You might be surprised to know that you can actually uncover Buried Treasure from the desert in Dune Awakening. The game doesn't do a great job of explaining this feature so don't worry if you aren't familiar with it.
Although not one of the best ways to find great loot in Dune Awakening, you can still find some pretty neat stuff. You’ll get resources, Opafire Gems and sometimes high-end gear. But you’ll need the right tools to find it and of course, risk the worm.
In this guide, we’ll explain how to scan for treasure, how to dig it up and what to do with what you find. We’ll also cover where to get scanners and which vehicles support them.
Content:
- Preparing To Go Treasure Hunting
- Locate the treasure
- Dig for treasure
- What are Opafire Gems
- How to craft scanners
Preparing To Go Treasure Hunting
Before we head out, we need to ensure we have the right tools for the job. You will need:
- A Scanner, this can be either handheld, or a vehicle scanner. We highly recommend that you head out with an Ornithopter that has a Scanner Module attached.
- A Static Compactor, this is our 'shovel' that we use to uncover the treasure we find.
Use a Scanner to Locate Buried Treasure
There are two ways to scan for treasure: by hand or with a vehicle.
The Handheld Resource Scanner is the first one you’ll get access to. Equip it and press the activation key. This sends out a blue pulse; if there’s treasure nearby, a yellow diamond icon with a chest will appear on screen (shown above). Head toward the icon and mark the location.
Vehicle Scanners work the same way, but are of course safer and faster (well, on an Ornithopter, they are). If you’ve got a Scanner module installed on your Sandbike or Scout Ornithopter, just press the Scanner hotkey at the bottom of the screen. You’ll see a similar yellow chest icon if there’s something nearby.
Other vehicles, like the Buggy, can’t use Scanner modules.
Where to find Treasure
Buried Treasure can be found in any 'open' section of the desert. When grabbing screenshots for this guide, we found three which were all fairly safe, and all in the Vermillius Gap. They can however be found all over Hagga Basin and the Deep Desert.
The Buried Treasure that you find in the Deep Desert comes with great rewards but at a much higher risk. Not only from worms but also from other players.
Dig Up the Treasure
Once you’ve got a ping, you’ll need a Static Compactor to dig the treasure out. This tool becomes available after you complete the Second Trial of Aql.
Go to the marked spot, get out of your vehicle if needed, and use the Compactor to extract the Buried Treasure. The treasure can contain random resources and Opafire Gems.
What To Do With Opafire Gems
Opafire Gems are used for Landsraad House Requests. Open the Landsraad menu to see what each House wants. Some will ask for Opafire deliveries. These requests help with House reputation and other rewards, so it can be worthwhile to collect them if the reward is great.
This sort of acts as another PvE way to interact with the Landsraad system.
How To Get the Scanners
You unlock Scanners through the Research menu. If you selected Locked Research at the start of your playthrough, you’ll need to progress through core objectives before they become available.
To get the Handheld Resource Scanner, research it under the Exploration > Iron Products section. You’ll need:
- 9x Iron Ingot
- 6x EMF Generator
For Vehicle Scanners, only two options are available right now:
Sandbike Scanner Mk2
- 20x Iron Ingot
- 11x Advanced Servoks
Scout Ornithopter Scan Module
- 507x Water
- 55x Aluminum Ingot
- 31x Particle Capacitor
- 27x Cobalt Paste
- 23x Complex Machinery
Both scanners do the same job, but the vehicle versions have better range and reduce your exposure to sandworms. If you’re hunting for treasures often, it’s worth investing in a vehicle scanner.
And that’s it. Finding buried treasure isn’t hard once you’ve got the right gear. Get the scanner, unlock the Compactor, and keep an eye on your map. The loot adds up fast, especially if you're farming for Landsraad requests.
