Dune: Awakening - Shotgun Build Guide for PvE and Leveling

The goal of this Dune: Awakening build is simple: move faster than anyone else and hit harder than most. It's not necessarily made to min-max PvP, but in terms of progressing through the game, leveling up, and farming resources, it's one of the most effective builds you can make right now. I'll walk you through every key step—from your class selection and skill unlocks to the gear you'll need and the exact tools that make this build shine.

Why Speed Matters in Dune: Awakening

The world of Arrakis is massive. Traveling from one side of a region to the other on foot can take a long time, and everything from gathering materials to completing quests and exploring caves becomes much more efficient if you can cover ground quickly. That's why mobility is the foundation of this build. Damage is a close second priority—enough to clear enemies fast and deal with tough encounters.

Once you understand how movement, stamina, and energy systems interact with gear and abilities, you'll see just how fast and effective this setup can be.

Best Starting Class for This Build

Your first choice is what class to start with. My recommendation: don't pick Trooper. You're going to unlock Trooper very early in the game anyway through quests, so picking it at the beginning wastes an opportunity. Instead, go for something that complements mobility or damage better in the early game.

Recommended Starting Class: Bene Gesserit

This is the best choice for mobility. You get access to Bindu Sprint early on, a powerful movement skill, and the class offers excellent passive bonuses that sync with our mobility and combat goals.

Other viable options if you don't want Bene Gesserit:

Swordmaster: Comes with Flying Knee, a great movement skill that also stuns. Solid stamina passives too.

Mentat: Offers early ranged damage boosts and Headshot passives, making it a good early damage option.

Early Game Setup and Class Unlocks

After finishing the tutorial and entering Haga Basin, follow the main story quest. This is critical for unlocking your first few skill slots and gaining access to tools and systems you'll need later.

Here's the early-game checklist to follow:

1. Follow the main story quest through the purple cave — this is your first waypoint and opens up core XP progression and quests.

2. Advance through the story until you reach Griffin's Trade Post — this is where you'll unlock the Trooper class.

3. At Griffin's, accept the Trooper questline — you'll need to kill three targets in three different caves located far to the east. It's easy to complete and unlocks the Trooper skill tree.

4. On your way to completing Trooper, also take on the Planettologist quest above Imperial Testing Station #2 (from Derek). This quest sends you into the facility to retrieve a film.

Why is this quest so important? Because inside the facility, you'll also find the blueprint for the Emperor's Wing MK1, a suspenser belt that allows you to "fly" or glide across terrain. This becomes a core part of our movement setup.

1. After completing the quest, return to Derek to unlock the Planettologist skill tree. This tree grants you the Shigawire Claw, another critical tool for high mobility.

2. Before leaving Haga Basin South, make sure you:

-Unlock Trooper

-Unlock Planettologist

-Retrieve and craft the Emperor's Wing MK1

Learning to Fly (Almost)

Once you have the Shigawire Claw and Emperor's Wing, you'll be able to move like a superhero. But there are some mechanics to learn:

-Holding jump with the suspenser belt drains your energy bar. Once it runs out, you fall.

-Climbing with the Shigawire Claw or grabbing ledges uses stamina.

-Alternate between energy and stamina-based movement to manage your resources. Let one regenerate while using the other.

-Practice momentum conservation using your claw—this lets you cover long distances quickly and scale vertical terrain efficiently.

-Use Bindu Sprint or other movement skills mid-flight to maintain speed.

Once you get the timing down, you'll fly across Arrakis faster than almost any other build. You'll also reach high places, avoid fall damage, and zip through dangerous areas with ease.

Power Packs: A Key Upgrade

All this flying and gliding requires energy. That's where Power Packs come in. These tools determine how long your suspenser belt stays active and how much energy you have available for extended movement.

Upgrade your Power Packs as a top priority.

Better power packs = longer flight time, better combat uptime, and overall smoother exploration.

You'll be swapping between stamina and energy constantly, and stronger power packs give you more room to maneuver before needing a break.

Combat Strategy: Shotgun First, Ask Questions Later

Movement is only half of this build. The other half is making sure you can wipe out enemies fast once you arrive. That's where the Shotgun comes in. Once you reach the iron phase and unlock the shotgun, make it your main weapon. Its damage output is higher than sniper rifles and melee builds by a noticeable margin.

-Close-range encounters are where the shotgun shines.

-Use your mobility to close the distance fast, then blast your enemies point-blank.

-It's especially good in PvE scenarios where you're clearing lots of enemies quickly.

-Later in the game, you'll unlock the Drill Shot, a shotgun variant that's built to destroy shields, one of the few weaknesses of the base shotgun.

Against shielded enemies early on, use a Disruptor to break their defenses before swapping back to the shotgun.

Skill Choices and Flexibility

You have flexibility when choosing additional combat skills, but here are some suggestions based on your preferred secondary class:

Trooper

-Grenades and Seeker are great for AoE.

-Use the Grenade Launcher for room clearing.

-High synergy with shotgun playstyle.

Swordmaster

-Flying Knee is fantastic: fast cooldown, stun effect, gap closer.

-Works perfectly with a shotgun follow-up.

Mentat

-Turret can provide extra damage, but may fall behind if you're moving fast.

-Best used when holding a choke or defending a static point.

Bene Gesserit

-Weirding Step: teleports you behind a target and stuns—ideal for a surprise shotgun blast.

-Excellent synergy with hit-and-run tactics.

Keep the Shigawire Claw slotted at all times.

You can flex the other slots as needed for situational abilities, but the claw is essential for movement, utility, and even emergency stuns.

Wrapping Up: Skill Trees and Future Updates

Right now, there's an online skill calculator you can use to experiment with loadouts. I'll keep my build updated on my site as the game evolves. If any major changes come through from the developers—balance updates, nerfs, or reworks—I'll release a new breakdown. Best place to buy cheap Dune Awakening Solari from MMOexp.com now, get more off and great service, helps you build the best class and leveling efficiently in the game.

It's not necessarily tuned for PvP, but with a few tweaks, it could hold its own. If you're enjoying the game and want to stay updated on builds, walkthroughs, and in-depth guides, keep an eye on the site.

MMOexp Dune Awakening Team