Building In The Deep Desert in Dune Awakening: A Full Guide

So you've reached the endgame of Dune Awakening and are now wondering how it all works. Well this article is going to focus specifically on everything you need to know about building in the Deep Desert - where, when and how.

For everything else Deep Desert related you can check out our Deep Desert Companion.

Quick Links:

• Building In The Deep Desert: Overview
• Where To Build In The Deep Desert
  • Purpose 1: PVE Zone Exploration (Row A)
  • Purpose 2: Full Deep Desert Experience (Row D/E)
  • Purpose 3: Maximum Resource Farming (Top Half)
• Deconstructing & Reconstructing Your Base
• The Importance Of Plastone In The Deep Desert

Building In The Deep Desert: Overview

Building in the Deep Desert is not the same as building in Hagga Basin. All bases in the Deep Desert are temporary and will be destroyed every week when the Coriolis Storm hits.

This means that you want your base to be mostly functional, and ideally easy to deconstruct and reconstruct.

Importantly you should also be aware that all building costs in the Deep Desert are reduced by 50%. This means that, for example, you need 500 less Spice Melange to construct a Large Spice Refinery.

Where To Build In The Deep Desert

The Deep Desert has two zones, a PVE zone which runs from Row A to the midpoint of Row E, and a PVP zone which runs from the midpoint of Row E all the way up to Row I. There are essentially three different reasons for building bases in the Deep Desert and the location you choose will dependent upon the purpose of the base. We'll break each of these down below.

Purpose 1: PVE Zone Exploration (Row A)

If you are a player that doesn't want to face the danger of the PVP zone in the Deep Desert just yet, and you just want to spend some time doing the Row A POIs for some Mk5 Unique Schematics or exploring the PVE section, then a base in Row A might make sense for you.

A base in Row A allows you quick access back to Hagga Basin, puts you in close proximity to the Row A Wrecks and Testing Stations that carry Mk5 Unique Schematics, and also provides a launchpad for you to explore the PVE section, maybe gather some Spice and mine a few Titanium or Stravidium nodes.

You will likely want to build in the centre of Row A, somewhere around A5, as this will give you access to all areas of the PVE section without going too far.

When it comes time to pack up your base, you'll have an easy job moving it all back to Hagga Basin with limited travel time.

Purpose 2: Full Deep Desert Experience (Row D/E)

If you want to experience all that the endgame of Dune Awakening has to offer, then you'll likely want to construct your base in the upper half of Row D, or the lower half of Row E.

By building your base in this location, essentially the centre of the Deep Desert, you will be within close proximity to all the Deep Desert has to offer: Large Spice Fields, Testing Stations, Wrecks, Downed Ships and Stravidium/Titanium hotspots.

Generally you'll want to build Columns 4-6 (so D4, D5, D6 or E4, E5, E6) but if most of the POIs or resources in the Deep Desert that week are on one side of the map, then a base further west or further east can also make sense.

If you are building in E, just make sure that your whole base is in the PVE section (bottom half of E is PVE, top half of E is PVP).

Purpose 3: Maximum Resource Farming (Top Half)

If you are in one of the big Guilds on your server, or are just a thrill-seeking maniac, then you might also consider building a base in the PVP section of the map. These bases are most often built around the Titanium or Stravidium Hotspots so they can be farmed easily, or farmed with a Buggy.

By building your base in the PVP section of the Deep Desert, any time a level 3+ Storm comes by, your base may become vulnerable and can be destroyed + looted by other players.

This is the highest risk base location in the game and usually requires a Guild or team of players to protect.

Deconstructing & Reconstructing Your Base

Every week the Coriolis Storm will hit the Deep Desert and wipe out the entire map, destroying all bases and shifting the POIs, nodes and locations around.

This means you are going to need to deconstruct your base and move it back to Hagga Basin before the storm hits. Some helpful tips in achieving this:

• Use an Assault Ornithopter that has both Storage and Boost modules, it will save a lot of time;
• Dump everything from your Deep Desert base into dedicated storage containers at your Hagga Basin base, this way you'll know exactly what you need to take back;
• Try and keep your Deep Desert base as minimalist as possible, basically the bare minimum you need to operate from there; and
• Use a Solido Replicator to create a Solido Projection of your base before you deconstruct it.

The Importance Of Plastone In The Deep Desert

Many people don't know this but in the Deep Desert your base will actually take damage from normal storms, even if you build in the PVE zone.

If you build your base (walls, foundations, roof) using Granite, then you will need to continuously repair your base throughout the week.

Instead - construct your base out of Plastone. Plastone is much more durable and you won't have to worry about it once you set up your base.

Both the Atreides and Harkonnen 'Stronghold' Building Sets will allow you to construct with Plastone.