The Deep Desert inDune Awakeningis a place where only the well-prepared survive. It’s vast, merciless, and unforgiving but full of opportunity for those willing to venture out and battle not just the elements but other players as well. If you’re planning to venture into the Deep Desert, you’ll need more than just gear. You’ll need a plan, but more importantly, you’ll need numbers. After dozens of hours in the Deep Desert, here are some tips and tricks that I believe will help you and your group progress.
Preparation is the Key to Success
Before you even think about stepping foot into the Deep Desert, preparation needs to be your top priority. This isn’t a Hagga Basin PvP Shipwreck, where you may scurry away and safely retreat to the PvE zone if an enemy player attacks you, it’s the Deep Desert where full PvP is enabled and safe zones are scarce.
Regardless of what your immediate goal is for your trip to the Deep Desert, you should bring enough water and fuel cells to sustain you and your vehicle. The Deep Desert is not only vast but has the highest Heat Level in the game. Running out of fuel will leave you stranded and, at the mercy of the other players, running out of water will start a timer before you die and lose everything you’ve gathered so far in the desert.
Whether you are venturing out to build your Deep Desert base, harvestingSpice Sand, farmingTitanium OreorStravidium Mass, components to fabricate armor and weapons, or looking for PvP,you should set a goal and stick to it.
Tips and Tricks for Deep Desert
The Deep Desert allows you to build bases and deployables in your base for half the material cost versus Hagga Basin. Use this to expedite your Spice production and overall progression. For example, in Hagga Basin a Medium Spice Refinery costs:
Where as, in the Deep Desert, the same piece of equipment would cost:
With the efficiency bonus from the Medium Spice Refinery added, this would allow groups of players to pump out Spice Melange and upgrade the rest of their gear and base way faster.
Strength in Numbers
While some solo gamers will do well in the Deep Desert, being a part of a large group will immensely benefit you. Not only will this speed up the intense grinding process, the more hands the faster resources are farmed, it will also protect you and your precious loot. Shipwrecks and Eco Labs out here will be contested because they drop Unique Schematics that use Plastanium. This gear is significantly better than the tier under (Duraluminum Ingot). Each Rare Chest will only drop 1 lootable pattern per reset, so they will be in short supply in the beginning. Not only are they rare but the chest is not guaranteed to give you a non-duplicate item.
Shipwrecksand Labs will be contested but they will pale in comparison to Spice Blooms, the smaller blooms will be available for anyone for the most part as they net roughly 4-5 Spice Melange each. The medium and large Spice Blooms will be heavily contested; they provide hundreds ofSpice Melangeworth of Spice Sand, and you should expect players to attack you on sight. This is where the strength in numbers really shines, as you can have boots on the ground harvesting the precious Spice Sand, a few more boots on the group protecting them, and some players in their Ornithopters keeping watch/shooting down enemy players.
In the first few weeks, people were playing nice and peacefully harvesting Medium and Large Spice Blooms next to each other,but with the introduction of Sand Crawlers and their carry capacity, people are exponentially more hostile. This will put off many solo and small group gamers, and the unfortunate reality is just that. This game was made for Guild vs Guild content.
Voice communication becomes essential during high-risk situations. Being able to call out potential enemies, locations, targets, a coordinated attack or even a coordinated retreat is priceless in the Deep Desert. Guild communication and coordination will save you the trouble and headache of losing gear and machinery that you’ve spent hours grinding for.
If you are adamant about not joining a guild and being a “lone wolf”, try forming temporary alliances in global chat before heading out. You’ll find plenty of like-minded desert runners who value teamwork over chaos.
Build the Expensive Machinery in the Deep Desert
Things like theLarge Ore Refineryand the Medium andLarge Spice Refineryrequire an insane amount of materials to craft even for larger groups. Crafting and using these things in the Deep Desert then hauling them back and forth during the Coriolis Storm is the play. For the price of 1 of these larger refineries in the Hagga Basin, you can craft 2,effectively doubling your efficiency in the Deep Desert. Before the Coriolis Storm just break down this machinery, put it in a special box in your Hagga Basin base, then rebuild them in the DD after the Coriolis Storm is over.
Build Small FOBs
Build a network of smaller Forward Operating Bases, make them large enough to fit anAssault Ornithopter. This will give you places to retreat to if you find yourself outnumbered or outgunned. Make sure you and your guild have a few of them spread throughout the vast open desert as you will surely make use of them at some point.
These FOBs will also shield you from the frequent sandstorms that plague the Deep Desert. Keep in mind, even if your thopter and loot are safe for the time being in your FOB, a poorly or well timed (depending on who you ask) sandstorm could put you right back in harm’s way. A sandstorm will knock out your base’s shield for 6 minutes, giving your assailants the ability to raid the base.
Know When to Leave
Perhaps the most important tip of all: recognize when it’s time to leave. The Deep Desert is tantalizing. There will always be just one more spice blow, one more chest, one more crashed ship, one more titanium nodeyou can grab before heading back.
That’s how most players die.
If your backpack is full of schematics or materials, or your Ornithoper is full of ore and/or spice, leave. It’s that simple, and you will avoid screeching at your discord call, putting all the blame on them and not your greedy little self.
Final Thoughts
The Deep Desert in Dune Awakening is the most rewarding and punishing area in the game. It tests everything: your survival instincts, your preparation, your coordination, and even your greed. It’s a place where the careless are punished and the prepared are rewarded handsomely. With a solid plan, a strong guild and decent gear, you and your group will conquer the Deep Desert and enjoy all it has to offer. And remember, he who controls the spice, controls the universe.
For more information, check out theDune Awakening Wiki
