When making your character in Dune Awakening, you are presented with a choice of Homeworld, Mentor, and Caste. These are one-off options, so it's important to make sure you understand what the options and consequences are here.
Once you start your character creation journey, you'll be asked several questions with a range of choices, the answers to which set up some of your early key buffs. The final one of the three will be your class, shown as a Mentor.
In the article below, we'll go over what each option grants you, and whether it's even worth worrying about these choices at such an early stage of the game.
Dune Awakening - Caste, Mentor, and Homeworld
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Best Homeworld
When it comes to Homeworld, we have five options. Each option impacts the dialogue trait you get.
- Giedi Prime
- Dialogue Trait: Deception
- Unique Emote: Harkonnen Curse
- Chusuk
- Dialogue Trait: Cultured
- Unique Emote: Chusuk Music
- Caladan
- Dialogue Trait: Honorable
- Unique Emote: Atreides Salute
- Kaitain
- Dialogue Trait: Political
- Unique Emote: Kaitain Bow
- Ix
- Dialogue Trait: Technologist
- Unique Emote: Ixian Secret
As these are mostly dialogue and emotes, there isn't a clear "best in class" here. However, there are some interesting flavour options.
These are always (at least based on the early to early-mid game testing) just extra options that you can use on certain factions. For example, the early game will feature the Harkonnens and, of course, the Atreides. These factions are from the Homeworlds of Giedi Prime and Caladan, respectively. While this doesn't make either of them standouts, it does make them obvious picks for new players, given that early ease of access.
Best Caste
Again, another dialogue trait here is in the form of the three societies in the game, which is basically the class system.
- Bondsman
- Dialogue Trait: Bondsman
- Na-Familia
- Dialogue Trait: Nobility
- Pyon
- Dialogue Trait: Pyon
If you need a TLDR, this is basically the Bondsman, Upper Class (rich), the Nobility, Middle Class (well off, private schooling, good income), and the Pyon, Working Class (the lower rung of society). The Pyon is probably the most up for debate, sitting somewhere between the lower working class and the labour class.
Much like the Homeworld, none of these options are going to change your game in any dramatic way. However, it's worth treating this role as mostly an RPG pick. If you want the best option, then Bondsman is probably the right option.
Best Mentor
- Swordmaster
- Training: Swordmaster
- Starting Ability: Deflection - Enter a defensive stance to deflect dark attacks
- Playstyle: Melee combat, all-out aggression, but with good defensive power
- Difficulty: Easy to learn playstyle, melee combat adds tactical variety
- Bene Gesserit Acolyte
- Training: Bene Gesserit
- Starting Ability: Voice Compet - Use the Voice to force someone towards your position from afar
- Playstyle: Ranged caster with melee combat, uses abilities to poison enemies and mind control them
- Difficulty: Hard to master, but likely one of the most powerful in the hands of a good player
- Mentat
- Training: Mentat
- Starting Ability: The Sentinel - Deploy a suspensor buoyed dart projector that uses motion detection to cover a field of fire
- Playstyle: Stealth and ranged combat, ideal recon class
- Difficulty: Slow class, rewards planning, and patience
- Trooper
- Training: Trooper
- Starting Ability: Shigawire Cable - Shoot a barb that attaches to a surface, launching you towards that position
- Playstyle: Standard soldier archetype, with abilities and skills that aid in your combat-focused gameplay
- Difficulty: Most beginner-friendly class, highly versatile and able to adapt well. "Jack of all trades, master of none, though oftentimes better than master of one."
Note: Early builds of Dune Awakening featured "Class Bonus" stats, which added a small % increase based on your skill. As of the last beta before release, these were not present.
Pro tip: You can't start as a Planetologist.
Of the four, we explain a little more in our guide as to why the Trooper is the best Class. With the ability to change your secondary class to any class and sub-class later in the game, Trooper works as a good starting point to get you through the early part of the game and serves as a competent base class.
Ignoring the combat benefit of Trooper, the class's grappling hooks (Shigawire Claw) are an amazing ability at the start of the game, increasing mobility and helping you reach high spots much easier. So even if the combat style of shooting stuff isn't for you, we still think Trooper is a good first option.
Note: While you can pick up the abilities of other classes later into the game, you CANNOT change the base class that you pick. While this adds a level of customisation, it does limit you a little to that first option.
Best Caste, Mentor, and Homeworld in Dune Awakening
- Best Homeworld: Caladan
- Best Caste: Bondsman
- Best Mentor: Trooper/Swordmaster
If you want the best possible start, then the above are the best options. If you want to roleplay a little more on the "bad side" of things, then swap Caladan for Giedi Prime, as they are the most polar opposite to each other.
Pro tip: The Trooper is the first secondary class you can unlock. When you head to Gryphon's Reach Tradepost, you can learn the basics of being a Trooper. This is a great time to pick up the Shigawire Claw grappling hook.
With the Mentor (class) being the main decision you make, for us, Trooper/Swordmaster are the two key starting options, with both being the obvious "base" classes. Bene Gesserit and Mentat work well alongside them. Bene Gesserit and Swordmaster work well, while Trooper and Mentat are also good pairings. Planetologist is the 5th option, and it works well for anyone, as it's more of a resource class.
FAQ
Can you change Caste, Mentor, and Homeworld in Dune Awakening
You can't change any of your starting options. However, you can add the skills of other mentors (classes) as you progress.
Do dialogue traits impact gameplay?
Dialogue options act as flavour only, and won't have a major impact on gameplay. It will affect how certain factions react to you.
