Dune: Awakening Patch 1.1.20 Tackles Ornithopter Griefing but Angers Flour Sand Farmers

Funcom has outlined the changes coming in Dune: Awakening version 1.1.20, a patch that mixes anti-griefing fixes, quality-of-life improvements, and one resource change that has already drawn sharp criticism from the community. The update is being tested on the public test client, with Funcom aiming to bring it to the main game on August 12. The patch notes cover a wide range of adjustments, but three items stand out: a new collision response for ornithopters, bulk transfer buttons for blood and water storage, and the redistribution of Flour Sand and Spice Sand fields in Hagga Basin so that the worm can reach them.

Ornithopter Collisions and the Griefing Problem

The most practical fix in patch 1.1.20 concerns ornithopter collisions. Colliding ornithopters will now be knocked back to separate them, a change that directly targets a persistent griefing tactic in PvE areas. In the current game, a player can land an ornithopter on open sand to harvest spice, only for another player to land on top of it and pin it in place until a worm arrives and eats the trapped player. The new knockback behavior should make that maneuver far less reliable, turning a deliberate trap into a harmless bounce.

The same collision change is also expected to help in situations where groups of scout ornithopters swarm carrier ornithopters, a problem that has been reported even if it is less widely witnessed. To help testers evaluate the fix, players who join the test server will receive a free scout ornithopter, assault ornithopter, and carrier ornithopter. That gives testers enough hardware to reproduce the collision scenarios and report whether the new separation mechanic works under pressure. For players who have been frustrated by vehicle-based griefing, the change is a clear win. 🚁✅

The Flour Sand Controversy

The most contentious change is the redistribution of Flour Sand and Spice Sand fields in Hagga Basin. Funcom's stated goal is to allow the worm to reach those resources, which makes sense for Spice Sand. Spice farming should carry risk, and placing spice in the path of the worm reinforces the danger of Arrakis. The problem, according to unhappy players, is that Flour Sand is not spice. Flour Sand has long been farmed from small, safe patches near rocks where the worm cannot reach. Those patches support a routine but important task: fly over in a chopper, collect roughly a thousand units, and haul them away to craft the large amount of silicon blocks needed for construction and crafting.

Critics argue that adding danger to a boring task does not make it exciting. It simply makes it take longer. The safe Flour Sand patches were not a thrilling exploit; they were a quiet convenience that let players handle a repetitive chore without constant worm pressure. Removing that convenience has been described as a scandalous change that will frustrate a broad section of the player base. The community reaction is easy to summarize: leave the boring task alone. 🪱😤

Change	Player impact	Mood
Colliding ornithopters knocked back	Reduces vehicle pinning and griefing	🚁✅
Flour Sand and Spice Sand redistributed	Worm can reach more resource fields	🪱😤
Deposit All Blood and Deposit/Extract All Water buttons	Fewer repetitive clicks at storage	💧✅
Exchange search by name and reorganized categories	Easier trading and browsing	🔎✅

Quality-of-Life Wins

Not every change in 1.1.20 is controversial. Blood purifiers and water cisterns are receiving Deposit All Blood and Deposit/Extract All Water buttons, a small addition that removes a genuinely annoying routine. Players who rely on blood purification and water storage have had to hammer the transfer button repeatedly to move a few glugs at a time. The new bulk options should make base management smoother and less tedious. It is the kind of fix that does not generate headlines, but it improves the moment-to-moment experience for anyone who maintains a serious outpost. 💧

The exchange is also getting attention. Players will be able to search for items by name, and the categories have been reorganized to make browsing more convenient and intuitive. For a game with crafting, trading, and resource gathering at its core, a better exchange interface is a meaningful improvement. It reduces the friction of finding specific materials and makes the market easier to navigate for new and experienced players alike.

Test Client and Main-Game Timing

The patch is now live on the public test client, and Funcom aims to bring it to the main game on August 12. That testing window matters because the ornithopter collision change is the sort of fix that needs real-world verification. Players can use the free scout, assault, and carrier ornithopters to stress-test collisions, while also checking how the resource redistribution affects daily farming routes in Hagga Basin. The patch notes suggest a developer that is listening to complaints about griefing and interface friction, but also willing to make a resource change that much of the community dislikes.

For Dune: Awakening players, patch 1.1.20 is a mixed package. The anti-griefing collision fix and the bulk transfer buttons are straightforward improvements. The exchange search is a welcome convenience. The Flour Sand redistribution, however, is likely to remain a sore point. Funcom has framed the change as a way to make the worm matter more across Hagga Basin, but critics see it as adding danger to a chore that was never meant to be exciting. Whether the test client feedback softens that change before the August 12 rollout remains to be seen. For now, players can test the patch, inspect the new collision behavior, and decide whether the convenience of bulk blood and water transfers outweighs the loss of those quiet Flour Sand patches. 🎮