Running into the Deep Desert solo in Dune: Awakening is one of the most thrilling (and chaotic) things you can do. It’s like stepping into a Mad Max sandbox, but with sandworms and angry guilds. Whether you’re chasing Tier 6 progression or just want to farm titanium and stravidium easily without a party, I’ve got your back. I’ve been doing solo runs for weeks, and here’s everything I’ve learned, along with a few near-death experiences.
Solo Guide to Tier 6 & Deep Desert
The Deep Desert is where the training wheels come off. Hagga Basin will carry you comfortably through Tier 5, but to reach Tier 6, the current peak of progression, you need to cross the Shield Wall and brave the Deep Desert.
This isn’t just a prettier sandbox. It’s a 9×9 grid of PvP-flagged zones filled with valuable resources, spice plumes, crash ships, and of course, death. Row A is your safe zone, but everything north of that? Danger. PvP. Shai-Hulud/s aka Ringmouth Worms. And probably some player named “BloodDrip420” who lives in the dunes waiting to rocket your ornithopter.
Getting to the Deep Desert
To enter the Deep Desert, you’ll need a Tier 4 (or better) ornithopter. Nothing fancy, even a basic aluminum-crafted one will do the trick as long as it’s in decent shape. Here’s the route I always take:
- Step 1: Fly to the edge of Hagga Basin.
- Step 2: Access the overworld via exit node.
- Step 3: Navigate northwest on the map and choose one of the three Deep Desert entry points.
Each entry will drop you into Row A, which is a PvE-only buffer zone. You’re safe here, no PvP, no random rockets to the face, just good old desert quiet where you can build an outpost or stash your loot before going deeper.
If you want the full breakdown with directions, visuals, and all that, check out my other guide on how to reach the Deep Desert (PvP Area) in Dune: Awakening, it’ll save you from aimless gliding and bad decisions.
Best Ornithopter for Solo Runs
There are three main choices:
- Scout (Light) – 180 km/h glide speed. Speed demon, low storage.
- Assault (Medium) – 160 km/h. Balance of speed, armor, and storage.
- Carrier (Heavy) – 140 km/h. Slow tank with lots of room. Meant for groups.
Go with Scout if you’re solo. You’ll trade storage for speed, but that speed will save your life. Most players can’t even react before you’ve glided in, grabbed the loot, and vanished. If you’re feeling bold or need extra storage, the Assault orni with boosters can climb fast and kite enemies, especially good if you’re anticipating PvP chases.
Assault Ornithopter Tips
However, the Assault Ornithopter is honestly my go-to when I’m flying solo deep. Why? Because it can carry both Boosters and Storage, which is already a huge win. But here’s the real kicker: it absolutely punishes Scouts in a vertical chase.
Scouts might be faster in straight lines, but the moment you start climbing, especially with Boosters on a Mark V Assault build, you’re cruising at around 120km/h straight up. Meanwhile, Scout Ornis start bleeding speed fast the moment they tilt up to follow you, especially if they’re trying to aim or shoot at the same time. Most of them give up once they realize they’re turning into a slow-moving glider and you’re halfway to the clouds with their loot.
Best Resources to Farm
If you’re serious about reaching Tier 6, this is your new home. The Deep Desert is the only place with:
- Spice Plumes: Tier 6 spice spawns during big events like the Ringmouth Worm. Small plumes are low-risk, high-reward for solos.
- Titanium: Mostly found beyond Row D. Look for rocky nodes in Row E and above.
- Stravidium: Needed for plastium, mineable from mid-northern areas (Rows E+).
- Landsraad Objectives for reputation and progress
- Don’t bother with aluminum or basalt, they’re common in Hagga.
Crash Ships = Jackpot. These are your golden ticket. Loot fast, scan panels, and don’t linger, everyone wants what’s inside: Tier 6 parts, pumps, servos, plaststeel, and sometimes rare trade materials.
But there’s a catch, it resets every Tuesday with the Coriolis Storm. That means all outposts, storage, and builds get wiped. You’ve got a ticking clock the moment you drop in. Think of it as a weekly hunger games… but with thopters and sandworms.
Setting Up a Safe Outpost
You can build a mini base or stash in Row A of the Deep Desert. It’s PvE-safe and perfect for:
- Temporary storage
- Outpost respawn points
- Group staging zones
Just remember to haul your loot back to Hagga Basin before Tuesday, or you’ll lose it all when the storm rolls in.
How To Handle PvP & Avoid Ambush (And Not Ragequit)
- Avoid combat unless you’re confident.
- Scout plumes and crash ships before landing. Do a 360° camera check and listen for enemy thopters.
- Use small plumes. They’re quick and usually ignored by large PvP squads.
- Use your ears, ornithopters are loud, so if you don’t hear anything, the coast is probably clear.
- If ambushed? RUN. Hit Vulture Mode and zigzag. Never fly straight.
- Avoid using your suspensor belt unless necessary, it burns resources fast.
The Scout’s speed makes you nearly untouchable if you’re paying attention.
Flight Tips: How Not to Die in the Sky
- Check Your Thopter’s Health: Go to Manage Vehicle before every trip. Wings and engine degrade fast. Damaged wings = slower glide = easy kill.
- Also, keep your generator and engine in good shape, they’re your lifeline when you need to get out fast.
- Vulture Mode = Life: Glide by pressing Shift to conserve fuel and increase speed. When your engine is on, you’re actually at your slowest. Just like in the movies, gliding is the way to go. To glide, press Shift to enter Vulture Mode, your engine shuts off, and you start soaring.
- Mark V Glide Speed: 170 km/h
- Mark VI Glide Speed: 180 km/h
- Sweet Spot: Slightly below the horizon, maintains speed while descending slowly.
- When you’re gliding and in vulture mode, you can actually spam your WASD movements a lot faster than usual.
- Maneuver Like a Pro: When gliding, movement becomes exaggerated. Turning requires big, dramatic mouse movements, yank left or right, or pitch up and down aggressively to bank and shift your direction. This isn’t a smooth-flying simulator. It’s desert dogfighting.
- Use those sharp turns to dodge enemies, reposition, or dive for resources. If you start to lose control or need to reset your angle, just tap the engine to reorient and then go back into Vulture Mode.
- If you’re being chased, NEVER glide in a straight line. Even if you’re fast, enemies in Vulture Mode with rocket pods will catch up eventually. You need to bank and strafe to throw off their aim. It also helps absorb rocket hits with your frame instead of a wing. Once a wing goes, you’re done.
- Use Free Look: Hold Right-Click to look around mid-flight. Use it to…
- Spot spice fields or crash ships
- Check for enemies before landing
- Pull flashy turns or evasive dives
If you’re serious about flying Ornithopters like a true Arrakis ace, check out our full guide on how Ornithopters work and how to fly them properly in Dune: Awakening. It covers everything from gliding tricks to PvP escape moves, basically, all the stuff I wish I knew when I first took off.
In Case of Emergency
Store the Thopter! If things get too dicey and you know you’re going to die, store your ornithopter before it’s destroyed. That way, you’ll respawn with it intact and can just redeploy it from your inventory.
If you’ve got materials in the thopter’s ship storage, you’ll need to quickly land, dump them into a nearby stash or base, then store the thopter. Worst case? Let them kill you, you’ll respawn at the edge of the Deep Desert with your tools and thopter safe.
Taxi Service Exists (Yes, Really). Lost your ornithopter? No backup? No guildmates online? Go to the Pilot Taxi Service, currently in A5, near the exit of the Shield Wall. You can buy a ride back to Hagga Basin if you’re stuck. Or… you can always jump off a cliff or die from dehydration and respawn at your base (just be aware that this deletes all gear you’re carrying).
Sandstorm Survival: Hide or Die
When you’re 15 to 20 kilometers out from the safe zone, gathering rare resources like titanium and stravidium, and a sandstorm starts rolling in, you need to act fast. You’ve got a few options, but flying through a sandstorm is a terrible idea. Sandstorms shred your ornithopter’s durability by 40–60% across all parts.
Most ornithopters can maybe survive one sandstorm. Two? You’re probably crashing. And if another player spots you limping through the air? You’re a free kill.
The solution? Get Sheltered status.
- Find an overhang, alcove, or wedge into crash ship debris
- Doesn’t matter if you have to awkwardly ram it in at low speed, you won’t take much damage, and the game doesn’t care how graceful you look. Once sheltered, just wait it out.
- Bonus: Stilltent works in emergencies
Loadout Checklist
Bring this kit every trip:
- Mark V Cutter Array – For titanium and stravidium
- Tier 5/6 Compactor – For spice plumes
- Suspensor Belt (Optional) – For looting hard-to-reach crash ship panels
- 500 Welding Wire – Field repairs
- 2 Fuel Cells – Emergency juice
- Combat Armor (Light or Medium) – Never wear a stillsuit out here
- Leader John Gear – Bring water; the desert doesn’t forgive
Using Orni Scanner for Offense
You can always bring Thumpers as distractions, but here’s a fun trick I discovered: the scan module on your ornithopter also pisses off sandworms.
If you land directly on sand in worm territory and use your scanner, it acts like a “Thumper Lite.” Worms hate it. They get super aggro and start digging toward you.
If you’re being chased or want to make life harder for other players, just land, scan a few times, and take off. You can even bait people, land, scan, hide in the rocks, and force ground combat while worms wreak havoc nearby. It’s chaotic, but effective.
Wrap-Up
Soloing the Deep Desert in Dune: Awakening is absolutely viable, and honestly, it’s a blast once you know the ropes. You’re a flying rogue, skimming sandstorms, dodging death, and stealing loot from under the noses of 5-player squads. Just remember:
- Always scout before you land.
- Know when to run (which is most of the time).
- Glide often, bank hard, and never panic.
The desert doesn’t forgive mistakes, but it does reward risk. If you’re ready to fly solo, Tier 6 is yours for the taking, just try not to become worm bait. Up next, if you’re still hunting for that perfect spot to set up camp, I’ve got you covered, check out our guide on the best base locations for farming all materials in Dune: Awakening. It’ll save you hours of aimless wandering (trust me, I’ve been there).
