Disappearing Items Plague Dune: Awakening, Devs Offer Temporary Fix: “Stand Around for Up to 10 Minutes”

The unforgiving sands of Arrakis are proving to be a harsh mistress for players in the early access of Dune: Awakening, and it’s not just the sandworms they have to worry about. A new and particularly frustrating bug is causing players to lose their hard-earned items, particularly when traveling between different sectors of the expansive desert world. In a candid response to the community, developer Funcom has acknowledged the issue and, while working on a more permanent solution, has offered a temporary workaround that has been met with a mixture of humor and exasperation: players should simply stand still for “up to 10 minutes” after filling their vehicles’ inventory before moving on.

The bug, which seems to have been introduced with a recent patch, is causing a disconnect between the player’s local client and the server’s database, especially when a player is traveling too quickly after loading their vehicle with resources. When this happens, a player’s inventory might appear empty on the client side, even though the items still exist in the game’s database. This “mismatch” can lead to the illusion of lost items, which is a major blow to a game built around resource gathering and survival. The core of the problem, according to Funcom, is a timing issue related to how the game handles inventory data during the transition between maps, particularly between the more stable Hagga Basin and the dangerous Deep Desert.

The Temporary Fix and the Community’s Reaction

In a developer update and a response on social media, Funcom has advised players on how to avoid the bug for now. The recommendation is to “wait up to 10 minutes after filling a vehicle’s inventory before traveling to other maps or Deep Desert sectors.” This allows the server enough time to correctly process and register all the items, preventing the desync that causes them to seemingly disappear. While a practical solution, it has understandably sparked a reaction from the player base.

One player on Reddit remarked, “Yikes, yea lemme just chill in i-1 for 10 min after I harvest spice, no problem,” while another joked, “Okay Funcom, I’ll try to negotiate with gankers on my tail, that they need to wait 10 minutes when I try to run away with my spice.” These comments highlight the central absurdity of the workaround in a game that is all about constant motion and the threat of other players and giant sandworms. In a game where every second counts, and where being static in the open desert is a death sentence, the advice to “stand around for up to 10 minutes” is a unique and challenging suggestion, to say the least.

Funcom’s Apology and Ongoing Efforts

The disappearing item bug is the latest in a series of inventory-related issues that have plagued Dune: Awakening since its early access launch. The developers have been actively addressing these problems, often with hotfixes and promises of reimbursements. Funcom has already apologized for a separate bug that caused players to lose entire bases and equipment when a patch inadvertently switched some PvE areas to PvP. In that instance, the company promised to restore all lost vehicles and items “to the best of our ability.” They have also been working to improve their internal tools to better track and reimburse players for lost items due to bugs, a significant step forward from their initial lack of such tools at launch.

The developers have stated that they have a dedicated team focused on mitigating vehicle and item loss from server crashes, disconnects, and server transfers, and that they are “working to address the root causes of the item loss.” The new workaround, while imperfect, is a sign that they have at least isolated the problem and are working on a more robust fix. For now, players are advised to follow the “10-minute rule” and to submit a support ticket if they lose any items, with the understanding that Funcom is doing its best to tackle a complex issue in a large, persistent online world. Despite the growing pains, the community remains largely supportive of the developers’ transparency and their commitment to fixing the game’s issues before its full release.