Dune: Awakening player says "there IS sandwalking" in the survival MMO to avoid the big ol' worm – and "if you do it just right, you can cross any distance" in Arrakis

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"It isn't official and doesn't look anywhere near real," though

Dune: Awakening
(Image credit: Funcom)

Dune: Awakening fans have figured out how to "sandwalk," or traverse the unforgiving sands of Arrakis, despite it not being an official feature in the survival MMO.

A recent Reddit thread showcases as much, with poster "ufzo" exclaiming that there "IS," in fact, "sandwalking" in Dune: Awakening – it just takes a bit of effort. "It isn't official and doesn't look anywhere near real sandwalking," admits ufzo, "but it's functional." What does one need to do to properly sandwalk? First, make sure that it's nighttime during any attempt. Then, try and cross the open sands as ufzo does in their attached clips.

"The worm will breach, but won't start its 'eating-run,'" explains the poster. "If you do it just right, you can cross any distance." In their video, ufzo can be seen crossing the Vermilius Gap – an area that's usually impossible to journey through without a vehicle. Sure, they're sporting some Softstep Boots and, as they write, "spamming the grappler," but it's only to make things move along more quickly. Just remember, it's only safe at night.

There IS sandwalking from r/duneawakening

"It only works at nighttime, 'cause at daytime you will get sunburned," as ufzo puts it. "This is actually lore accurate, the Fremen only travel at night." They're not entirely wrong – in Frank Herbert's Dune series, the books that started it all, the Fremen do indeed prefer the cooler temperatures and reduced sunlight of the night when traveling. As a Dune stan myself, I suppose it's yet another way ufzo's method feels near-canonical in presentation.

It's nice to see fans making the Dune: Awakening experience more lore accurate, so to speak – especially after news that the upcoming 1.1.20 patch sadly makes riding Sandworms fatal, effectively axing another player-spurred recreation of the books' and films' activities. Here's hoping that Funcom doesn't release future updates that render ufzo's so-called "sandwalking" method obsolete, especially for those of us who too often forget our sandbikes.

As Paul Atreides instructs in Dune, courtesy of Herbert's brilliant writing, "We must walk without rhythm…" And so I shall in Funcom's survival MMO.

Done with Dune: Awakening for now? Check out some of the other most exciting new games this year and beyond that you should keep an eye on.

Anna Koselke
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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