Dune: Awakening shakes up open-world survival by letting you choose between two powerful factions: House Harkonnen and House Atreides. This decision isn’t just for show — your choice shapes your entire end-game experience and can seriously affect how you survive and succeed on Arrakis.
Choosing Your Origin, Caste, and Training
Before you even pick a side, Dune: Awakening asks you to set the stage for your character with options like Homeworld, Caste, and Mentor. These choices help define your background and the way you’ll approach challenges in the game.
Which Faction Should You Choose?
The game’s Faction and Landsraad systems tie together both PvP and PvE, so if you want access to top-tier recipes and exclusive cosmetics later on, you’ll need to align with either House Atreides or House Harkonnen. Atreides is all about honor and duty, while Harkonnen leans into ruthless tactics and ambition.
To join a faction, talk to their representatives at the Anvil Trading Post. You’ll need to prove yourself by completing missions, and as you rank up, you’ll score rewards like Solaris, bonus XP, and access to special cosmetics and gear at vendors in Arrakeen and Harko Village.
See our How to join House Atreides or How to join House Harkonnen guides for more info.
Even after choosing a side, you’re free to visit both main cities to take on Trainer Quests, trade with other players, or shop — the only real restriction is you’ll miss out on the rival faction’s quests and unique vendors.
If you’re in a Guild, you’ll notice that most are aligned with one of the main houses. Your contributions — whether through PvE or PvP — help your house gain influence in the overworld, especially during the Weekly Landsraad, a council that votes on sweeping changes like resource distribution and XP bonuses.
How the Landsraad Works
The Landsraad is Dune: Awakening’s political backbone. Guild Masters get voting power based on their guild’s size, territory, and contributions to their chosen faction. Every week, as the Deep Desert resets, players can vote on different decrees — for example, unlocking a special trader for new vehicle customizations, or boosting everyone’s XP gain by 50%.
You can earn a say in these votes by helping out in the War of Assassins global event. Just find Minor House Representatives scattered around the map and take on PvP missions or donate resources to build your reputation and influence.
In short: picking a faction shapes your journey through Dune: Awakening, impacts what you can unlock, and even lets you influence the politics of Arrakis itself. Choose wisely — your future on the sands depends on it.
