Dune Awakening Classes are a key part of how the game is played, but thankfully, you are not locked in and will have the chance to play whatever you like.
In Dune Awakening, players are given (for now) five classes to choose from as they begin their adventure on Arrakis. As the game gets closer to release and beta footage begins to roll out, we have a much better idea of the skills and abilities each class has. As a result, we also have a better idea of how each one will play when the game finally releases.
In the guide below, we'll go over each of the five classes, what role they each fulfil and a few of the early abilities they get.
Classes Overview
A significant feature of Dune Awakening is the flexibility of your class, enabling you to switch and explore options as you progress. This element ties back to two important aspects of the game (Explore and Discover). At launch, players can select from five available classes:
Pro tip: Dune Awakening is not like WoW, and does not conform to the triad class system of a healer, tank, and DPS.
- Swordmaster: Melee combat and all-out aggression
- Bene Gesserit: Mastery of manipulation, make enemies work for you, and taunt them from afar
- Mentat: The scout class, stay in the shadows, recon camps, and snipe
- Trooper: The most standard "soldier" role, focuses on mid-range combat and demolition
- Planetologist: A PVE-focused class which is ideal for exploring and resource gathering. The Class is not available from the start of the game.
Something to note in Dune Awakening, much like in games like WoW, your Class is not so much what defines you, more so the individual talent trees or sub-classes that you select. Each class has three available, with each one allowing you to specialise in a specific path. Much like Classic WoW, you can dip into multiple talents, rather than being forced to pick a subclass.
Below, we'll break down each of the five classes a little more, explaining what they do and what they bring to the world of Dune Awakening.
Swordmaster
- Skill Focus: Close-Quarters Aggression
- Sub Classes: The Blade, The Will, The Way
- Playstyle: Melee combat and defence
- Starting Ability: Deflection - Enter a defensive stance to deflect dark attacks
- Description: Revered throughout the Imperium, Swordmasters of the fallen Ginaz School still represent the pinnacle of fighting prowess in the Known Universe.
- Ideal for: Players that like to get up and personal with the enemy. Swordmaster is a high-damage class, and ideal for solo players.
- Difficulty: Easy to learn, though you'll need to learn how to pick your fights.
Bene Gesserit
- Skill Focus: Physical Mastery and Manipulation
- Sub Classes: Weirding Way, The Voice, Body Control
- Playstyle: Ranged caster with melee combat
- Starting Ability: Voice Compet - Use the Voice to force someone towards your position from afar
- Description: A shadowy all-female order with a deliberately obscure agenda. Adepts of the Sisterhood are prized by the nobility and feared by the rest of the Imperium.
- Ideal for: Those looking to gain an advantage through the manipulation of other NPCs
- Difficulty: Hard initial learning curve, but satisfying once you get the hang of things
The Bene Gesserit Acolyte excels in manipulation. Its initial abilities enable it to use the Voice to compel others to come closer. This class also grants your character the power to become invisible and execute superhuman dashes. As you might expect, the more spice you consume in this class, the greater your character's power will be.
Pro tip: Despite being female in the lore, Dune Awakening does not require you to play as a female to use the Bene Gesserit class.
Mentat
- Skill Focus: Recon & Strategy
- Sub Classes: Mental Calculus, Assassination, Tactician
- Playstyle: Stealth and ranged planning
- Starting Ability: The Sentinel - Deploy a suspensor buoyed dart projector that uses motion detection to cover a field of fire
- Description: A secretive and insular organisation, the Order of Mentats conditions its adherents to store and analyse vast amounts of data at superhuman speeds.
- Ideal for: Those who like stealth and tactical gameplay, with a slower and more measured approach to combat
- Difficulty: A Class that relies on planning and patience to get the best out of its kit. Ideal for assisting a group of friends with reconnaissance.
Mentat acts as a type of reconnaissance spy, equipped with a unique ability to scan all nearby enemies and objects. This makes it highly valuable for exploration and enhancing survivability. With a sniper and gadgets designed to keep others at bay, this class is expected to be utilised primarily at a distance.
Trooper
- Skill Focus: Offence and Demolition
- Sub Classes: Gunnery, Suspensor Training, Tactical Tech
- Playstyle: Standard soldier archetype, with abilities and skills that aid in your combat-focused gameplay
- Starting Ability: Shigawire Cable - Shoot a barb that attaches to a surface, launching you towards that position
- Description: Every Great House of the Landsraad fields its own standing army or House Guard, and the backbone of these formations is career soldiers known as troopers
- Ideal for: Those that like to act as the DPS carry of a group, also good for those that like to be strong when playing solo
- Difficulty: Will be an ideal starting class for those looking to get a feel for the world
The trooper will emphasise offensive tactics and firearms, equipped with exceptional combat abilities to clear obstacles or defeat foes. Trooper's initial skills enable you to throw a cable at surfaces or enemies, allowing you to either leap towards the surface or pull the target closer. With its jetpack and multiple jumps, this class will heavily focus on vertical movement.
Planetologist
- Skill Focus: Resource gathering
- Sub Classes: Scientist, Explorer, Mechanic
- Playstyle: Resource gathering, ideal for those looking to solo or farm resources more easily
- Starting Ability: Unknown
- Description: Part scientist, part explorer. Planetologists are trained to survive in hostile environments while beginning the process of terraforming. Their training is extensive, as they are the frontline exploration force of any new planet discovered by the imperium
- Ideal for: Those looking to have a more PvE-focused experience, or those who are looking to gather resources
- Difficulty: For early content, Planetologist is a challenging class; this is likely why it isn't included right away, as shown in the game's character creator. However, once you have some experience, the Planetologist will be ideal for resource gathering.
The most recent class has been revealed, and it is likely the last before launch. The Planetologist is a class mostly focused on resource gathering and exploration. Seemingly, the class is not usable on day one, instead requiring you to unlock it in the story. The focus of the class is on PvE content, and will likely be ideal for those who like to help as part of a cog in a larger machine.
Best Class to Pick - Beta Opinion
It's been hard to get a clear picture with the beta, given the limited exposure to certain content. However, we think to start with, it's best to focus on the two more "combat" focused classes in a traditional sense. So that would be Trooper with the Gunnery subclass, and Swordmaster with the Blade subclass.
Once you get used to that, then play around with the two other starting classes, the Bene Gesserit and the Mentat. Once unlocked, it's then a good idea to play around with the Planetologist as it's an ideal supplement class to your "main."
FAQ
Are more Classes coming to Dune Awakening?
The fifth and, for now, final class of the game was revealed before launch. We suspect that more classes will be added in time; however, this is unlikely to happen before the game's release.
Can you play each class in Dune Awakening
You can, though you level each class separately, so you will be spreading your XP very thin if you try to play them all. The ideal way seems to be to pick one of the four main classes, then level a second to support you. For us, we'll probably go Trooper + Planetologist.
Can you play Dune Awakening solo?
The game is designed to be played in a group or guild. However, there is nothing stopping you from becoming known as that solo player who works for gold. Other players will be in your world regardless, but you can make your own fun as a solo. Maybe you could work as a mercenary for a guild while selling resources to another guild.
