Summary
Dune: Awakeningpays homage to plenty of moments from both the Dune films, books, and TV series. These references truly make the world feel like it fits right in with the rest of the Dune canon. Whether you’re a fan of the books or movies, or are just diving into Dune: Awakening and the extended Dune lore for the first time, there’s plenty to discover.
So, we’ve compiled this list of easter eggs in Dune: Awakening that you may or may not have spotted, as well as what they’re referencing in the books or films. Here are some of the best easter eggs in Dune: Awakening.
8Ghanima Cavern
Throw-Forward
Just north of the Anvil Trading Post in the Eastern Vermillius Gap, there’s a cavern that hosts a band of scavengers for you to tear through. However, the easter egg that this cavern is referencing has nothing to do with what you find inside, but rather the name itself.
Ghanima is a child of Paul Atreides and Chani who appears in the books, but not the films. Despite the fact that Paul doesn’t exist in this universe, it seems that several Atreides names seem to live on, even without Paul.
7Halleck’s Pick
House Atreides Lives
There are a ton of different weapons and special items toadd to your inventoryin Dune: Awakening that reference or are named after different characters from the Dune franchise. Perhaps most notably, there’s a special schematic and item you can obtain called Halleck’s pick.
This is, of course, named after Gurney Halleck from the Dune books and films. Despite the fact that the games don’t necessarily have all that many cameos, it’s nice to see characters like Halleck appear in other ways in the game. Though, frankly, I wouldn’t be opposed to a late-game cameo.
6Thufir Hawat
Everyone’s Favorite Mentat
Unlike Gurney, though, one main character from both the Dune books and the films does appear directly in Dune: Awakening, and that’severyone’s favorite mentat, Thufir Hawat. You can find Thufir in Arrakeen, safe and sound, given that, in Awakening, the Atreides never lose control of the capital city.
What’s most fun about this appearance is that Hawat does feel perfectly tailored to dole out assassin-based quest lines for those who pledge their fealty to House Atreides. Head to the very back of Arrakeen if you want to find him and speak with him.
5Duncan’s Dojo
Rest In Peace
Arrakeen actually has a ton of small references to the Dune universe, one of which is an area called Duncan’s Dojo. This is obviously a reference to Duncan Idaho, one of the best characters in Dune, andan accomplished swordsman.
To find Duncan’s Dojo, head to Arrakeen by ornithopter and look for the location marked on your map. At first, there’s not really all that much to do here, but it’s still a nice nod to a beloved character from the Dune series. Plus, the decor in this space feels perfectly tailored to Duncan and serves as a nice homage to the character on the whole.
4Bene Tleilax
Welcome The Messiah
In a few key areas of Dune: Awakening, you can encounter a faction from the Dune universe that’s not actually represented by a player class. Players in Dune: Awakening can receive training from the Bene Gesserit, but not their lesser-known offshoot, the Bene Tleilax, who play a huge role in Dune: Messiah, the second novel in the series.
The Bene Tleilax are shape-shifters and highly secretive at that. Frankly, I think it would be amazing if, perhaps later down the road in Dune: Awakening’s lifespan, players could learn Bene Tleilax skills as well. Adding more factions and classes in this way would prove to be a huge plus for the game overall. You can find a Tleilaxu trader at Pinnacle Station.
3Idaho’s Charge
Best Of The Best
Similar to Gurney Halleck’s pick, there’s another special armor schematic you’re able to acquire called Idaho’s charge, which, once again, is a reference to Duncan Idaho and his special skills. Once again, it’s just nice to see small references put in the game for fans of the movies and the books.
This armor is also relatively powerful and highly worth acquiring if you can get your hands on it. Like all speciality schematics, you’ll have to find the schematic first, then research it, and then fabricate it, which can prove taxing. However, the results are almost always worth it, particularly for armor.
2Liet-Kynes
Everyone’s Favorite Ecologist
In Dune: Awakening, you can unlock the Planetologist class via Dr. Derek Chinara. By talking to Derek and accomplishing various tasks for him, you can unlock various Planetologist skills, which are great for resource scavenging and traversal.
When you first meet Dr. Chinara, he will reference another beloved Planetogloist character from the Dune movies and books: Dr. Liet-Kynes. This character features prominently in the first Dune movie and the first book, albeit in different iterations. However, it’s nice that the developers at Funcom threw in this reference, given that they knew they were going to introduce a Planetologist character.
1Maud’Dib Constellation
Blink And You Miss It
In your first spice-induced vision, your player-character will see visions of the Maud’Dib, or kangaroo mouse, as well as bloodshed levied against the Fremen on Arrakis. This vision is downright terrifying, so much so that you might miss one small detail in the vision.
At the very beginning, your player-character sees a vision of stars. These actually form the constellation of the Maud’Dib. Not only is this fitting, given that the vision later shows an actual kangaroo mouse, but, ties into the books and films, as Maud’Dib can also mean ‘the one who points the way’ ala a North Star parable.
