Dune’s open world started strong with glowing reviews, but its first DLC broke that winning streak. Players of Dune: Awakening say they feel deceived by the developer due to the meager content of the first paid expansion, which many Steam reviews describe as cheap garbage.

It’s often said, “From love to hate is but a step.” When Dune: Awakening launched on June 10, the reception was overwhelmingly positive, and Funcom’s survival MMORPG seemed destined for greatness. For its first month, it truly was: with peak player counts surpassing 100,000 daily users, the game won over fans of Frank Herbert’s novels and survival gaming on PC. But persistent bugs and a lackluster endgame in the deep desert gradually thinned the ranks of “sleepers.” If the studio hoped the first DLC, Lost Harvest, would reignite excitement, it backfired: players are slamming it with negative reviews on Steam.

A Weak DLC That Doesn’t Solve the Game’s Issues

Starting today, owners of the more complete editions of the game can access the DLC, which continues the main storyline and introduces new customization options for bases, vehicles, and cosmetics. Yet these additions are just as underwhelming as the unfinished endgame content in the desert.

Criticism is focused on why Funcom thought it justified to charge €13 for an expansion that “takes you back to the same places you’ve already seen” and “only adds four base-building elements”, plus a cosmetic touch-up and a vehicle many call “useless.” Deluxe Edition owners feel especially frustrated, having expected free access to the content.

Many reviewers argue Funcom is repeating its Conan Exiles missteps, selling what feels like microtransactions disguised as DLC with little real value. One Steam user, William Huntington, wrote:
“This is cheap garbage, worth three dollars at most. You wanted a tiny island with three boring quests? To revisit the same Hagga areas you’ve cleared a dozen times? This is just sad.”

Funcom’s biggest sin, however, is still failing to make endgame and PvP content engaging. Along with lingering bugs, this has been the chief reason players abandoned the title. After peaking at 190,000 users in its first week, it now barely reaches 25,000 at peak times and drops below 10,000 during off-hours.

The Game Still Holds Up in Overall Ratings

Even so, the community clearly wants Dune: Awakening to succeed and continue offering an immersive Arrakis experience. Despite flaws in its economy, bugs, and cheaters, the base game still maintains a “Mostly Positive” rating of 72% on Steam.

Still, after months of waiting for fixes that never arrive—or fail to address player feedback—users have grown weary, and recent reviews are now mixed. This doesn’t mean the game is doomed, but Funcom’s complacency is obvious. It can still save the project, but action is needed fast if it doesn’t want the game to suffer the same fate as House Atreides in Herbert’s first novel.

Source: 3djuegos