Highguard vs Dune: Awakening

• Perspective: Third-Person
• Multiplayer: Massively Multiplayer Online (MMO)
• Setting: Arrakis (Alternate Timeline)
• Platforms: PC (Steam), PlayStation 5 (2026), Xbox Series X/S (2026)
• PC Release: 2025-06-10
• Unique Feature: A blend of deep survival crafting with a persistent MMO structure, featuring a player-driven political system and a world physically changed by weekly Coriolis storms.

• Other Players: As an MMO, the primary 'companions' are other players. Players can form official Guilds (representing minor houses) to build massive bases, harvest spice together, and wage large-scale PvP warfare.
  Human

• Schematics: Found in points of interest, looted from enemies, or traded on The Exchange. Essential blueprints for crafting all items.
• Spice: Harvested from spice blows in the open desert. The game's most important resource for wealth, power, and character progression.
• Lore Databanks: Scattered across Arrakis in abandoned research stations and ancient ruins. They provide insight into the game's alternate timeline and the deep history of Dune.

• Survival
• Sci-Fi
• Open World
• Crafting
• Base Building
• Political Intrigue
• Faction Warfare
• Exploration
• MMO

• Melee Weapons: Daggers, Swords
  Close-quarters combat weapons, including the iconic Crysknife. Essential for fighting in tight spaces and when stealth is required.
• Ranged Weapons: Pistols, Rifles
  Standard projectile firearms for engaging enemies from a distance. Effectiveness varies based on range and enemy type.
• Heavy Weapons: Lasguns, Flamethrowers
  High-powered weapons for dealing significant damage. Lasguns are extremely powerful but can cause a catastrophic explosion if they hit a shield.
• Explosives: Grenades, Demolition Charges
  Used for area-of-effect damage, breaching structures, or creating tactical advantages in combat.

• Stillsuit: The most critical piece of gear. Primarily provides thirst reduction by recycling moisture. Different tiers of stillsuits can be crafted, offering better efficiency and some protection.
• Combat Armor: Craftable sets of armor that provide physical damage resistance against creatures and other players. Can be aligned visually with faction styles, such as the Sardaukar Bator Armor from the Deluxe Edition.
• Environmental Gear: Specialized gear designed to offer protection against environmental hazards beyond dehydration, such as the intense heat of the desert or specific storm effects.

• Faction Armor Sets: Players can craft and wear armor that reflects their political allegiance, such as armor in the style of House Atreides or House Harkonnen.
• Cosmetic Outfits: Various cosmetic items are available, including the iconic stillsuit from the 2021 film 'Dune' (part of the Ultimate Edition), allowing for visual customization without affecting stats.
• Dyes: Players can use dyes to change the color of their gear and vehicles, allowing for further personalization. The 'Sunset Dye Global Swatch' is a pre-order bonus.

Wardens utilize a hybrid system of firearms and 'Arcane Enhancements.' Abilities include elemental projectile spells, a 'shocking heart-rip' execution, and a signature knife-throw with high tactical utility. Players specialize in roles such as Breacher, Battlefield Controller, or Covering Fire.

Players can learn skills from various iconic schools of the Dune universe. This includes mastering the persuasive 'Voice' of the Bene Gesserit, the lightning-fast calculations of a Mentat, or the deadly blade techniques of a Swordmaster. Progression is also tied to discovering and crafting schematics for better gear, weapons, tools, and base components.

The game features massive, diverse maps including Bastion (fertile plains and woodlands), Casinea (mountainous quarries and mines), and Reikos (a liberated region defined by ruin and new beginnings). These large-scale environments are designed for both on-foot parkour and mounted traversal.

The world is divided into several large zones. The Hagga Basin is a vast, persistent PvE-focused map where players build their permanent bases. The Deep Desert is an even larger, seamless PvPvE map that is periodically scoured and reshaped by massive Coriolis storms, revealing new resources and points of interest. There are also social hubs like Arrakeen and Harko Village where players from many servers can interact peacefully.

• Ornithopter ('Thopter): Air Vehicle
  An essential flying machine with flapping wings, used for fast transportation across the vast deserts of Arrakis and for scouting from the air.
• Sandbike: Ground Vehicle
  A fast, nimble one-person ground vehicle used for quick traversal over dunes. It's one of the first vehicles a player can craft.
• Spice Harvester: Industrial Vehicle
  A massive, slow-moving factory on tracks used to automatically gather spice from the sand. Its rhythmic vibrations are a dinner bell for nearby sandworms.
• Groundcar: Ground Vehicle
  A multi-person, durable ground vehicle, slower than a sandbike but offering more protection and transport capacity.

• Player Character: Protagonist
  A fully customizable character who survives a 'thopter crash on Arrakis. Players forge their own path, choosing to align with factions, build an empire, or simply survive the desert.
• Duke Leto Atreides: Faction Leader (NPC)
  The head of House Atreides. In this alternate timeline, he survives the initial Harkonnen betrayal, continuing to lead his house and fight for control of Arrakis.
• Baron Vladimir Harkonnen: Faction Leader (NPC)
  The cruel and cunning leader of House Harkonnen, the primary antagonist faction vying for control of the spice trade.
• Bene Gesserit Sisters: Skill Trainers / Political Figures (NPCs)
  Members of the secretive sisterhood who can teach players their powerful mental abilities, like the Voice, while pursuing their own mysterious agenda.

• Main Questline
  Follow a narrative that explores the mysteries of the alternate timeline, the reason for your character's arrival on Arrakis, and the secrets behind the spice.
• Faction Contracts
  Complete various tasks for the lesser houses to earn their favor and influence their allegiance towards either House Atreides or House Harkonnen in the weekly political struggle.
• Spice Harvesting Operations
  Locate a valuable spice blow, deploy a harvester, defend it against sandworms and other players, and successfully extract the spice for profit and power.
• Base Construction
  Gather resources and use schematics to build and upgrade a personal or guild headquarters, from a simple survival shelter to a massive fortress.

The game is a full-fledged MMO. It features large-scale PvP in the Deep Desert over resources and territory, cooperative PvE in the Hagga Basin, a player-driven economy via 'The Exchange', and a political system where player guilds (Houses) can influence server-wide laws by aligning with House Atreides or House Harkonnen in the Landsraad.

The game launched with three editions: Standard Edition ($49.99), Deluxe Edition ($69.99 - includes base game, 5-day early access, Season Pass), and Ultimate Edition ($89.99 - includes Deluxe content plus additional cosmetic items like vehicle swatches, building sets, the Dune (2021) Film Stillsuit, and a digital artbook & soundtrack).

A Season Pass is available, which includes the first four planned DLCs. The first DLC, 'Wildlife of Arrakis', was scheduled to be released shortly after launch, with three more ('Lost Harvest', 'Raiders of the Broken Lands', 'The Water Wars') planned through mid-2026.

• Q: Is Highguard a Battle Royale?
  A: No, it is a objective-based PvP Raid Shooter.
• Q: Does it have Titanfall movement?
  A: Yes, wall-running is a confirmed part of the Warden mobility kit.
• Q: Is it purely PvP?
  A: It is primarily PvP, but features minor PvE encounters to power up during matches.

• Q: What kind of game is Dune: Awakening?
  A: It's an open-world survival MMO that combines the crafting, building, and survival mechanics of games like Conan Exiles with the large-scale multiplayer, political, and economic systems of an MMO.
• Q: When did Dune: Awakening release for PC?
  A: The full PC release was on June 10, 2025. Early access for Deluxe/Ultimate edition owners began on June 5, 2025.
• Q: Is Dune: Awakening coming to PS5 or Xbox?
  A: Yes, a release on PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X/S is planned for 2026.
• Q: Do I need to have read the books or seen the movies?
  A: No, the game is set in an alternate timeline, making it accessible to newcomers. However, fans of the Dune universe will recognize many characters, locations, and concepts.
• Q: Is the whole map PvP?
  A: No. The starting zone, Hagga Basin, is primarily PvE with small, opt-in PvP areas. The endgame zone, the Deep Desert, is where large-scale, open PvP occurs.
• Q: Can I play Dune: Awakening solo?
  A: You can play solo, but as an online MMO, you will share the world with thousands of other players. The game's challenges and political systems are designed to encourage group play and joining guilds.
• Q: What happens to my base when the Coriolis storms hit?
  A: Your main base in the Hagga Basin is permanent and safe from the storms. The storms only affect the Deep Desert, which resets weekly, destroying all player-built structures there and revealing new landscapes to explore.

Built on Unreal Engine 5, the game features a highly detailed and vast Arrakis. Key visual elements include dynamic weather, massive Coriolis storms that physically alter the landscape weekly, realistic sand physics, and awe-inspiring sandworms that can devour players and vehicles.

The sound design emphasizes the harsh environment, with the roar of sandworms and the howling of sandstorms being key audio cues for survival. The musical score is inspired by the cinematic universe, aiming for an epic, atmospheric, and alien soundscape.

The UI is designed around survival, prominently displaying thirst levels. It includes standard MMO features like a map, quest log, and crafting menus, as well as a dedicated interface for the server-wide auction house, The Exchange, and political menus for the Landsraad system.

• Official PC system requirements provided by Wildlight Entertainment. An NVMe SSD is highly recommended for optimal asset streaming of destructible environments.
• Laptop Performance Note: Mobile performance will vary by TGP and cooling. **High-performance laptops (NVIDIA RTX 3070 Mobile / RTX 4060 Mobile) are recommended for stable frames during intense multi-phase raid encounters.**
• Laptop Consideration: G P U T G P: High TGP is preferred for managing arcane particle effects and destruction physics.
• Laptop Consideration: Cooling Thermals: The intensity of siege warfare can tax hardware; ensure active cooling to prevent stuttering.
• Laptop Consideration: C P U Power Limits: Modern multi-core mobile CPUs are essential for handling the complex AI of siege engines.
• Laptop Consideration: M U X Switch Optimus: Recommended to minimize latency in high-stakes PvP gunfights.
• Game Name: Highguard

• OFFICIAL PC SYSTEM REQUIREMENTS for Dune: Awakening (Released June 2025). The game requires an SSD for storage. These specs are for the PC launch; console versions are planned for 2026.
• Laptop Performance Note: Laptop models of the listed desktop GPUs must have comparable performance, which is highly dependent on the laptop's TGP (Total Graphics Power) and cooling solution. For an MMO with large-scale battles, a robust cooling system is recommended to maintain performance.
• Laptop Consideration: G P U T G P: Sufficient TGP is crucial for maintaining stable framerates, especially in visually dense areas or large-scale PvP.
• Laptop Consideration: Cooling Thermals: Excellent cooling is vital to prevent thermal throttling during long sessions of harvesting, crafting, or fighting.
• Laptop Consideration: C P U Power Limits: A strong multi-core CPU is beneficial for handling the large number of players and complex world interactions inherent in an MMO.
• Laptop Consideration: M U X Switch Optimus: A MUX switch or NVIDIA Advanced Optimus is recommended to ensure the dedicated GPU is used directly, reducing latency for better combat responsiveness.
• Optimization Detail: Upscaling Tech: As a modern Unreal Engine 5 title, support for technologies like NVIDIA DLSS and AMD FSR is expected, allowing players to boost performance at higher resolutions.
• Optimization Detail: Key Settings Impact: Texture Quality, Shadow Quality, View Distance, and Effects Detail will significantly impact performance. View distance is particularly important in the vast open deserts of Arrakis.
• Game Name: Dune: Awakening

• Upscaling Tech: As a modern Unreal Engine 5 title, support for technologies like NVIDIA DLSS and AMD FSR is expected, allowing players to boost performance at higher resolutions.
• Key Settings Impact: Texture Quality, Shadow Quality, View Distance, and Effects Detail will significantly impact performance. View distance is particularly important in the vast open deserts of Arrakis.

• G P U T G P: High TGP is preferred for managing arcane particle effects and destruction physics.
• Cooling Thermals: The intensity of siege warfare can tax hardware; ensure active cooling to prevent stuttering.
• C P U Power Limits: Modern multi-core mobile CPUs are essential for handling the complex AI of siege engines.
• M U X Switch Optimus: Recommended to minimize latency in high-stakes PvP gunfights.

• G P U T G P: Sufficient TGP is crucial for maintaining stable framerates, especially in visually dense areas or large-scale PvP.
• Cooling Thermals: Excellent cooling is vital to prevent thermal throttling during long sessions of harvesting, crafting, or fighting.
• C P U Power Limits: A strong multi-core CPU is beneficial for handling the large number of players and complex world interactions inherent in an MMO.
• M U X Switch Optimus: A MUX switch or NVIDIA Advanced Optimus is recommended to ensure the dedicated GPU is used directly, reducing latency for better combat responsiveness.