Dune: Awakening devs reveal new Chapter 2 changes, from the removal of pesky quicksand to the addition of donkey petting – but reactions from the survival MMO's fans range from "awesome" to "tragic"

The upcoming Dune: Awakening update, which brings Funcom's survival MMO to Version 1.2.0.0, is shaping up to be one of its biggest yet – but the community's reactions to some of what's to come alongside Chapter 2 are a mixed bag.

It's a tale as old as time – Dune: Awakening fans are excited, disappointed, and concerned, all at once (ask me how I know). Now, it's thanks to the big update that's underway, which is set to finally introduce Chapter 2 to fans. The pot, so to speak, has been stirred after Funcom's recent developer livestream on YouTube, in which the studio answers questions and reveals some of what it's cooking up for Version 1.2.0.0 and beyond.

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A few different notes are touched on, ranging from Deep Desert "improvements" to "reduce the amount of vehicle loss" to "removing the quicksand" and… "you can pet the Kulon" (for anyone unfamiliar with its name, that's the stillsuit-sporting donkey found in settlements). As a fan myself, I'm thrilled to learn Dune: Awakening is joining the lengthy list of games in which you can indeed "pet the dog" – er, donkey.

However, there are plenty of other issues I (and apparently many other players) want Funcom to touch on. One comment reads, "You have learned nothing from Conan Exiles" – harsh, but things aren't all sunshine and rainbows on other threads, either. "Stream went well," jokes a poster on Reddit, with a meme poking fun at the fact that devs could "fix bugs, keep players," or address base griefing and raiding, but instead "let you pet a donkey."

Responses show fellow fans sharing in on the sentiment, with one writing, "It would be funny if it wasn't so tragic." Elsewhere, another Redditor asks in a post, "What was the point of that dev update?"

Not everyone agrees, though – and admittedly, I can see that, while there's plenty of room for improvement, the "devs are engaged." One player implies Funcom just can't catch a break, as there are "constant complaints."

A separate thread highlighting the soon-to-come removal of quicksand in the Deep Desert sheds light on more positive voices, too, with the top reply reading, "That's awesome!" Others exclaim, "thank god," proving that it's not all doom and gloom after all. As always, the community offers a chaotic assortment of different voices and vibes – but I, despite what I hope devs will still change, am looking forward to Chapter 2.

The new Dune: Awakening chapter is set to release next Tuesday, on September 9. Fingers crossed that its features – donkey petting and all – stir up more optimistic (or, at the least, constructive) reactions from us fans.

Dune: Awakening dev says "when we do bring stuff like sandworm riding into the game, it'll feel like an epic moment like in the movies," but you can't "trivialize the sandworm" because that breaks Dune