The sands of Arrakis have been eerily calm in Dune: Awakening, as the mighty sandworms were nowhere to be found. The first players have been enjoying the survival MMO pre-launch, and they noticed a significant lack of slithery behemoths, prompting a message from developer Funcom to explain what’s happening.
Those who preordered Dune: Awakening got access on June 5, just a few days ahead of the June 10 launch. During this preview, people realized that, somehow, the gigantic worms had vanished.
At first, this led to speculation about potential cheating, a common issue in multiplayer games, especially when they first go live. But that seemed unlikely since these are environmental creatures, creating a touch of mystery. Studio Funcom clarified in a statement that the glorious animals are gone, but they'd be back before you can say, "Fear is the mind-killer."
"We're aware that Shai-Hulud is currently missing. We're working on it and he'll soon be back prowling the sands," the team said on the official Discord.
There's some chatter about the worms glitching out, potentially contributing to their removal. Apparently, they were attacking bases and generally being a nuisance in ways they weren't designed to.
Aside from the concern over some sort of potential hack, players decided to have fun with their newfound freedom. They were zipping across the barren landscape and making memes about traveling without any concern for being consumed by a mega-sized version of one of the things from the movie Tremors.
Getting eaten will result in all the loot you have on your person at the time being gone forever. It's a serious health hazard, but then, this is Arrakis, what else are we signing up for? The issue seems to have since been rectified, thankfully, as more and more clips show.
To help you on your quest with the Bene Gesserit, we can give you plenty of helpful Dune: Awakening tips, and tell you how to get the sandbike.
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