Dune: Awakening Will Let You Zonk People With "The Voice" In Combat

Keeping yourself alive is a major part of Dune: Awakening, Funcom's upcoming survival MMO, but once you've got your water discipline under control and you're walking without rhythm to avoid sandworms, there's a mess of other sandbox elements to think about. One of those is combat, because while Arrakis is a harsh world, it's the warring factions--and other players--that may well pose the biggest threats.

In Funcom's first Dune: Awakening Direct video about the game, creative director Joel Bylos gives a sense of how the game's third-person combat system actually works. The system looks to incorporate all the fighting elements that appear in the Denis Villeneuve movies, from hand-to-hand battles to vehicle engagements.

"We do this thing we call 'combined arms,' which is like, we have melee, we have ranged, and we have abilities. We also have vehicles, so players can use any combination of these in combat." Bylos explains in the video. "So it kind of creates this interesting dynamic, so you can learn abilities from the Great Schools in the universe, and learn how to be a Bene Gesserit and compelling your enemies to come close to you so that you can stab them with a knife. You're combining melee with abilities there, or you can be a swordmaster and leap in with a knee charge, knocking people to the ground and then stabbing them. Or you can choose to be a trooper, and you use your shigawire reel to pull you up like a grappling hook to pull you to high places, where you can shoot down on your enemies with sniper rifles and shotguns.

"So there's a large variety of weapons that you can craft through our intricate crafting system, in addition to these abilities that you learn as you level up your character, so you kind of have this freedom of choice. And that's really what combined arms is all about. It's sandbox combat. That's what we're trying to call it. And what we're going for right now."

At a hands-off preview event for Dune: Awakening last week, Bylos also said the game will include some of the more sci-fi weaponry of the Dune universe, including lasguns and shields. If you're a fan of Dune lore who is immediately worried about the combination of those two things, don't worry: Bylos says you won't accidentally trigger any nuclear explosions in Dune: Awakening.

In the video, the developer said that while you'll choose a specific set of abilities when you create your character, you won't be locked into playing as a particular class. Instead, you'll have the option to mix and match abilities from different schools to develop a particular combat style.

"It's absolutely possible [to mix and match], you just have to find the right trainer in the world to teach you these things," he said. "So in character creation, you make a choice of who was your mentor when you're young. And then you choose one of the things that determines your set of starting abilities. But then when you play the game, you find trainers in the world. You have to do things for them, but then they'll eventually teach you some of the way, you know, the path that can take you to some of these skills and abilities."

You'll need those combat abilities for Dune: Awakening's late game, which will send you to the deep desert. In an interview with GameSpot, Bylos described how the player-vs.-player area will work: Each week, a massive storm changes the map of the area, uncovering new buildings, ruins, and crashed ships, and burying the old ones. You can race into the area to claim rare items or schematics for crafting, as well as Dune's all-important spice, but you'll have to fight other players who also want to claim those things. Check out our preview of Dune: Awakening for more details.

Dune: Awakening is slated to release on PC, Xbox Series X|S, and PlayStation 5, but currently has no set release date. You can sign up for the Dune: Awakening closed beta on its website.