Dune: Awakening, a survival MMO, allows players to'see a little into the future' after they become'saturated' with spice.

In the survival MMO Dune Awakening the spice you harvest in Arrakis plays a major role in crafting, economy, and the base taxes that you pay to your emperor. The expensive space drug, however, can also mess with your mind. While it may not turn you into a gross slug monster like the guild navigators of Dune, it will still affect your character.

Joel Bylos, Dune: Awakening creative director, has let a little more information about the MMO spice system slip through his fingers today. See what I did? How about the way Paul Atreides always lets sand trickle out of his fingers when he thinks about Dune? That's what I was aiming for.

Bylos explained today, during the third Dune: Awakening Direct Presentation. "If you stand on a spice blast for too long without any protection, you inhale too many spices and they get into your bloodstream." "And that could have certain effects on your character both in the world and the game."

Bylos didn't really want to be specific about these effects, but one of them is pretty intriguing.

Bylos held up his thumb and index finger a few centimeters away. "As the blood of the player becomes saturated with spice, imagine how abilities could be altered if you were able to see a littlebit in the future," Bylos explained. "We have some effects in the game. I won't give too much away, but it will impact your abilities."

In the recent Dune films, Paul Atreides showed prescience, first through his dreams, and later when he got a contact high while moping around Arrakis. How will prescience translate in an MMO with other players? Bylos hasn't explained anything further.

"I find it interesting that Paul has these visions," he said. "We are definitely exploring this type of idea in the video game. What it is, and what it means, I'll leave to the players' imaginations and hope that one day they will find out.

Dune: Awakening doesn't just have clairvoyance. In the presentation we saw a few other abilities, such as the energy shield that allows the player to create a dart-proof barrier for them and their friends to crouch behind in combat. A menu screen showed another ability called "Hunter Seeker", which allows players to fly those tiny remote controlled needle-tipped drones. This is a cool skill to have for a stealthy player.

A skill called "Battlefield Calculation" scans a particular area and provides information about enemy types, traps, turrets and the damage they cause. Flying knee strikes let you dash towards enemies for a quick, melee attack. This is useful against enemies with shields that would block ranged projectiles.

You can watch the whole presentation below. Dune: Awakening will be released in early 2025.