Today, just about 72 hours before the floodgates open, we can finally share with you that rentable private servers will be available from head start launch on June 5th!
We’ve previously communicated that private servers are for post-launch, but we’re happy to share that progress has been faster than expected.
We do, however, want to manage expectations about how private servers work in Dune: Awakening. As you know, this is not your typical survival game.
Why private servers work differently in Dune: Awakening
Dune: Awakening is powered by a unique server and world structure, something we went in-depth on in a recent blog post.
In short: each server belongs to a World consisting of several other servers, and each of those share the same social hubs and Deep Desert. This allows us to retain a neighborhood-like feel to the Hagga Basin and provide persistent, freeform building, and other server-demanding mechanics you typically see in survival games. We combine this with the large-scale multiplayer mechanics you would expect to find in MMOs where hundreds of players meet each other in social hubs and the Deep Desert to engage in social activities, trade, conflict, and more.
Naturally, transferring this setup to a private server model has not been trivial.
We decided early on that we did not want to remove the large-scale multiplayer aspects of the game as that is such a crucial part of the Dune: Awakening experience, and the game’s content and mechanics are deeply rooted in this setup.
It was simply never an option for us to release “half a game” for private servers.
We knew we had to come up with a solution that retained the fundamental MMO-like features that make Dune: Awakening so unique, while still giving players some control, perhaps most importantly over who has access to their server.
That meant we had to make some concessions in terms of how much control players have over their private servers. The result is a model where you have fewer settings available than you would in some other survival games such as Conan Exiles.
We want to be completely clear and upfront about that so you can make an informed decision as to whether it’s worth it for you and your friends to rent a private server.
How private servers work
When you rent a private server, you essentially rent a server containing one Hagga Basin, just like the official servers. Here you have the full Hagga Basin map, and you can do everything you would do on an official server.
Your private server will belong to a World consisting of other private servers, and you can choose a World for your private server when you rent yours from a provider.
That means that you will still be able to take full advantage of Dune: Awakening’s large-scale multiplayer content and mechanics, including visiting the social hubs and the Deep Desert, to meet and play with people from any private server in the same World.
Players do not rent or control social hubs nor the Deep Desert. These are provided by the server hosting company, who ensures each private server’s World has them.
Private server settings
So, what settings will be available for your private server?
Because your private server will belong to a World of other private servers, and you will be meeting and playing with other people in the social hubs and the Deep Desert, you won’t be able to control every aspect of how your private server works.
Which settings you can configure for your server is ultimately up to the third-party server provider, but these are the settings we are making available:
- Security Zones: you can disable security zones entirely, making all parts of Hagga Basin PvP enabled, or you can choose to have pockets of PvP like on official servers
- Taxation: you can disable taxation on your server
- Sandstorms: you can disable sandstorms, making them not appear on your server
You will also be able to name your server and set a password for it.
Please note that private servers do not have an admin control panel nor character transfers presently. We will evaluate this functionality post-launch.
Visiting other private servers
Just like how you can visit another server in your World when playing on official servers, you can do the same with private servers.
All you need to do is select the other server in the server selection menu and put in the server’s password when prompted. You can take with you everything on your character, and you are free to do anything you would like on the server. You can even claim land, something you can’t do when visiting official servers.
When you arrive on the other server, you will appear at Griffin’s Reach trade post.
How to rent a private server
To rent a server, all you need to do is visit one of the server providers that offer private servers for Dune: Awakening (in alphabetical order):
Please note that this service is managed by the hosting companies themselves. If you need any technical support or other assistance, you will need to contact them directly.
Funcom does not set the prices for private server rental.
Closing words
We look forward to your feedback on private servers and going forward we will evaluate opportunities to expand their functionality and rulesets.
Enabling private servers for Dune: Awakening has not been trivial considering our unique large-scale multiplayer setup, and it was important to us to retain the fundamental MMO-like gameplay that makes Dune: Awakening so unique. That means it does come with some restrictions on how you can configure them compared to some other survival games such as Conan Exiles.
But we hope that this service will still be meaningful to those of you who prefer to play on servers you do not have to share with others, and we hope that the shared World structure will add an extra dimension without taking away from the unique content and mechanics that makes Dune: Awakening what it is.
And hey, if you want a PvP free-for-all Hagga Basin without those pesky taxes and sandstorms, while also being able to invite select other people or even open up completely for strangers to come visit and claim land on your home turf – now you can!
Whether you choose to play on official or private servers: see you on Arrakis soon, Sleepers!
