Funcom’s latest update for Dune: Awakening, Patch 1.1.15.0, adds a few more significant changes to the PvE parts of the Deep Desert the developer recently added, while also pushing several bug fixes and stability improvements.
While most of these changes will be applied right when you download the update, Funcom does warn that some of them will only be applied after scheduled downtime, though it doesn’t specify which changes need downtime to be applied. So best to wait until after the next instance of maintenance to expect to see all of these changes.
The most significant change is that tier 6 resources can now be found in the PvE areas of the Deep Desert. Prior to this update, players would have still had to brave the PvP parts of the Deep Desert for the highest tier of resources. You’ll still have to head into a PvP area to find a higher density of these resources, but being able to find tier 6 resources in PvE Deep Desert areas rounds out the endgame experience for those solo players and anyone who doesn’t want to engage in PvP.
Spawn rates for medium spice fields have also gone back up to 8 after being dropped down to 5 with the update that first added PvE zones to the Deep Desert, and the number of small spice fields has increased from 22 to 30.
Regarding some of the fixes introduced, the most significant fixes are the ones applied to contracts that couldn’t be completed, and the issue of players losing out on rewards from completed contracts because their inventory was full. Now, players will receive their rewards for completing contracts only when there is enough space in their inventory for them.
In the weeks since Funcom added PvE areas to the Deep Desert, the response from the player base has been mixed. Some believe Funcom should have never implemented these changes, arguing that having the entirety of the Deep Desert be PvP was tonally correct for a survival game based on Dune. Players who don’t want to engage in PvP, however, felt differently, and that even after the tens of hours they spent getting to the endgame, their time with the game was ‘cut short’ because they could no longer participate in endgame activities without dealing with PvP hazards.
Regardless of where you fall in that argument, Funcom will continue to try and find the right balance between its PvE-focused players and PvP-focused players.
