Funcom has shared many details about their highly anticipated survival MMO, Dune: Awakening. In a recent game showcase, they introduced the quest system, what to expect in the game world, character customization and other things.

Not an MMORPG

First and foremost, the developers wanted to be extra clear that their game will not be an MMORPG but a survival MMO. You will be able to play with hundreds of players and complete the game’s varied content alone or with others.

The big difference what sets it apart from MMORPGs is the quest system and how they will not be locking you from using gear, depending on your level. Dune Awakening’s quests are called contracts and are designed with the open-world sandbox aspect in mind. This means that there is no one way to complete them.

The other major point was level locking. You can use and craft any type of tool or armor the moment you spawn in the world, provided you have the necessary resources. However, if one of your friends has been playing the game for a while, there is nothing stopping them from sharing their items with you.

Massive, but not seamless open world

The planet Arrakis will not be one seamless open world but will be split into different sections that you can explore. Upon starting the game, you are tasked with choosing a server to play on. After this, you spawn in Hagga Basin, a massive place with many biomes, which is larger than the map of Funcom’s previous survival game, Conan Exiles. This area is locked to only a few dozen players per server and will act as your home base.

There are a few different social hubs that you can access by interacting with the Overland Map. It will teleport you to a town where you can trade with players from any server. PvP, building, and the use of vehicles will be disabled in this area.

Using the Overland Map isn’t free and will require water and fuel to reach your destination. However, if you don’t have enough to reach the end, you will be spawned on a small map and have to scavenge for these resources in order to continue. If you thought Hagga Basin was large, the Deep Desert will be several times larger. You will be able to meet players from any server here. While you can explore and set up a base, the desert will experience Coriolis storms, which change the landscape and locations of resources.

Character customization

Character customization is an important part of the game. There are plenty of options to choose from, including classic facial details, hairstyles, colors, character height, age, and more. When you pick a tattoo, you can choose how old it looks; increasing this slider will gradually fade the tattoo. You can also choose a randomized character. When you finish your look, it’s time to add some backstory to them. You will be asked various questions, such as which planet you come from or what kind of person you are. Each question has a set number of answers, which will be great for fans of the franchise.

These were the highlights of the details revealed in The Dune: Awakening Direct. The gameplay trailer is expected to be revealed in August at Gamescom.

Is this something you expected from the game? Let me know in the comments.