A Dune: Awakening player at the center of an MMO manhunt is now Dune canon, or he at least appears in the latest patch notes: "Ben, if you're reading this, your base power is out"

Over the past few weeks, Dune: Awakening has received hotfixes for various duping glitches and exploits, including one that dropped just days ago – and today, Funcom has released yet another update.

The new Dune: Awakening update is here, and it's not a minor hotfix, either. Patch 1.1.17.0, as detailed by Funcom on the game's official website, adds various rock islands to the Deep Desert. These fresh formations can be found "primarily in the PvE area, to allow for more resources and real estate for base building," as the developers describe in their patch notes, "effective on July 29 after the Coriolis Storm apex."

Patch 1.1.17.0 also targets an experience point exploit, client and server stability, connection issues, duplication glitches, and other smaller in-game bugs and problems – but that's not all. Those unfamiliar with the Reddit community for Dune: Awakening might be confused by the patch notes and their mention of "Ben," who Funcom alerts that his "base power is out." It's an amusing reference to a semi-viral post titled "Message for Ben."

1.1.17.0 Patch Notes from r/duneawakening

In the thread, a fan lets a fellow player named Ben know that his "guild base power is out" and signs it "your weirdo Atreides neighbor from down the hill." It's as wholesome as it is funny, with the poster stating Ben "was the first person I spoke to over the internet in 20 years." Since then, various other users have made their own references to Ben – although it seems the legend himself has yet to respond to any of them.

The community: this game is toxic! Meanwhile this reddit: from r/duneawakening

Hey Ben... from r/duneawakening

Seeing Funcom acknowledge the community's inside joke of sorts is brilliant, though – as a Dune: Awakening player myself, these are the sorts of interactions that keep developers close to their fans. Comments under the dev's own post prove as much, with many joining in on the fun. "Can we get an update on Ben's base? I think we're all invested at this point," writes one. Another simply reiterates that, "Ben, if you're reading this, your base power is out."

There you have it then, Ben – hopefully you get the message and save your guild base before it becomes a victim of the unforgiving desert and its ever-growing roster of opportunistic looters.

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