Importance Score: 65 / 100 🔴
Dune: Awakening Beta Reveals Stunlock Exploit; Fix Incoming
The Dune: Awakening beta weekend concluded, and beyond the colossal sandworms, agile speeders, and precious spice, the pervasive issue of stunlock has become a primary concern. Players discovered a potentially game-breaking exploit in the PvP combat system, raising questions about game balance and fairness. This discovery highlights the importance of addressing such issues before the game’s official launch.
The Stunlock Situation: A Knife Spam Exploit
Contrary to requiring extensive training for mastering the slow blade, it appears Paul Atreides could have swiftly taken Arrakis by repeatedly executing quick knife attacks. The exploit arises in Dune: Awakening’s PvP, where rapid knife strikes, instead of holding for a slow blade attack, can stagger opponents with zero stamina. This brief stagger window facilitates continuous slashing, rendering them defenseless and unable to escape.
- Spamming quick knife attacks causes perpetual staggering.
- Opponents at zero stamina are unable to defend or escape.
- Protective shields, designed to block fast-moving objects, are rendered ineffective.
This button-mashing tactic proves surprisingly effective, even against activated Holtzmann shields, which are canonically impervious to fast-moving attacks. Many consider this glitch to be problematic for Dune: Awakening’s PvP experience.
Developers Respond To Stunlock Concerns
Clips showcasing this vulnerability have circulated widely, including one presented to Funcom’s developers during a recent livestream. This clip featured streamer Tyler1 battling Shroud, both wielding knives with activated Holtzmann shields. Shroud, depleted of stamina, faced constant staggering from Tyler1’s repeated knife attacks. Despite the protracted ordeal, Shroud was eventually defeated due to this relentless exploit.
Developer Assurance: Fix in the Works
Dune: Awakening‘s world director, Jeff Gagné, and lead producer, Ole Andreas Haley, swiftly addressed concerns regarding this exploit, confirming its resolution before the June 10 release.
“It will [be fixed]. We already have an internal version that addresses some of this [problem],” they stated, noting the beta version’s outdated status compared to their current build.
Livestream Clip and Player Reactions
The clip demonstrating the exploit can be found at 4:04:16 in the livestream. A view from Shroud’s perspective is also available:
“We got this covered,” Gagné affirmed. “It’s not like ‘Oh my god, we haven’t thought about it.’ It’s already going away.”
Community Reactions and the Importance of Fair Play
Despite the developers’ commitment to fixing the stunlock issue, some players have defended this exploit, attributing it to poor stamina management. Nevertheless, others are pleased with the incoming fix. Regardless of player carelessness, being subjected to incessant knife attacks leading to a stunlock demise is widely considered detrimental to fair PvP gameplay. Moreover, it contradicts established lore where rapidly moving blades should not bypass protective shields.