Nobody is safe from sandworms in Dune: Awakening – the survival MMO's players are now being eaten mid-flight, ornithopters and all: "Shai-Hulud can fly"

Between calls for Funcom to "fix the Landsraad" and promises from the developers regarding issues with PvP and endgame content, the Dune: Awakening release has had its fair share of quirks – and some of them are as hilarious as they are annoying.

One that immediately springs to mind has to do with sandworms. You know, the massive subterranean creatures that rise up and eat you, causing you to lose all of your gear so far – the Shai-Hulud, as the Fremen call the wriggling beast. After mysteriously disappearing from the survival MMO last week following reports of buggy behaviour, sandworms re-emerged from the sandy depths of Arrakis, much to players' dismay.

Assault Ornithopter we just made lost from r/duneawakening

They didn't just come back, however. They returned with a vengeance, apparently, and the ability to soar into the sky to snatch unsuspecting ornithopters down into their gaping, toothy maws. As one player reports on Reddit alongside an unfortunate clip showing their mid-air demise, a sandworm destroyed them, and the "Assault Ornithopter we just made [was] lost." Nobody seems to know whether the sandworm's ability to fly is a bug, either.

Shai-Hulud will leap out of the sand like Free Willy and blow you up. (Mine and friend's perspective. from r/duneawakening

"They do jump out of the sand a little," comments another player – but "this is way more than I've seen a worm jump," so it's "probably a bug." Another says they're "uncertain" whether it's a bug or not, as Funcom supposedly "confirmed" sandworms will attempt to snag people mid-air by "emerging higher from the sand." There are plenty of other posts showcasing the erratic flight-y sandworms, too, though.

Shai-Hulud can fly from r/duneawakening

One amusing thread on Reddit sees its poster write that "Shai-Hulud will leap out of the sand like Free Willy and blow you up," along with a video of said scenario playing out – from "mine and friend's perspective." The chaos doesn't end there. Elsewhere, another Redditor simply states that the "Shai-Hulud can fly" and posts a clip of their own loss, admitting that "it is very disappointing to lose the progress of my team" like that.

While, as a fellow player myself, I do find the posts depicting soaring sandworms funny, I'd definitely be devastated to lose my ornithopter like that. I already have to look both ways before crossing the sand, after all – now I have to mid-air?

Wondering what we think about the game? Check out our Dune: Awakening review for more.