A player of Dune: Awakening recently expressed frustration on Reddit about the current griefers overwhelming the expanded PvE zone in the Deep Desert. The latest patch in Dune: Awakening has significantly reduced the PvP area, yet the shift hasn’t been seamless.
Dune: Awakening’s Deep Desert consists of nine layers that are alphabetically organized, each further split into nine sectors, totaling 81 sectors. Initially, eight layers served as PvP territory, but with patch 1.1.0.17, Funcom expanded the PvE space to cover five and a half layers, achieving an even distribution between PvE and PvP. Now, the entire southern half of the Deep Desert is reserved for PvE.
In a recent Reddit discussion, user xxTRYxxHARDxx described how their experience in the new PvE zones has been hindered by groups of griefers targeting Carrier Ornithopters by manipulating the collision mechanics. Some players have taken to the skies with Scout Ornithopters to disrupt those harvesting Spice in Dune: Awakening. They ambush players returning from successful missions, using their faster vehicles to thwart the Carrier Ornithopter’s landing, ultimately forcing it to touch down in the proximity of the Sandworm.
Griefers Exploiting Sandworms in Dune: Awakening’s PvE Zones
Commenters on the post validated xxTRYxxHARDxx’s recount with their own experiences, noting a rising number of griefers on various servers post-update. Many players suggested completely separating PvE and PvP zones and enforcing stricter punishments for griefing to mitigate such occurrences in the future. Others proposed increasing the maximum elevation for the Carrier Ornithopters as a temporary fix.
While some might hastily link these griefers with discontented PvP players venting their frustrations, it’s essential to differentiate that this behavior does not characterize the entire PvP community. Most PvP enthusiasts engage in battles for the thrill of competition rather than disliking other players. Since no loot is left behind after a Sandworm devours a player, there’s little gameplay incentive for such antagonistic behavior.
Although Funcom’s stance on addressing this issue remains unclear, many players are eager for a swift resolution. Unlike traditional survival games, Dune: Awakening is a live-service game that needs to maintain its player base to succeed.
