The Planetologist is a powerful support class in Dune: Awakening that specializes in exploration, resource gathering, and vehicle efficiency. Unlike other archetypes, Planetologist is unlocked through a questline and excels at long-term progression rather than early combat power. This guide covers everything from unlocking the class to mastering its Scientist, Explorer, and Mechanic skill trees.
1. How the Planetologist Class Works in Dune: Awakening
Skills Tree Overview
The Planetologist is a non-starter class that must be unlocked through Derek Chinara’s questline across multiple Imperial Testing Stations. Once unlocked, it grants access to three distinct passive-heavy trees: Scientist, Explorer, and Mechanic. Each branch improves travel efficiency, harvest yield, and vehicle performance, making the class ideal for Deep Desert survival and endgame resource farming.
Planetologists gain mostly passive skills that enhance tools like the Cutteray, Dew Reaper, and vehicles such as Sandcrawlers and Ornithopters. The only active skill is Suspensor Pad, used to launch players or enemies vertically. Capstone abilities like Spice Surveyor, Conservation of Energy, and Heat Management unlock powerful late-game buffs for any expedition crew.
All Classes
2. Should You Start as Planetologist in Dune: Awakening?
You cannot select Planetologist during character creation in Dune: Awakening. Unlike the Mentat, Trooper, Bene Gesserit or Swordmaster, this class is unlocked later through a multi-step quest chain. However, it is strongly recommended to unlock the Planetologist as early as possible, especially if your goals involve harvesting spice, exploring harsh environments, or supporting a group with logistics.
If you wish to unlock all the skills as Planetologist be sure to check out How to Unlock the Planetologist Class.
Because of its passive focus and lack of burst damage, it’s not ideal for early PvP, but it becomes one of the most strategically essential roles in the mid to late game — especially in Deep Desert runs and vehicle-based farming.
2.1 Pros
- Highest resource yield in the game (Cutteray, Dew Reaper, Compactor, Sandcrawlers)
- Best fuel and power efficiency for all vehicles
- Access to Spice Surveyor and Scanner Mastery for farming Deep Desert spice fields
- Suspensor Pad grants unique mobility across vertical terrain
- Strong synergy with base builders and support-focused groups
2.2 Cons
- Not available at character creation; requires multiple quest steps to unlock
- No direct combat skills, limited PvP options
- Slow to scale early on due to passive-only gameplay
- Requires travel across multiple zones to fully unlock skill tiers
2.3 Best For
- Support players who enjoy being the utility backbone of their team
- Solo harvesters looking to survive longer and extract more resources per trip
- Deep Desert explorers who need reduced fuel, heat, and hydration drain
- Multiclass players seeking to enhance survivability and travel range
3. Best Early Game Skills and Survival Tips for Planetologist
Best Early Skills
Once you unlock the Planetologist class in Hagga Basin South, you gain access to all three skill trees, but only up to Tier 1 abilities. At this stage, your focus should be on mobility, water efficiency, and early yield boosts. These starting skills give you a major advantage when exploring outer zones or gathering key resources for upgrades.
- Stillsuit Seals (Explorer) – Boosts hydration capture, allowing longer survival in high-temperature zones like Hagga Rift and The O’odham.
- Suspensor Pad (Explorer) – Your only active skill, lets you bypass cliffs and traps by launching into the air (15s cooldown).
- Cutteray Mining (Scientist) – Improves Cutteray ore yield by 10–20%, essential for building your first Ornithopter and base modules.
- Vehicle Repair (Mechanic) – Reduces max durability loss when repairing early vehicles like the Sandbike.
3.1 Early Survival Tips
- Unlock Tier 2 quickly by completing the quest at Imperial Testing Station 197.
- Always scan terrain before mining to enable Deep Analysis later.
- Use Suspensor Pad with Shigawire Claw for cliff scaling and trap evasion.
- Equip Advanced Reaper Gloves located in the Imperial Testing Station No. 76 in Jabal Eifrit Al-Janub for improved Dew Reaper efficiency.
- Start in lower-heat zones until Explorer perks reduce hydration and stamina drain.
4. Best Starting Route and Build Order for Planetologist
Follow this optimized route to unlock all Planetologist skills, from basic Tier 1 to full capstones. Each quest begins with Derek Chinara at a new Imperial Testing Station.
4.1 Unlock Order
- South Hagga Basin – Talk to Derek above Testing Station 2 and complete Minimic Film Recovery to unlock Tier 1.
- West Vermilius Gap – Inside Testing Station 197, complete the next film contract for Tier 2.
- Arrakeen – Visit Cyprian Io to advance the story in Adhering to Hierarchy.
- Jabal Eifrit – Rescue Derek from a cage in Testing Station 76 and recover the key + film to unlock Tier 3.
- Sietch Tar – Retrieve Kynes’ Note during The Search for Kynes.
- Hagga Rift – Complete Testing Station 29 to unlock Spice Surveyor.
- The O’odham – Finish Testing Station 71 to unlock Conservation of Energy.
- Derek’s Camp – Fight off snipers after Cyprien’s betrayal.
- Testing Station 163 – Recover Kynes’ Recording and unlock Heat Management.
4.2 Skill Build Order
- Tier 1–2: Cutteray Mining, Vehicle Repair, Stillsuit Seals
- Tier 3: Fuel Efficient Driver, Suspensor Pad
- Capstones: Prioritize Spice Surveyor and Heat Management
Be the cartographer of your team.
5. Full List of Planetologist Skills in Dune: Awakening
The Planetologist features three passive-heavy skill trees — Scientist, Explorer, and Mechanic — each with six main skills and one capstone. All passives scale up to Tier 3, and each tree improves a different aspect of survival, mobility, or yield.
| Skill | Skill Tree | Type | School (Class) | Skill Description |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cartographer | Explorer | Passive | Planetologist | You can now create sinkcharts of the areas revealed by your surveys.Create sinkcharts from the Map Screen, but you will require a blank sinkchart in your inventory. |
| Mountaineer | Explorer | Passive | Planetologist | You are better at finding handholds and footholds while climbing, reducing your stamina drain. |
| Scanner Mastery | Explorer | Passive | Planetologist | You have become proficient with the hand scanner - improving the range of detection. |
| Spice Surveyor | Explorer | Passive | Planetologist | Through research and field experience, you've learned to recognize the density of a spice bed from surveys. This ability is of most use in the Deep Desert. |
| Stillsuit Seals | Explorer | Passive | Planetologist | Though you have no formal training with the stillsuit, you’ve adjusted several seals and tabs that must be properly fitted for the suit to act with optimal efficiency. Your water reclamation while wearing a stillsuit is improved. |
| Suspensor Pad | Explorer | Ability | Planetologist | Drop a suspensor device that launches yourself (and targets) into the air. Useful for navigation and traversal.Abilities must be equipped and activated from the ability bar. |
| Skill | Skill Tree | Type | School (Class) | Skill Description |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Compaction | Scientist | Passive | Planetologist | You've made minor adjustments to the way you use the compactor that improves the efficiency of its resource yields. |
| Conservation of Energy | Scientist | Technique | Planetologist | When you focus your efforts, you can reduce the power drain of every action that you take.Techniques only take effect when equipped. |
| Cutteray Mining | Scientist | Passive | Planetologist | Your understanding of structural and mineral composition leads to an increase in the resource yield when using a cutteray. |
| Deep Analysis | Scientist | Passive | Planetologist | You develop an understanding of analysis mode mining with the cutteray. Your bonus yields are increased. |
| Dew Gathering | Scientist | Passive | Planetologist | Careful manipulation of the Holtzman field on the dew reaper allows you to increase the water yield. |
| Overcharge | Scientist | Passive | Planetologist | You have learned to push your power pack beyond its limits, allowing you to increase the maximum power capacity. |
| Rerouting | Scientist | Passive | Planetologist | Tinkering with your power pack allows you to increase the recharge rate. |
| Skill | Skill Tree | Type | School (Class) | Skill Description |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fuel Efficient Driver | Mechanic | Passive | Planetologist | Driving groundcars has taught you several techniques for fuel conservation while exploring. This applies to all types of ground vehicles. |
| Fuel Efficient Pilot | Mechanic | Passive | Planetologist | Piloting ornithopters has taught you several techniques for fuel conservation while exploring. This applies to all types of ornithopters. |
| Heat Management | Mechanic | Passive | Planetologist | While under the influence of large amounts of melange, you can instinctively sense where and how to shift a vehicle to reduce heat buildup. |
| Sandcrawler Yield | Mechanic | Passive | Planetologist | Your understanding of sand and the vacuum static action of the sandcrawler allows you to harvest spice more efficiently. |
| Vehicle Mining | Mechanic | Passive | Planetologist | Applying your understanding of structural and mineral composition to heavier vehicle machinery results in a larger resource yield. |
| Vehicle Repair | Mechanic | Passive | Planetologist | Your field training as a mechanic reduces the maximum durability loss of vehicle components when performing repairs. |
| Vehicle Scanning | Mechanic | Passive | Planetologist | You have become proficient with vehicle mounted scanners - improving the range of detection. |
6. Best Planetologist Builds for PvP and PvE
While not a direct damage dealer, the Planetologist offers some of the best mobility, logistics, and environmental control in the game. With the right gear and class pairing, it becomes an indispensable PvE explorer or support-focused PvP asset.
6.1 Top PvP Loadout
- Skills: Heat Management, Vehicle Repair, Fuel Efficient Pilot, Stillsuit Seals, Suspensor Pad
- Weapons: Mendek’s Rattle, Cope (sidearm)
- Armor: Batigh Stillsuit, Wayfinder Helm, Syndicate Boots
- Utilities: Suspensor Belt, Shigawire Claw
6.2 Best PvE and Exploration Build
- Skills: Cutteray Mining, Deep Analysis, Spice Surveyor, Fuel Efficient Driver, Scanner Mastery
- Tools: Cutteray, Dew Reaper, Compactor
- Armor: Advanced Reaper Gloves, Exploration Boots
- Support Gear: Sinkchart Tablet, Vehicle Scanner Module
6.3 Loadout Tips
- Pair Suspensor Pad with Shigawire Claw for cliff access or escapes.
- Stack Overcharge with Conservation of Energy
- Use Stillsuit Seals in hot biomes, and Fuel Efficient Driver in canyon maps.
- Group with damage-dealing classes to cover Planetologist’s combat weakness.
Cutteray Mining.
7. Best Class Combos to Pair With Planetologist
To compensate for its lack of offense, the Planetologist benefits greatly from pairing with combat or support classes. Multiclassing lets you combine terrain mastery with DPS, stealth, or endurance roles depending on your preferred team strategy.
7.1 Top Pairings
- Mentat – Adds poison traps, ranged control, and escape tools. Great for safe exploration and Deep Desert farming.
- Trooper – Heavy firepower for holding spice fields or defending Sandcrawlers. Ideal convoy partner.
- Swordmaster – High-mobility melee skirmisher. Use Suspensor Pad to reposition while they rush in.
- Bene Gesserit – Offers stealth and healing. Enhances survival, movement, and navigation.
7.2 Strategy Tips
- Use Planetologist skills to scan terrain and mark spice beds while your build or teammate focuses on threat elimination.
- Bring Planetologist perks into any expedition to manage fuel, travel range, and repair efficiency.
- Combine Scanner Mastery with stealth-focused skills for advanced Intel gathering and recon play.
Classes.
8. Top Weapons and Tools for Planetologist Builds in Dune: Awakening
The Planetologist relies on tools and mobility gear more than traditional weapons. Optimal performance comes from maximizing efficiency, yield, and terrain access — not direct damage.
8.1 Essential Tools
- Cutteray – Core harvesting tool. Scales with Cutteray Mining and Deep Analysis.
- Dew Reaper – Water collector. Buffed by Dew Gathering and Advanced Reaper Gloves.
- Compactor – Processes salvage into usable materials. Enhanced by Compaction.
- Shigawire Claw – Grappling tool combined with Suspensor Pad for better cliff access.
- Sinkchart Tablet – Enables map tracking and terrain annotation with Cartographer.
8.2 Recommended Weapons
- Mendek’s Rattle – Mid-range rifle with balanced recoil and efficiency.
- Cope – Sidearm with high recoil but effective in close-range defense.
- Feyd’s Drinker – Lightweight melee backup with stamina efficiency.
8.3 Key Gear
- Advanced Reaper Gloves – Improves Dew Reaper yield.
- Wayfinder Helm – Expands scanner effectiveness.
- Batigh Stillsuit – Late-game reward with hydration and heat resistance bonuses.
- Syndicate Boots – Boost terrain grip and climbing stamina.
- Suspensor Belt – Reduces fall damage and adds vertical mobility.
-
- Mendek’s Rattle – Dune: Awakening
-
- Batigh Stillsuit – Dune: Awakening
9. How to Unlock Planetologist Class and Find Trainers
To unlock the Planetologist, you must complete a questline with Derek Chinara, who moves between Imperial Testing Stations. Each completed contract unlocks a new tier of skills or capstone ability.
9.1 Basic Trainer
- NPC: Derek Chinara
- First Location: Above Testing Station 2, Hagga Basin South
- Quest: Minimic Film Recovery – Find hidden film behind bookshelf
- Reward: Unlocks Tier 1 of Scientist, Explorer, and Mechanic trees
9.2 Advanced Trainer
Derek reappears at different locations throughout the questline:
- Testing Station 197 – Unlock Tier 2
- Testing Station 76 – Unlock Tier 3
- Testing Station 29 – Unlock Spice Surveyor
- Testing Station 71 – Unlock Conservation of Energy
- Testing Station 163 – Unlock Heat Management + Batigh Stillsuit
-
- Derek Chinara’s Location.
-
- Derek Chinara.
Each time, return to Derek’s camp in South Hagga Basin to turn in quest items and unlock the next tier.
10. How to Respec and Multi-Class With Planetologist
Once fully unlocked, the Planetologist can be respec’d or combined with other classes freely. This allows you to shift focus between support, survival, and hybrid builds.
10.1 Respec System and Cooldown
- Open the Skills Menu and press R on keyboard or the down button on the controller’s D-pad to use Respec Skill Tree.
- You can only respec once every 48 real-world hours, not in-game time.
10.2 How to Unlock New Class Skill Trees
- Each class (Mentat, Trooper, etc.) is unlocked through its own trainer questline.
- After the final contract, the class tree is added to your loadout menu.
- You can equip any two classes simultaneously.
-
- Scan Terrain.
-
- Vehicle Repair.
11. Planetologist vs Other Classes: What Makes It Unique
Choosing the Planetologist over other classes depends on your goals. While it lacks direct offensive skills, it offers unrivaled mobility, survival, and logistics control. Here’s how it compares to other class archetypes:
- Mentat: Better at crowd control and ranged attacks, but lacks terrain mastery and vehicle bonuses.
- Trooper: Dominates in combat zones, but relies on others for fuel, hydration, and recovery.
- Swordmaster: Agile in melee but lacks long-distance efficiency or resource management.
- Bene Gesserit: Stealth and healing focused — strong synergy, but does not replace scanning or spice yield benefits.
The Planetologist wins in solo exploration, Deep Desert survival, and long-haul efficiency. It’s the best class for players who want to outlast, outmaneuver, and out-resource their opponents. However, in the current game version, the Deep Desert is only about flying the Ornithopter, so the real survivor perks for this class are not relevant.
