Dune: Awakening Removes Vehicle Damage From PvP, Sparks Fan Debate

Remember when Funcom pledged a solution for players tired of being crushed by helicopters in PvP? Well, the developer delivered. Sort of.

Instead of adjusting the Ornithopters directly, the team released a patch ensuring "players no longer take damage from vehicle impacts."

As PC Gamer notes, this sounds good in principle. It not only shields you from griefers aiming to squash you like a bug in PvP, but it also prevents fatalities from sandbike accidents—like accidentally launching off a cliff.

While hundreds of players upvoted a subreddit post confirming the change, some observe that griefers have simply shifted strategies rather than ceasing their behavior entirely.

"They should reduce top speed when using rockets and increase it with thrusters. PvP should focus on skill, not surprise attacks. Rockets are for securing landmarks, not hunting players. That change would fix a lot," remarked one player.

"Scouts shouldn’t have rockets," proposed another. "I’ve eliminated so many players with them, and it feels too powerful. Assault units should carry rockets since they’re slower and require strategy to outmaneuver opponents. Scouts should handle reconnaissance and storage."

"Is this change beneficial? I’m not sure. Ideally, both the vehicle and the target should take damage. The Orni taking no damage doesn’t prevent people from using it to annoy others," added another.

They have a point. The only reliable counters to an Orni are rocket launchers or Lasguns, both Tier 6 weapons that take time to unlock.

This update also means you can’t quickly dispatch NPCs by ramming them with your vehicle. Still, it’s an improvement over the previous situation, right?

We awarded Dune: Awakening a stellar 8/10 in our review, stating: "Dune: Awakening is an outstanding survival MMO that masterfully brings Frank Herbert’s sci-fi universe to life, largely to its benefit—though occasionally to its detriment. The journey from a dehydrated outsider to a powerful Arrakis warlord is thrilling at nearly every stage, and the rich storytelling delighted this sci-fi enthusiast.

"That said, Awakening has areas to refine. Combat doesn’t always feel polished, the endgame can feel chaotic and unrewarding, and several technical bugs remain. Yet, these issues feel minor compared to the game’s monumental achievements in the survival genre."

Dune: Awakening has seen a remarkable launch, earning a 'Very Positive' user rating on Steam. Hours after its June 10 release, Funcom’s survival MMO attracted over 142,000 concurrent players on Valve’s platform, and surpassed that over the weekend with 189,333 players.

If you’re intrigued, explore the available Dune: Awakening classes and follow our developing Dune: Awakening walkthrough for a story guide. To survive Arrakis, use our Dune: Awakening resource guides to locate iron, steel, aluminum, and other essentials.