Dune: Awakening Removes Vehicle Damage in PvP

Remember when Funcom assured players that a solution was on the way for those tired of being crushed by helicopters in PvP? Well, the developer did deliver a fix. Sort of.

Instead of adjusting the Ornithopters directly, the developer rolled out a patch so that "players no longer take damage from vehicle collisions."

As PC Gamer notes, this sounds good in principle—it not only shields you from griefers trying to squash you like a bug in PvP, but it also prevents accidental wipeouts on your sandbike, like when you accidentally launch yourself off a cliff.

And while hundreds of players have upvoted a subreddit post confirming the change, some point out that griefers have simply shifted tactics instead of stopping completely.

"They need to reduce top speed when rockets are active. Thrusters should increase top speed instead. PvP should prioritize control, not surprise attacks. Rockets are meant for capturing or defending landmarks, not hunting players. That would fix a lot," remarked one player.

"Scouts should not have rockets," proposed another. "I've eliminated countless players with them, and I shouldn't be this fast or effective. Assault units should carry rockets because they're slower and require constant input to outmaneuver opponents. Scouts should focus on scanning and storage."

"Is this change a good thing? I'm not sure. It might have been better if both parties took damage. The Ornithopter being impervious doesn't stop people from using it to annoy others," added another.

They have a point. The only reliable ways to take down an Orni are rocket launchers or Lasguns, but both are Tier 6-exclusive weapons and take time to unlock.

It also means you can’t speed up fights against NPCs by ramming them with your vehicle. But still, it’s better than the old system, right?

We awarded Dune: Awakening a solid 8/10 in our review, stating: "Dune: Awakening is an outstanding survival MMO that masterfully brings Frank Herbert’s sci-fi universe to life—mostly to its benefit, though occasionally to its disadvantage. The journey from a dehydrated peasant to a powerful warlord on Arrakis is engaging at almost every stage, and the story and worldbuilding filled this fan with pure delight.

"That said, Awakening still has areas to refine. Combat doesn’t quite reach its potential, the endgame feels chaotic and unrewarding, and several technical bugs remain unresolved. Still, these rough spots seem minor next to the massive successes of this survival game."

Dune: Awakening has had an impressive launch, earning a 'Very Positive' user rating on Steam. Just hours after going live on June 10, Funcom’s survival MMO reached over 142,000 concurrent players on Valve’s platform and set a new peak over the weekend with 189,333 players.

If this has piqued your interest, be sure to explore all the available Dune: Awakening classes and follow our ongoing Dune: Awakening walkthrough for a step-by-step story guide. To help you survive Arrakis, we’ve prepared Dune: Awakening resource guides to help you locate iron, steel, aluminum, and more.