Balance in Dune: Awakening has become a recurring point of contention. Early on, airborne vehicles were excessively powerful, allowing pilots to easily down opponents. Later, players complained that ground vehicles felt nearly redundant because ornithopters dominated playtime.
When it comes to skills, a clear meta quickly emerged: some abilities were overlooked in favor of more effective alternatives. The developers have attempted to address this with monthly balance patches, but those changes have not always satisfied the community.
Developer Iggy explained on Discord that the team isn’t tuning the game for “only ranged” or “only melee” builds; they want players to switch between both styles. He stressed that weapon swapping is a core part of Dune: Awakening and that balance work will continue — the current patch isn’t the final word.
Reddit users reacted angrily, arguing the devs are once again trying to reshape established playstyles. The game forces players to pick a class, limits them to three active and three passive skills, rotates those options every 48 hours, and new armor sets grant bonuses tied to a single specialization. The system is geared toward specialization, so the idea of hybrid combat clashes with its design.
User EvilRobotSteve added that the developers’ intent and the game’s actual mechanics are misaligned. Players will naturally gravitate toward what works. For hybrid builds to become viable, mere nerfs and buffs aren’t enough — the game would need an automatic talent-swap mechanic when switching weapons, like those found in other titles.
Source: iXBT.games