With Dune: Awakening's Beta weekend wrapping up and its full launch coming in June, we've got a pretty good idea at this point where the main story takes place in the Dune timeline. Fans of the Dune franchise will likely have mixed feelings about Awakening's premise, as it diverges from the beloved novels quite substantially. Dune: Awakening takes place in an alternate timeline from the one we see in the Dune novels, both films, and the recently released television series, Dune: Prophecy.

While there may have been concerns about the implications of certain changes in Dune: Awakening on the larger canon, those are more or less irrelevant because the narrative elements in Dune: Awakening do not impact the established lore. The world of Dune: Awakening is founded on the premise that Paul Atreides was never born in the first place because his mother, Jessica, listened to the Bene Gesserit orders to have a daughter instead of a son. Further, Duke Leto Atreides survives the assault on Arrakeen and is an integral part of Awakening's story.

Where Dune: Awakening Splits From Established Lore

Paul Atreides Imagines A World Where He Was Never Born

Dune: Awakening's timeline diverges from the established canon through one major event. In the established lore, Lady Jessica Atreides disobeys the Bene Gesserit's order to have a daughter and instead has a son, the main protagonist named Paul Atreides. In Dune: Awakening, she chooses to obey the Bene Gesserit and has a daughter, meaning Paul Atreides never exists in the Awakening timeline.

Further, in the novels and film, Duke Leto Atreides is betrayed by Dr. Wellington Yueh and is assassinated as a result, ultimately leading to the fall of House Atreides to House Harkonnen during the battle of Arrakeen, the largest city on the desert planet Arrakis. However, in Dune: Awakening, Yueh's betrayal is prevented thanks to the Bene Gesserit, who are able to extract the knowledge of House Harkonnen's siege of Arrakeen. Duke Leto survives in Awakening, along with House Atreides, as they are fully prepared for the onslaught.

As a result, a "War of Assassins" ensues between House Atreides and House Harkonnen, and the conflict over control of the spice reaches a tipping point. The Fremen, the group of vagabond desert inhabitants that aided in House Atreides' redemption plot in the novels and films, have all but disappeared from Arrakis in the Awakening timeline. And this is where the player character in Dune: Awakening starts their journey, crash-landing on Arrakis as a prisoner sent to uncover the mystery of the Fremen's disappearance.

Dune: Awakening's Alternate History, Explained

Characters, Rivalries, Houses & More Carry Over, But In An Alternate Reality

Despite Dune: Awakening being set in an alternate timeline, many of the key players from the novels/films will still be present, such as Duke Leto, Baron Harkkonen, and Lady Jessica. The core rivalry between House Harkonnen and House Atreides is even more prevalent in Awakening, with the feud between these warring factions playing out on Arrakis throughout the game's main story. There will be new characters as well, such as Ariste Atreides, the daughter of Lady Jessica that was born in place of Paul, as well as Zantara, the Fremen warrior who initially saves the player character from certain death.

Further, beloved characters such as the troubador Gurney Halleck, swordmaster Duncan Idaho, and Mentat Thufir Hawat also exist in the Dune: Awakening timeline, providing training to Ariste in similar ways they would Paul in the canonical timeline. The ultimate goal of the Bene Gesserit that is established in the novels and in Dune: Prophecy also carries over to Awakening. They want the daughter of House Atreides to marry the heir of House Harkonnen to create the Kwisatz Haderach, a being that has ultimate prescience and can see all future possibilities at once.

"The Emperor condones a war of vengeance between House Atreides and House Harkonnen as long as the battles are waged on Arrakis."

The "War of Assassins" on the desert planet of Arrakis is a direct result of Ariste's birth and Duke Leto's survival. The Emperor condones a war of vengeance between House Atreides and House Harkonnen as long as the battles are waged on Arrakis, with the caveat that Spice is able to flow freely. To ensure this, the Emperor sends Sardaukar to police Arrakis and prevent any disruption to Spice mining.

Dune: Awakening Will Feature Familiar Faces In Different Contexts

An Alternate Timeline Provides A New Perspective On Estalbished Dune Lore

Obviously, the story of Dune: Awakening will be very different from the established narrative we know, but it will also give us new perspectives on these characters within the Dune universe that would otherwise not be possible. Awakening's premise is such that we will experience familiar plots and characters with similar trajectories and motivations, but ultimately leading to a much different outcome that centers the action on the player instead of Paul Atreides. In my view, being embedded in the politics of Arrakis and Spice flow is one of the most exciting aspects of Awakening.

Overall, while Dune: Awakening does contain an alternate timeline and history, all established Dune lore prior to Paul Atreides' birth is the same, and the events of Awakening do not threaten to alter those of the established canon in any way. Essentially, Dune: Awakening is simply a "what if" scenario that explores what would have happened if Lady Jessica made an alternative choice and Paul Atreides was never born. It's up to you to decide the fate of Arrakis, and discover what happened to the Fremen in Paul's absence.

Source: Funcom