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The Water Wars 1.4 update for Dune Awakening introduces 10 new Weapons, 3 Garments and 14 Augments, in addition to two new Overland Map locations. "The Water Wars" is a cosmetic DLC, however the new Overland Map locations are being released free for everyone as a part of the 1.4 update. The new weapons, armor, and augments can all be found in one of the new locations, The Old Quarry, a Testing Station that offers scalable content players can complete to earn powerful rewards.
We've spent a lot of time in the Public Test Client trying out all the new items and putting them through their paces to see how they perform. These rankings reflect how well we expect these items will perform in update 1.4, but we'll update our ratings if these items are rebalanced after the update goes live.
Ranking Disclaimer: When deciding how to rank these items, we've considered their viability in both PVE and PVP content. We've also been testing and theorycrafting the New Augments in Dune Awakening 1.4, rating their performance against the current meta picks.
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New Weapons in 1.4 Tier List
The following Tier List ranks the new weapons release in 1.4 based on how good they are compared to each other and all the weapons currently in the game. You can see how they fit into the current meta by checking out our Weapons Tier List, which has been updated to include these items.
S-Tier Weapons
S-Tier weapons are the best weapons in the game. They either have the highest damage output or the best unique effect in their weapon group.
Blind Fury
Source, stats & crafting info available at our Blind Fury database page.
The Blind Fury is a scopeless Spitdart Rifle that applies poison like the Regis Tripleshot Repeating Rifle, except it only fires one dart at a time. This gives the Blind Fury much better accuracy than the Tripleshot, making it a viable choice for headshot builds. When augmented similarly to the Tripleshot, the Blind Fury offers competitive body damage and is better at staying on target without Attractor Field. This gun feels great to shoot and is a favourite among the new weapons released in update 1.4.
Spitting Cobra
Source, stats & crafting info available at our Spitting Cobra database page.
The Spitting Cobra is an SMG that has similar shield breaking power to A Dart For Every Man, with much higher unshielded damage. Its damage output is very respectable when compared to other meta PVE weapons, but we predict it will become the new SMG of choice in PVP. After the nerf to the Experimental Lightning Gun in 1.4, alternative shield breaking weapons are due for a comeback and the Spitting Cobra is a prime candidate. The Spitting Cobra is so-called for the poison it applies to the target, although the damage of this poison isn't noticeable outside of PVP.
Prescient Edge
Source, stats & crafting info available at our Prescient Edge database page.
Prescient Edge is the new Rapier of choice, pushing Static Needle out of S-Tier by having a Unique Effect that actually does something. Parrying a target with this rapier will apply bleed, a status effect that's useful for finishing off enemies that go down without dying. Rapiers remain a strong weapon class and although this effect isn't a game changer, it's still a welcome addition.
A-Tier Weapons
A-Tier weapons are strong, but are often outclassed by other options within the same weapon group.
Hell-Fury Pistol
Source, stats & crafting info available at our Hell-Fury Pistol database page.
The Hell-Fury Pistol is a Snubnose Pistol that performs best when used as a headshot weapon. The Hell-Fury Pistol is to the Seethe what the Shellburster is to the Perforator, offering comparable DPS but lacking the burst damage. The Hell-Fury Pistol has a Clip Size of six and applies fire to the target hit, which will sometimes cause the target to flail about in a burning animation, making it harder to land headshots. In a boss fight the Hell-Fury Pistol compares well to the Seethe, making it a great pickup if you prefer the larger Clip Size. This gun may find its true home in PVP, where the fire damage is more useful and its decent shield damage can come into play.
Leech's Maw
Source, stats & crafting info available at our Leech's Maw database page.
Leech's Maw is a Dual Blade weapon, so it has the sweeping attacks and unique slowblade of other Dual Blade weapons. The unique effect of this weapon is similar to the Static Needle, draining the target's power pack on hit. This power drain effect is not substantial enough to be noticeable, so don't expect to be breaking shields with this weapon. As Testing Stations scale up, damage over time effects lose their value, eventually becoming a downside because they interrupt CC. For this reason, we rate Leech's Maw higher than the Burning Blades, because the burning works against you at higher difficulties. Generally, we still recommend melee weapons with regular slowblade attacks, like the Replica Pulse-sword, but dual blades are preferable for fighting groups of unshielded enemies or bosses.
B-Tier Weapons
B-Tier weapons are situational. They usually require specific augments, fulfil a niche role, or have better alternatives.
The Angry Adder
Source, stats & crafting info available at our The Angry Adder database page.
The Angry Adder is a Karpov 38 Rifle with underwhelming body damage that really needs to be augmented for headshots to compete with other meta weapons. It applies poison to the target hit, but the damage of the poison isn't noticeable. It's accurate enough for a headshot build, but it struggles to stay on target while moving and shooting. The Angry Adder looks strong on paper, however it's difficult to use to its full potential.
Eel's Tooth
Source, stats & crafting info available at our Eel's Tooth database page.
The Eel's Tooth is a Knife that has a unique effect that might have been nice to have while levelling, but in the endgame, doesn't do enough. Hits with the Eel's Tooth will restore your Power, but only at a rate of five per hit. This isn't a very helpful or strong effect, but at least it does something for us, unlike Feyd's Drinker.
Branding Blade
Source, stats & crafting info available at our Branding Blade database page.
The Branding Blade is a Sword that sets enemies on fire and outside of PVP, the fire damage won't really do anything for you. Other swords like the Replica Pulse-Sword have a much more useful effect, so this weapon is fine, but there are better options.
Serpent's Fang
Source, stats & crafting info available at our Serpent's Fang database page.
Serpent's Fang is a Knife that applies poison on hit, which does a small amount of damage to enemies. Knives need a strong effect to compete with the Replica Pulse-knife, which has one of the best effects in the game, recovering stamina on every hit. The poison of Serpent's Fang just isn't doing enough to get it above B-Tier.
C-Tier Weapons
C-Tier weapons have flaws that make them unusable or very low damage.
The Hateful Barker
Source, stats & crafting info available at our The Hateful Barker database page.
The Hateful Barker is an LMG that deals extra damage at the cost of accuracy and at the time of writing, is the most inaccurate weapon in the game. After firing for a couple of seconds, the spread becomes ridiculous and not even an Attractor Field is able to catch all the shots. This gun has a wind-up before firing, it slows you down far too much, and its damage is still lower than other meta weapons. The Hateful Barker is brought down by all of the problems plaguing heavy weapons with no real upside to compensate.
New Armor in 1.4 Tier List
The three new armor pieces in update 1.4 introduce two new unique effects. You can see how they fit into the current meta by checking out our Armor Tier List, which has been updated to include these items.
A-Tier Armor
Combat Exoskeleton Chestpiece
Source, stats & crafting info available at our Combat Exoskeleton Chestpiece database page.
The Combat Exoskeleton is a heavy armor chestpiece that grants an additive +10% melee damage bonus. It sits in an awkward niche because melee builds tend to favour light armor for mobility and hybrid builds usually won't notice a bonus this small. Having said that, it will still work well for melee focused setups, but it's not something we'd recommend for every loadout.
C-Tier Armor
Phantom Whisper Chestpiece
Source, stats & crafting info available at our Phantom Whisper Chestpiece database page.
The Phantom Whisper Chestpiece is a light armor piece that grants a 5% detection speed reduction bonus, which is a bonus that really doesn't have a purpose in the game right now. There's no reason to run this over another light armor like the Forge or Pincushion.
Phantom Whisper Helm
Source, stats & crafting info available at our Phantom Whisper Helm database page.
The Phantom Whisper Helm is a light armor helmet that joins other useless helmets in C-Tier with its 5% detection speed reduction effect. Even if you wanted this effect, it's such a small percentage that it would barely be noticeable. Give this helmet a miss, along with the Phantom Whisper Chestpiece.
