Dune: Awakening has, in theory, become a lot safer since parts of the Deep Desert had PvP removed. But crafty griefers have found a way – they always find a way – to turn Arrakis itself against others, even in PvE-only zones.
The Hagga Basin is the starting area for all Dune: Awakening players. It's meant to be a (relatively) friendly place for you to find your sand feet and get to grips with how everything on the harsh world works. It's PvE, so you're supposed to be safe from other people, but not anymore.
"All the griefers are now coming into Hagga to farm spice," writes one frustrated player on the Dune: Awakening subreddit. "They're doing the same thumper and land on thopter technique they perfected in DD [Deep Desert]. But now they're using it to farm all the minor nodes in Hagga."
Griefing is now in Haggafrom r/duneawakening
This trick, as reported by Eurogamer, involves landing your own ornithopter on another player's and then placing a thumper in the ground to summon Shai-Hulud, the ever-hungry sandworms that roam all over.
This works because, while vehicles can no longer damage people by ramming into them, they can still block other vehicles. This was apparently a common tactic out in the Deep Desert, where it was annoying but relatively fair game considering that's the PvP zone, but now it's popular in Hagga Basin, too.
"I kept my thopter at 730 km for 30 minutes until a spice blow, and as soon as I moved, four thopters were chasing me," continues the original poster. "JFC, y'all are pathetic. This was in Hagga."
Although this isn't really in the spirit of a PvE zone, you can also use this trick yourself to punish players who don't follow the established rules of Arrakis. If you've read the Dune books, you'll know that pomp and ceremony are very important things to the Fremen and the great houses.
When one greedy player tried to take all of a spice bloom in the Hagga Basin for themselves, another player who'd arrived at the same time asked them to share. When they refused, they decided Shai-Hulud should judge. "I place the thumper on his bike and fly away. Worm ate him and his bike. Zero regrets."
So, make sure you're on your best behavior and you keep your head on a swivel for rival ornithopters, even when you're in a PvE-only zone. Arrakis is an unforgiving planet.
In the meantime, check out the best survival games you can play today.
