Dune: Awakening addresses the issue that made me and many players quit the survival MMO with a Base Backup Tool to stop your home blowing up and breaking down if you take a break

Dune: Awakening - two soldiers looking at the mouth of a sandworm during the new game.
(Image credit: Funcom)

Funcom has some very big features in store for Dune: Awakening fans alongside upcoming Chapter 3 content, from improvements to game balance to long-awaited character transfers and the soon-to-be coveted Base Backup Tool.

The developers reveal the additions and changes that are underway in a new post on Reddit, and there is plenty to look forward to, y'all. One of the first features they cite is the cargo container – a storage unit that can be carried via ornithopter, as previously announced in an earlier dev update this year. Cargo containers are set to arrive "shortly after" the ability to travel between maps with harnessed vehicles, sometime in December.

Developer Update - October 2025 from r/duneawakening

They're also implementing an improved player logging system, with a "long-term goal" to "expand the player log to record all meaningful in-game events, such as item withdrawals and deposits, resource refinement, building tool actions, etc." Funcom is actively working to make finding relevant information faster and "reduce the chance of missing key activity" in that realm. That's not all, however.

A big part of the community's complaints has revolved around game balance – and Funcom is on the case. "Tuning skills, weapons, abilities, etc., is an ongoing process," as the team states, with tweaks like the upcoming Rapier rework currently in progress. One of the other areas the devs are addressing is disengagement from combat encounters. This is what inspired their recent adjustments to Crippling Strike, with more to come.

Funcom then mentions what might just stand as the most significant features in the works: character transfers, server merges, and the accompanying Base Backup Tool – all of which are arriving "within the next few weeks" or soon after. This means players will be able to move their characters (along with all of their inventory, progress, and bank/backup tool storage) to any other World and Sietch of their choice.

To make this process a bit smoother – and honestly better the player experience overall, if I do say so myself – Funcom is introducing the Base Backup Tool. "This new tool lets you store your entire base, along with nearly all its contents, as an item in your character's inventory," explain the devs. "Whether you're preparing to relocate or taking a break, the tool ensures that your hard work can either move to your new home or be safely stored until you return to discover new game content."

Yes, this seems to mean that we'll finally be able to take extended breaks from the survival MMO and not lose everything (something I wish had been a thing since the start after losing my entire base, but we move). On top of this all, there are the Chapter 3 changes as well, of course. The bulk of this, which is "the next major content update," is planned for Q1 2026, leaving mere months between now and new endgame bits and bobs to explore.

So does this mean people can save their base and all it's contents if they're taking an extended break without the worry of losing everything? from r/duneawakening

"The team is making excellent progress transforming the Landsraad into a contract-based system that offers repeatable PvE activities, expanding the character progression with specializations, crafting the next chapter in the main storyline, and much, much more," as Funcom writes. "Once these changes go live, we will start transitioning the Deep Desert back to its intended purpose as a sandbox area where players can compete for control of spice."

I, for one, cannot wait to see this all play out. There's genuinely so much in store, it seems, and I'd recommend any fellow fans give Funcom's full update a thorough read through. Now, if you'll excuse me, I have a base to rebuild in anticipation of the new backup tool.

Dune: Awakening dev Funcom released a very successful MMO, so of course it is laying off staff: "This difficult process is starting now, and we cannot yet determine the exact impact."

Anna Koselke
Staff Writer

After spending years with her head in various fantastical realms' clouds, Anna studied English Literature and then Medieval History at the University of Edinburgh, going on to specialize in narrative design and video game journalism as a writer. She has written for various publications since her postgraduate studies, including Dexerto, Fanbyte, GameSpot, IGN, PCGamesN, and more. When she's not frantically trying to form words into coherent sentences, she's probably daydreaming about becoming a fairy druid and befriending every animal or she's spending a thousand (more) hours traversing the Underdark in Baldur's Gate 3. If you spot her away from her PC, you'll always find Anna with a fantasy book, a handheld video game console of some sort, and a Tamagotchi or two on hand.

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