When you drop into Dune Awakening Items, the vast sands of Arrakis, the tension between noble houses, and the ruinous struggle for power set the stage. Early on, you’ll discover that joining a faction (House Atreides or House Harkonnen) is not merely cosmetic — it shapes your mission paths, reputation rewards, faction perks, and even your PvP standing. This first blog walks you through the opening steps, reconnaissance, and how to position yourself toward pledging allegiance to Atreides.

1. Understanding the Stakes: Why House Atreides?

Before committing, you should know what you’re getting into. House Atreides offers unique cosmetics, vendor access, faction-specific contracts, and prestige rewards for ranking up within the house.  Because the game design encourages you to specialize in one house’s path, you’ll lose access to many of the rival’s quests and benefits once you commit. That said, you can defect later (though with steep costs) if you change your mind. 

If you enjoy themes of honor, strategy, alliance, and a more “noble” narrative arc, Atreides tends to appeal. Harkonnen is more ruthless, antagonistic, and often more bloodthirsty. Many guides even suggest that Atreides tends to have more followers, making it easier to find teammates of the same faction. 

2. The Breadcrumb to The Anvil Tradepost

Your path toward Atreides begins with a quest chain that leads you from your starting areas (e.g. Griffin’s Reach Tradepost) to the Anvil Tradepost, located in the Eastern Vermillius Gap.  The game often sets up minor missions or directional steps so that you naturally arrive at The Anvil, though savvy players might shortcut or explore elsewhere first. 

Upon arriving at The Anvil, you'll trigger a cutscene: Lieutenant Anton Tolliver (Atreides representative) is confronting a Harkonnen emissary, Maxim Kazmir. This dramatizes the rivalry and presents your first real choice. 

3. Meeting the Faction Reps

After the cutscene, you’ll have the opportunity to talk to both representatives — Tolliver (Atreides) and Kazmir (Harkonnen).  At this stage, the game doesn’t force you to choose immediately. You can accept early contracts from either side, begin proving your worth, and feel out the direction you prefer. 

However, be cautious: once you complete deeper loyalty missions, your alignment becomes more binding. 

4. The First Contract: “The Missing Spy”

After talking with Tolliver, he will task you with your first contract in the Atreides line: The Missing Spy. 

How it unfolds:

  • Travel into the Vermillius Gap region (south of The Anvil). 

  • You’ll see a rocky formation marked on your map — climb upwards (don’t stay at sand level) and find a small camp.

  • Inside you’ll discover a dead body and a recorded log. Play the recording. 

  • Return to Tolliver and report your findings. 

An important twist: the quest allows branching — you could hand over the intel to Harkonnen instead, steering your progress toward that faction. But for Atreides loyalty, don’t do that. 

5. Strategy Tips & Gear Prep

  • Stamina & movement gear: Climbing terrain or higher ground can be exhausting; make sure you’re adequately leveled, with stamina-boosting gear or movement items, and you’re familiar with traversal mechanics.

  • Map awareness: Don’t confuse Kirab camps in sand-level zones with the spy’s elevated perch. The spy’s camp is above the sand line.

  • Don’t fully commit yet: Continue doing other side missions or exploring as you pursue these early faction contracts — the game gives you space to learn and prepare.

  • Save resources: You’ll soon get contracts asking for combat, stealth, or gear; it’s wise to stock up any crafting materials and ensure your equipment is decent.

  • Dialogue choices matter: In later quests, your conversation options may determine success or Buy Dune Awakening Items failure, so choose carefully (especially in Test of Cunning).