Dune Awakening: Should you play with Locked or Unlocked Research?

Dune Awakening gives players an important choice early on: Locked and Unlocked Research. It’s entirely up to you which you pick, and while I certainly have my preferences, we’ll go over which could be right for you. The game potentially throws quite a lot at you at once with Unlocked Research, but you might want to go faster than what Locked offers you. It’s a bit of a balancing act, but it’s an important choice to make.

Personally, I think Locked Research is a far better choice in Dune Awakening. As someone that doesn’t play a ton of survival MMOs, I like having things streamlined, so I can get used to everything I’m doing. Whether you’re primarily playing Dune Awakening solo or not, this choice matters. Here’s what we recommend.

Is Locked or Unlocked Research right for you in Dune Awakening?

The decision on playing Locked Research versus Unlocked Research in Dune Awakening is highly dependent on how you prefer to play these types of games versus your personal experience. Locked Research allows you to learn at a nice, steady pace. Through the main quest line, you’ll learn everything you need to know about crafting, building a base, and more.

Locked Research won't stop you from getting amazing items and useful gear. It only slows the pace down a bit (Image via Funcom)

Unlocked Research unlocks the Research system, so you can just do whatever you plan to do in the game. You’ll still need to invest tech points, so you can’t just skip the first tier of in-game crafted items, so be aware of that. All this does is stop the game from locking you out of progression until you make specific things.

On the other hand, many of those things are incredibly important. You don’t skip any quests or anything by going with Unlocked, as opposed to Locked Research. Personally, I plan on going with Locked Research again. I like the structure that it gave me while playing.

If you’re one of the players that took part in several of Dune Awakening's beta tests, and understand exactly what you want to do, I recommend Unlocked. I would also recommend this to players who are well-versed in survival MMOs. That said, I think there is still something to the format of Locked Research. I think it’s better either way, but it’s truthfully up to you, and what you feel ready for.

If you prefer learning things at a nice gradual pace, go with Locked Research in Dune Awakening. If you just want to craft whatever you need whenever you need it, without hand-holding, try Unlocked Research.

Check out our other Dune Awakening guides and features:

About the author

Jason is an Esports and Gaming journalist at Sportskeeda holding an amazing 11 years of experience under his belt. Having put out 4000-plus articles and amassing over 12 million reads for Sportskeeda, he is among the company’s most experienced writers. Jason holds a Bachelor's degree in English from UNC Pembroke and was inspired to become a gaming journalist very early on in life after reading Nintendo Power.

Jason is a jack of all trades when it comes to gaming journalism. He’s a key writer in Sportskeeda's MMO department, but he also likes to help out in other categories, like streamers, RPG, card games, and whatever else is needed. A solo gamer at heart, Jason's favorite titles include Earthbound and Dragon Warrior.

Jason places high value on accuracy and relevance in his write-ups. He achieves this with thorough research to sift facts from rumors. One of the biggest highlights of his career is his interview with Canadian pro wrestler Kenny Omega about his inclusion in the Like a Dragon game series. He is also good friends with journalist Kazumo Hashimoto, who he admires for the kind of stories he works on and his deep ethics.

A true cinephile, one of Jason’s primary hobbies involves enjoying cinematic experiences. He also loves reading, be it fiction or manga, when not working. Additionally, he streams on Twitch and posts his gaming insights on YouTube.

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Edited by Jason Parker