How To Unlock The Planetologist Class In Dune: Awakening

While there are five classes in Dune: Awakening, the one that’s arguably the most useful doesn’t become available until you complete a side quest while first exploring Arrakis in Hagga Basin South. The Planetologist class includes skills and abilities that make exploration and salvaging much more efficient, and it’s the best class to dip into early in the game to acquire more materials from salvaging, among other benefits. If you’re wondering how to unlock the Planetologist, you’ll have to find an NPC named Derek Chinara in his camp near Testing Station 02.

The Planetologist is one of the five main classes in Dune: Awakening, with specializations that focus on enhancing exploration abilities, vehicle maintenance, and more. It’s the only class that is not available as a starting class, and therefore doesn’t have any unique starting skills available. While you most likely come across Chinara’s Camp as you naturally explore the starting region, unlocking the Planetologist can easily be missed if you aren’t paying attention. You’ll want to unlock the Planetologist as early as you can to take advantage of the various survival and exploration skills.

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How To Unlock The Planetologist In Dune: Awakening

Why You Should Unlock Dune: Awakening’s Planetologist Class Early

How To Unlock The Planetologist In Dune: Awakening

Find Chinara’s Camp & Complete A Short Side Quest

To unlock the Planetologist class in Dune: Awakening, you’ll want to make sure you’re equipped with the basic gear, such as a Stillsuit or decent set of armor, as well as your basic Maula Pistol and a knife for shielded enemies. There will be a bit of combat during this quest, but nothing incredibly challenging.

Make sure you have ammo and are familiar with the basic combat mechanics before venturing into Testing Station 02. It’s also highly recommended that you grab this quest alongside the other main quests that require items found in Testing Station 02, otherwise, you’ll be doing a lot of back and forth.

It’s possible to collect the Minimic Film before speaking with Derek and simply hand it over to him when you speak to him at Chinara’s Camp.

Regardless of when you visit Chinara’s Camp, speak with Derek and agree to track down the Minimic Film inside the Testing Station in exchange for lessons in Planetology. You can then go into Testing Station 02 and do a bit of searching around to find the Minimic Film. The film is located in a secret room in the very bottom of the Testing Station. Look for a bookshelf with a yellow glowing book, which can be activated to reveal a hidden room. There’s a container in there with the Minimic Film, which you can then return to Derek back at his camp.

Why You Should Unlock Dune: Awakening’s Planetologist Class Early

Planetologist Skills Are Extremely Useful In The Early Parts Of Dune: Awakening

A handful of skills in the Planetologist class make it worth unlocking as early as you can manage to do so. While the early tutorial lessons can take up to 10 hours for some players, it’s possible to complete this quest before any of the main progression missions. However, you may end up needing to take a few extra trips to Testing Station 02 if you don’t grab the materials required for the other Testing Station 02 missions, so bear that in mind while you’re in the location. Your best bet is to thoroughly explore the Testing Station and grab everything you can.

All Unique Weapons In Dune: Awakening

There are many weapons in Dune: Awakening, but only a limited number of uniques that are unlocked using schematics in rare containers on Arrakis.

The Planetologist class and skill tree are extremely useful in the early stages of the game because of how they enhance various survival and exploration skills. In particular, you’ll be able to increase yields gained when using the Cutteray device for materials such as granite, copper, etc. Further, you can better optimize the regeneration on your Power Packs, and you’ll also be able to decrease vehicle wear and tear by a significant percentage, which will be very helpful once you complete your first Sandbike.

Where Does Dune: Awakening Fit In The Dune Timeline?

Dune: Awakening is an upcoming survival MMORPG set on the desert planet of Arrakis in an alternate timeline from the beloved Dune novels.

These are just the early benefits of the class, but it’s best to invest in Planetologist skills throughout your entire journey, as these are going to increase your chances of survival considerably. Overall, the Planetologist class is among the most practical and useful classes to unlock early in Dune: Awakening —just be sure you don’t skip over Derek Chinara’s camp while exploring the starting area, or you’ll miss out on some essential skills.