Lore

Dune: Awakening - 5 Changes the Story Makes to the Original Timeline | Sietch Watermaster

Sietch Watermaster - Staff

29 Jun 2025 — 5 min read

Dune: Awakening takes place in an alternate timeline of the Dune universe. (Image credit: Funcom)

Shifting Sands: Meet Ariste, Heir of House Atreides

Summary:

· Paul Atreides is absent, replaced by Ariste, shifting the focus from a prophesied savior to a new leader.

· Duke Leto survives, sparking a prolonged conflict between Houses Atreides and Harkonnen on Arrakis.

· The Fremen are missing, adding a new mystery to the narrative and altering the dynamic of the game world.

Dune: Awakening isn't the first video game or book in the vast IP to alter the setting or lore, exploring other parts of the story. The Dune universe is uniquely suited to the concept of alternate timelines, and many writers and creators have explored different possibilities if Frank Herbert's original story had taken a different turn.

The story of Dune: Awakening remains faithful to the original series, featuring the noble houses, the Emperor, and key characters such as Jessica, Leto Atreides, Doctor Yueh, and Duncan Idaho. The universe is still organized under the Imperial rule of House Harkonnen, and the Bene Gesserit continue their shadowy machinations. However, these are mostly cosmetic issues, and the game developers had something different in mind with this new adventure.

5. Paul Atredies Was Never Born

Ariste Is the Heir Of House Atreides

*From across timestreams, Paul Atreides tells you in the opening narration, in this timeline he was never born. (Image credit: Funcom)*

There is no "Chosen One" coming to save you in Dune: Awakening.

This is an MMO and an RPG, meaning the player is the main character, so it's logical that one of the first and most significant changes is the absence of Paul Atreides. This allows the main character to take his place, perhaps not as the Chosen One, but as a figure equally significant in the prophecy.

Instead of giving birth to Paul, Jessica obeys the Bene Gesserit and gives birth to a daughter, Ariste, who is intended to marry into House Harkonnen as part of the original plan with the bloodlines.

*In the alternate timeline of Dune: Awakening, Lady Jessica obeys the Bene Gesserit and gives birth to a daughter instead. (Image credit: Funcom)*

Although she's the heir to House Atreides, she's expected eventually to give birth to the Kwisach Hadderach, though not to be the child of prophecy herself. The Bene Gesserit reward Lady Jessica's loyalty.

4. Trained As A Truthsayer

Jessica Discovers Yueh's Betrayal

*Lady Jessica becomes a Truthsayer. (Image credit: Funcom)*

Jessica doesn't defy the Bene Gesserit in this timeline, and they reward her for her loyalty and service by training her as a Truthsayer. Her heightened powers reveal Yueh's treachery, and he's unable to poison the Duke and lower the House's shields to make way for the Harkonnen attack.

*Lady Jessica detects Dr. Yueh's deception in this timeline. (Image credit: Funcom)*

The Bene Gesserit wants both houses to survive, which is one reason they gave Jessica the power to defend the Atreides. The Emperor has similar designs to play both houses against each other, and strategically positions the Sardaukar on Arrakis in the conflict.

3. Duke Leto Survives

The War Of Assassins Begins

Duke Leto survives, as does most of House Atreides, but the battle that ended in one night in the original lore evolves into a multi-year conflict, with Arrakis serving as the staging area.

*Duke Leto consults with Lady Jessica. (Image credit: Funcom)*

Both Houses are evenly matched, and the Emperor isn't taking sides this time, resulting in the ongoing conflict that forms part of the setting in Dune: Awakening.

When the game begins, Arrakis has already been the site of this conflict for several years, explaining the scrap metal and spare batteries scattered everywhere. Scavengers and bandits are an even more constant presence, now picking through the bodies of dead soldiers in addition to foraging in the desert.

*Deliberations in council. (Image credit: Funcom)*

2. The Sardaukar Police Arrakis

The Emperor Ensures The Flow Of Spice

*The Emperor deploys the Sardaukar, his personal guard, to Arrakis to maintain stability. (Image credit: Funcom)*

The Emperor and his family couldn't care less about the battle between Houses Atreides and Harkonnen, as long as the spice continues to flow. Instead of using the Sardaukar to fight against one side or the other, the Emperor's guard acts as a global military police force, protecting the interests of traders and corporate contracts that depend on melange.

*Conflict over the control of spice. (Image credit: Funcom)*

This is a departure from the original story, where the Emperor sided with House Harkonnen to defeat the ever-growing power and popularity of House Atreides. In this version, Duke Leto had a Truthsayer by his side, and House Corinno wisely decided to remain neutral.

1. The Fremen Have Disappeared

Are They Hidden Or Extinct?

In the original story, the Fremen were certainly reclusive, but there was never any doubt that they existed and were present somewhere on the planet. House Harkonnen underestimated their numbers, and House Atreides sought to utilize their "desert power."

In Dune: Awakening, the narration at the beginning suggests that the Fremen have disappeared entirely—that they've either left the desert completely or have simply died out. This raises the stakes for the narrative as a whole, since Dune isn't the same place without the locals.

One of the first things the protagonist discovers is that this is not the case. The Bene Gesserit mother whom players interact with during character creation tasks them with finding the Fremen, so they obviously still exist; they've utilized their survivalist skills to hide their numbers even more efficiently.