Venturing into the harsh sands of Arrakis in Dune: Awakening is no easy feat, but your journey becomes a lot more thrilling—and manageable—once you align yourself with one of the game's specialized Schools of the Imperium. These aren't just classes in the traditional MMO sense—they're pathways of ideology, discipline, and combat doctrine in the survival-driven world crafted by Funcom.

If you're unsure about which class to pick or whether your decision will lock you out of other powerful skills down the road, this guide will help you navigate each School, from ranged-focused Troopers and Mentats to close-combat Swordmasters and cunning Bene Gesserits. We'll also touch on the Planetologist, a utility-centric class unlocked later in the campaign. Whether you're here to dominate PvP in the Deep Desert or gather resources for industrial empire-building, the right School can shape your gameplay for dozens, if not hundreds, of hours.

What Are the Schools of the Imperium?

In Dune: Awakening, your class is determined by your alignment with one of the Schools of the Imperium—organizations and philosophies with deep roots in Frank Herbert's lore. At character creation, you select your starting class by choosing a mentor representing one of these Schools. This selection determines your primary School, giving you full access to its skill trees.

The five Schools are:

· Mentat – Tactical support and turrets

· Trooper – Ranged damage and battlefield control

· Bene Gesserit – Manipulation, debuffs, and stealth

· Swordmaster – Melee supremacy and defense

· Planetologist – Resource gathering, vehicle efficiency (Unlocked later)

Each School has three skill trees, divided into:

· Abilities (Diamonds) – Active combat or utility skills placed on your action bar

· Passives (Circles) – Permanent buffs to stamina, damage, or survivability

· Techniques (Octagons) – Specialized enhancements, usually conditional or advanced effects

You only have 200 Skill Points, and Abilities and Techniques cost 2 points each, while Passives cost 1. You can respec freely, but only once every 48 hours, so careful planning is advised—especially when mixing primary and secondary School skills.

Mentat – Masters of Control and Turrets

The Mentat is the cerebral tactician of Dune: Awakening. This class excels in PvE due to its deployable turrets and utility gadgets that can make soloing tougher content much easier. In PvP, Mentats shine by using skills that control the battlefield and punish enemies for reckless positioning.

Recommended Mentat Skills:

· Sentry Turret – Deploys a small automatic turret that attacks nearby enemies. Perfect for farming, solo dungeons, and Deep Desert PvP support.

· Anti-Gravity Mine – Renders affected enemies helpless by disabling most skills, forcing them to rely only on movement abilities.

· Iron Will – Immunity to all Bene Gesserit "Voice" abilities. Mandatory if you encounter many players from that School.

· Marksman/Exploit Weakness – Choose Marksman for headshot accuracy; choose Exploit Weakness if you prefer general DPS without aiming precision.

· Source of Power – Recharges shields exponentially when standing near the generator. Excellent for surviving ambushes or long engagements.

Playstyle: Great for defensive or control-based players who want to dominate PvE and control territory in PvP with tools rather than brute force.

Trooper – The Gunslinger Combat Specialist

The Trooper is the soldier's choice—tactical, durable, and able to leverage firepower to devastating effect. If you like being the frontline rifleman, this School will feel immediately satisfying.

Recommended Trooper Skills:

· Shigawire Claw – Pull yourself to terrain or enemies, enabling high mobility when paired with suspensor belts.

· Reflexive Reload – Instantly reload after using a grenade/mine, ideal for sustained damage output.

· Battle Hardened – Reduces cooldowns of all Trooper-specific abilities. Boosts damage uptime significantly.

· Suspensor Efficiency – Reduces power usage of your suspensor belt by 25%, making you more mobile and evasive.

· Field Maintenance & Gunsmith – Increases durability of weapons and tools, allowing longer expeditions without repairs.

· Energy Capsule – Boosts ranged weapon damage by 35%, making you a burst-damage monster.

· Death from Above – Grants bonus damage while suspended. Pairs best with high-quality suspensor belts.

· Center of Mass – Great for players who struggle with landing headshots.

Playstyle: Ideal for solo PvP roamers, group PvE, and defending spice blows. If you love ranged DPS and grenades, this class is for you.

Bene Gesserit – Manipulators and Assassins

The Bene Gesserit is a class rooted in deception, psychological warfare, and surgical execution. Using "Voice" skills that must first register an enemy target, this School is more about timing and control than raw damage output.

Recommended Bene Gesserit Skills:

· Bindu Sprint – A fast dash with invulnerability frames. Great for initiating or escaping.

· Compel – Confuses enemies. In PvP, this can disrupt target-lock and break attack chains.

· Trauma Recovery – Increases HP regen. Helpful for drawn-out fights or sustained travel.

· Ignore – Temporarily turns you "invisible" to enemies, creating tactical positioning opportunities.

· Rapid Register – Reduces cast time for Voice Abilities. Must-have for effective PvP.

· Manipulate Instability – Deals poise damage to stagger enemies. Critical in close-quarters combat.

· Prana-Bindu Stability & Litany Against Fear – Together, these reduce how quickly you get staggered. Essential against fast-hitting enemies.

· Weirding Step – Stuns enemies while you teleport behind them. Devastating opener in PvP.

Playstyle: Perfect for players who prefer calculated combat, ambushes, and crowd control. If you enjoy PvP duels or taking down unsuspecting enemies, this is the School for you.

Swordmaster – The Blade Dancer

The Swordmaster is the most traditional melee class in Dune: Awakening. Offering a balance of offense and defense, Swordmasters excel in 1v1 and small-group PvP.

Recommended Swordmaster Skills:

· Prescient Strike – Doubles your next attack when Spice Prescient. Useful for burst combos.

· Optimized Hydration – Boosts stamina based on hydration levels. Important for long fights or travel.

· Thrive on Danger – Reduces the delay before HP regeneration kicks in. Fantastic for survivability.

· Eye of the Storm – Best when fighting multiple enemies.

· Confidence – Provides damage mitigation during simultaneous offense/defense situations.

Playstyle: Melee purists and PvP duelists will love this class. It's best used in coordination with strong defensive gear and hydration management.

Planetologist – The Resource Master (Unlockable)

The Planetologist is unlocked later in your journey, but it's worth the investment. Focused on exploration, resource gathering, and vehicle enhancements, this class is the backbone of any successful industrial operation.

Recommended Planetologist Skills:

· Cutteray Mining – Boosts Cutterray resource yield. Especially valuable in resource-dense zones.

· Deep Analysis – Works in tandem with Cutterray Mining for maximum return.

· Heat Management – Reduces heat build-up. Let you stay out in the sun longer while boosting.

· Conservation of Energy – Reduces energy usage across the board. Must-have for long-range expeditions.

· Rerouting (once fixed) – Intended to improve energy regeneration. Currently buggy.

· Vehicle Mining + Efficiency Upgrades – Enhances mining buggies, improves fuel usage, and increases part lifespan.

Playstyle: Ideal for solo players focused on crafting, exploration, and resource collection. Not optimal for PvP, but indispensable for supporting guild economies and base-building.

How to Unlock Other Schools (Trainer Locations)

You're not limited to your primary class. Once in-game, you can interact with other trainers and complete their quests to unlock their skill trees as secondary options.

Here's where you can find each one:

School Trainer Location

Mentat Samin Moro Harkonnen Fortress, south of Hagga Rift

Trooper Ghavouri Griffin's Trading Outpost, south of Hagga Basin

Planetologist Derek Chinara North of Imperial Testing Station No. 2 in Hagga Basin

Bene Gesserit Sister Mesa Helius Gate, southeast corner of the Eastern Shield Wall

Swordmaster Arno Pinnacle Station Tradepost, northwest of Jabal Eifrit

Each will offer you 6–10 quests, after which you can begin allocating skill points into their trees. While you'll never get the full benefits of a secondary School like you do with a primary, the synergy between Schools opens up powerful hybrid builds.

Final Thoughts: Which Class Should You Choose?

No matter what class you choose, you'll find that Dune: Awakening is as much about adaptability and synergy as it is about raw power. With the ability to respec and mix builds, the freedom to experiment is one of the game's greatest strengths.

So, which School of the Imperium will you follow on your path to greatness in Dune: Awakening? Let us know in the comments—and remember: Fear is the mind-killer.

For more Dune Awakening solari, guides, class breakdowns, and deep desert survival tips, stay tuned right here. May your ornithopter fly true and your spice reserves overflow.