If you are looking to join the faction of House Atreides in Dune Awakening then you'll be glad to know the process is fairly simple, if a little time consuming.
Joining House Atreides is more than just a lore choice; it opens access to exclusive cosmetics for vendors, gear & vehicles and if your faction does well, even more cool stuff. Here's how the process works, why reputation matters, and what you get for sticking with it.
Joining House Atreides in Dune Awakening means aligning with one of two main factions on Arrakis. While a third is joining at some point, for now, these are our only options. Neither faction is really a good or bad faction, though this is Dune, so they are all bad. The choice of faction really is just a vibe thing. Do you like the base and look of the faction? If so, probably join them. You can always change later if you want.
One of the exclusive rewards from the faction you join is a custom skin for your Scout Ornithopter, as shown above.
How to Join House Atreides
There is a breadcrumb quest that will take you from Griffin’s Reach Tradepost to The Anvil. But it’s easy to avoid. Regardless, once you head to The Anvil (the second Tradepost), this is where the first option to join Atreides comes up.
In the second major Tradepost, Anvil, you will find the first major faction NPC. He is shown above. You are able to do the early quests for both, but you will need to work for one exclusively eventually, though you can defect. For reference, the Atreides is the NPC standing on the green side.
The Initial quests focus on scouting, resource gathering, and showing loyalty. You’ll carry out assignments like retrieving spice samples, aiding NPCs in the field, or delivering supplies. None of it’s too difficult, it's more about proving you’re not a Harkonnen spy.
As you do these, you’ll gain reputation; however, the reputation gained doesn’t really matter, as ranking up is based on key “promotion” quests, where you will sometimes jump over 500 reputation in one quest. This does make the idea of a reputation grind void, but it does make your rise through the ranks seem more realistic.
Once you complete this first batch of quests, you can officially pledge allegiance to House Atreides. That’s when the real commitment to the faction begins.
Why Reputation Rank 4 Matters
Reptuation Rank 4 gives you access to a purchasable ornithopter. This is a great reward and removes all of the grind from your first flying vehicle. That said, the rank four quest chain does require a lot of travel. You will also get a bunch of "skins" for weapons, armour, and vehicles. The Ornithopter one is shown at the top of this article.
Beyond the Ornithopter, Reputation Rank 4 also unlocks better armour sets and support items. But the aircraft alone is worth the grind. If you're trading, exploring, or just want to get around without dying in the desert, this is the most efficient route.
You don’t need to be fully locked into Atreides forever – you can change factions later (with some cost). But if you're looking for strong early-game support and a reliable path to mid-game mobility, this is a solid bet.
How to Change Faction
If you do want to change to Harkonnen, then just head back to the first location in Anvil Tradepost. Then, speak to the Harkonnen representative; he’s the bald dude with the lights. You can see him above; he is in the same location as previously shown in Anvil Station. He’ll speak to you about swapping, which the game plays off as you being a double agent. You’ll need to do lots of quests to work back, and then swap factions.
If you're having trouble swapping, this can be for a few different reasons. One major reason is that you’re guild is aligned with Atreides. If this is the case, you’ll need to leave the guild first.
There are also some reports (which may be fixed by now) that players who started the opposite factions' quests can’t actually swap to that faction. This is a bug, and will clearly be fixed at some point.
