The latest in Dune: Awakening’s pre-launch previews involves the Swordmaster class, highlighting the melee combat that the universe is known for.
The Swordmasters are employed and deployed by the Great Houses of the Known Universe as warriors and teachers alike, unrivaled in intimate combat for the need to circumvent shield technology. (Hey, guys, I’m reading Dune now, I think I’m learning.) As a result, Swordmasters are agile, with quick reflexes, and the skills seem to reflect it.
A Retaliation ability, for example, seems to create a brief parry window against enemies that are directly in front of the player. On a similar vein, the Deflection ability directly deflects ranged projectiles, letting a player move in towards a gun-wielding opponent if so desired.
There’s also a nifty Disciplined Breathing passive introduced in the video, which seems to not only be a survival perk, but also one for a stealth approach as well.
The official preview blog details some of the abilities available at launch, as well as how to start this class path. So far, Funcom has also revealed previews of the Bene Gesserit, Troopers, and Mentat, which means we just have the Planetologists left. And if you’re curious about how the game will shake out beyond these stories, the team live-streamed a full mid-to-late game preview yesterday.
And in case you’re counting, Dune: Awakening’s pre-order head start opens in a week on June 5, with the gates opened for all players on June 10.
