The Dune Awakening launch might have been pushed back, but the vast open-world survival crafting MMO is about to open its doors to tens of thousands of players with its largest beta to date. With an estimated 20-25 hours of content to explore and no restrictions on streaming, the new playtest promises to completely lift the lid on the game ahead of its launch in June.
Developer Funcom might have delayed the Dune Awakening's main story. Along with opening applications on Steam, Funcom is also preparing to give away a huge cluster of beta keys as part of a special broadcast.
Players who take part will be able to explore Hagga Basin South and the Eastern and Western Vermilius Gap regions. Along with a chunk of the early narrative, you'll get a good chance to familiarize yourself with the new MMO's early combat, assemble and drive a sandbike, and test out the building functionality using the CHOAM tile set. Funcom estimates that there's around 20-25 hours of gameplay on offer, and even if you don't get in you'll be free to watch others who choose to stream it.
The next Dune Awakening beta takes place from Friday May 9 until Monday May 12. Players will have access to the first 20 hours of the game and most of act one, with no NDA or streaming restrictions.
If you want to , you can wishlist it and request access via the game's Steam page, or watch the livestream of the Dune Awakening Global LAN Party broadcast on Saturday May 10 where "tens of thousands" of beta keys will be handed out to viewers.
If you're thinking of taking part, be sure to check the Dune Awakening crossplay as we await more news on the console versions.
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