Dune: Awakening: free Blood and Ice expansion in December

The Blood and Ice expansion for Dune: Awakening is free and arrives in December, according to Rock Paper Shotgun. It introduces the Polar Sink, a new survival map where, per a Steam blog post cited by the outlet, the skills learned in the desert are put to the test.

Rather than guarding against extreme heat, players must find ways to stay warm. The technology developed for the desert is described as insufficient, so players will need to upgrade equipment, gather new resources and adapt their strategies to the cold. The Polar Sink has two biomes: the tundra, where players begin, and the ice cap. Conditions in the tundra are described as more manageable than on the ice cap, though the families there are said not to welcome interference with their operations.

The stated goal is to reach the ice cap and gather its resources, chiefly ice, which can be used to cool base equipment and speed up production. The expansion is said to offer around 35 hours of new progression, along with new vehicle modules, augments and specialisation traits, with future updates planned to bring players back to the Polar Sink.

November will see the arrival of an offline mode, meaning an internet connection is not needed to play, the outlet reports. Character copying, which lets players copy a character from multiplayer servers to single-player, is coming in January alongside full cross-play.

A new cosmetic store is also mentioned, allowing players to purchase optional cosmetic items including outfits, vehicle variants and additional ways to customise bases.