individual probably underestimated how huge these battle copters actually are. I’m irked by the fact that the Orni is already too big for that tiny garage when folded up. The wings stand out clearly, but the owner doesn’t seem to mind. Nor is the fact that rounded shapes suddenly clash with strange angular outgrowths. At least it’s a recognisable attempt.
No. 7: a hovel on pillars
This base appears quite modest, a tiny hut standing on fragile pillars. Even the slightest breeze makes me fear this base could go tumbling down the mountain at some point. And on Arrakis, it feels like brutal storms sweep across the landscape every 15 minutes.
The number of power generators on that free-floating terrace, defying all physics, proves that the owner has a few hours of play under their belt belt, despite the modest hut.
No. 6: the Ikea accident
This person has got to be crazy rich. They seemingly have infinite money and resources, as can be seen from the confidently displayed carrier ornithopter on the roof. They’re creative too. But what are those strange, interlocking shapes? And why did that terrible ramp have to be added on top? As a whole, this dwelling looks like a mismatched Ikea chest of drawers.
No. 5: a cable car station in disguise
Are we in the Alps or on desert planet Arrakis? Apparently this person isn’t sure, and is waiting for wires stretching upwards from the (non-existent) valley station. This chunk is definitely eye-catching – just not in a good way.
No. 4: an abomination on stilts
Maybe this person simply hates sand and moved their ornithopter garage to lofty heights as a result. I don’t know. At least I find comfort in the idea of them traipsing up their absurdly high stairwell for half an eternity to get to the top. Mind you, I still never want to see this architectural offence again.
No. 3: a ramp
This new aberration of taste courtesy of House Harkonnen at least demonstrates a certain sense of geometry: there’s rectangles and triangles. Yes, it certainly took a lot of effort to build this ramp so a buggy can go up comfortably. But anyone who places such an eyesore amidst the beautiful rock formations has certainly lost control of their life.
Incidentally, the cuboids of energy shields on the roof shouldn’t even be there. The game requires solid edges to fix shield surfaces – which the engineer apparently simply tore off after activating the shield. So, they’re a criminal too. If the building inspector sees that…
No. 2: simply an insult
This architectural sin really deserves no mention due to its uninspired shape. Nevertheless, the builder has managed to enrich that basic form with a whole series of additional design missteps. By doing so, it’s earned a place on my list after all. The result looks as if the client deliberately implemented everything that could trigger amateur architects like me.
Different architectural styles clashing? Check. Incredibly lame block housing? Check. An exit with a ramp directly into the next boulder? Check. Thin, steep access ramps without a substructure? Check.
Also, those three energy shields side by side (probably a roof) make me want to claw my eyes out. Then there’s those wings of the large combat ornithopter protruding from the wall too. This so-called building is an insult to all who have to see it.
No. 1: the… thing
First place on my list goes to this nameless monstrosity. What did this person even take to construct such a visual atrocity? I can’t even put into words what I see here. A nightmare in different architectural styles? A misplaced phallic symbol? A tower with a ramp from which to plunge into the abyss over this complete rocky failure? Just a ruin? Mind you, I noticed that no extra work has been done on it for at least two weeks. This thing is also largely empty. EMPTY. There’s nothing inside. Alright, bring me a wrecking ball!
If my comments seem a little arrogant to you: yes, they are. I’ve worked hard to earn a certain modicum of pride while building my own base through hours of mining, building and demolishing, cursing and questioning my life choices along the way. Please, don’t feel personally offended if you follow the functional cubic philosophy. The game is a sandbox, and not everyone attaches as much importance to a proper dwelling as I do. I’ll accept any complaints in the comments section.
Am I doing better?
After all the bashing, I must of course also present my own domicile for critical assessment. I’m a woman of wealth and taste, and the server should know that. It’s why I chose a very visible, elevated position near a trading post right on the edge of the desert as my building site. Like a desert cathedral, my base should appear massive and brutal on the outside, like Arrakeen – the capital of the planet – providing shade for interior areas. The inside should be open and airy so that wind can blow through.
Unfortunately, I only realised after completing construction that my location wasn’t quite so clever. I can no longer expand my base in width because the surrounding area is closed for expansion. And as this causes me problems with accommodating further ornithopters, I’ll probably have to find another location and spend many hours tinkering on a new building.
Header image: Debora Pape
Feels just as comfortable in front of a gaming PC as she does in a hammock in the garden. Likes the Roman Empire, container ships and science fiction books. Focuses mostly on unearthing news stories about IT and smart products.
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