Farming Spice Sand in Dune: Awakening is the most lucrative activity in the endgame, but also the riskiest. The Deep Desert offers enormous Spice Blooms in both PvE and PvP zones, with yields far higher than any found in Hagga Basin. This guide covers the best farming methods for both solo and group play, including gear, vehicles, compactors, refineries, map locations, and worm avoidance strategies.
1. How to Find Spice in the Deep Desert
Spice Field
Spice Fields appear as eruptions of purple sand and smoke across the Deep Desert. These come in three sizes:
- Small Spice Fields – Yield ~500 Spice Sand. Common in Hagga Basin and PvE zones.
- Medium Spice Fields – Yield 5,000–10,000+ Spice Sand. Ideal for solo players.
- Large Spice Fields – Yield 15,000–20,000+ but often heavily contested in PvP zones.
Fields are most concentrated between rows E to I on the Deep Desert grid.
2. Best Solo PvP Spice Harvesting Method
In the PvP zone north of row E, players can access the largest and most profitable Spice Fields. You’ll need the right setup to avoid ambushes and maximize yields.
2.1 Recommended Gear & Vehicles
- Scout Ornithopter (Mk5 or Mk6 wings) – Fastest vehicle, up to 180 km/h glide speed.
- Softstep Boots – Reduces Worm Aggro by 45%.
- Compact Compactor Mk5 – Best efficiency with low worm attraction.
- Respawn Beacon – Allows fast returns to Spice Fields.
- Literjon + Water – Prevent Heatstroke and maintain Hydration.
2.2 Scout Method with Respawn Beacon
- Equip your Scout with storage and fly to a Spice Field.
- Place a respawn beacon near a nearby rock or safe area.
- Farm the field with your compactor, using short bursts to avoid worm aggro.
- Return to your base, unload, then suicide respawn to return instantly to your beacon.
- Spawn your second ornithopter using the Vehicle Backup Tool and repeat.
2.3 Assault Ornithopter Method
Slower but holds up to 1,000 storage volume. Ideal for safe hours or group play. Return trips take 9–10 minutes but can carry double the spice per run compared to Scout.
3. Best Group PvP Spice Harvesting (Sand Crawler Method)
Farming Spice Sand as a group in Dune: Awakening allows you to harvest large fields faster, manage worm aggro better, and defend against PvP threats. Group harvesting is essential for operating a Spice Crawler, which can only be deployed via transport Ornithopter equipped with a Vehicle Pickup Module.
3.1 How to Farm Spice in a Group
- Use a transport Ornithopter to carry a Spice Crawler to a large spice bloom.
- Assign spotters in both air and ground to monitor for wormsign and PvP activity.
- Deploy a Thumper nearby to draw aggro from the Grandfather Worm.
- Keep the Crawler active as long as the worm threat remains pulled by Thumpers.
- When worm aggro becomes overwhelming, lift the Crawler to safety using the Ornithopter.
3.2 Essential Group Roles
- Pilot – Manages Crawler lift and transport.
- Spotters – Monitor wormsign and player movement.
- Thumper Technician – Places and rotates worm distractions.
- Harvester Operators – Use compactors to gather spice when not using a crawler.
- Field Engineer: Handles repairs and replacement parts mid-run.
4. How to Harvest Spice with a Sand Crawler
- Assemble the Sand Crawler at your base or Carrier and fly it out using the Carrier Ornithopter.
- Choose a large Spice Bloom deep in PvP zones (Ringmouth fields are the best).
- Land and deploy the Crawler at the edge of the field, avoiding open PvP traffic routes.
- Use the Crawler to slowly drive lines across the bloom. Slower movement gathers more spice.
- Monitor the green dot indicators on the back of the Crawler to gauge fill level.
- When full, call in the Carrier to extract the Crawler and return it to base for refining.
4.1 Sand Crawler Storage Benefits
The Sand Crawler doubles as a universal mobile storage with 20 slots × 500 stack size (up to 10,000 items) and a 7,500 weight limit. It can store:
- Spice Sand
- Ore (Stravidium, Titanium)
- Crafting components, ammo, food, and tools
This makes it ideal for multi-resource guild runs and on-the-fly base setups.
4.2 Group PvP Defense Tips for Sand Crawler Runs
- Always deploy a scout with rockets to cover the field
- Fly high and stay mobile with your backup vehicle when scouting
- Use voice comms for quick callouts: “Crawler hot,” “75% full,” “Extract ready”
- Park Carrier behind terrain while harvesting to avoid detection
- Pull out early if worm threat spikes or enemy units approach
5. Best PvE Spice Harvesting Method
The southern half of the Deep Desert is PvE-only. Spice still spawns here, but in smaller and less consistent quantities.
- Spice can also be looted from PvE research labs and crash shuttles in zones like E2 or C7.
- Use the PvE zone to safely build up your base and refinery network.
Ideal for players who want to avoid PvP, trade for Tier 6 materials, or prepare for safer spice refining operations.
6. How to Avoid the Worm While Harvesting Spice
Softstep Boots
Worm aggro is triggered by vibrations from compactors and movement on open sand.
- Compact 8–12 piles, then fly up briefly to reset aggro.
- Watch the worm meter for red pulses—fly immediately when it flashes.
- Use Softstep Boots and low-aggro compactors to delay worm appearance.
7. Where to Build Your Spice Refinery
Always build refineries in the Deep Desert for 50% reduced cost. Build tiers in this order:
- Small Spice Refinery – 100 spice sand = 1 Spice Mélange. Use early on.
- Medium Spice Refinery – 75:1 ratio, much better efficiency. Costs 68 mélange to build.
- Large Spice Refinery – 50:1 ratio, highest efficiency. Requires 500 mélange total investment.
You can destroy and rebuild refineries between sessions. Refunds are 100% if reclaimed before the weekly Coriolis Storm wipes the map.
8. Full Base Setup for Maximum Efficiency
Example base layout for endgame spice farming:
- 1 Medium Spice Refinery
- 14 Generators
- 2 Large Wind Traps with 5 filters each
- 8 Water Collectors
- 1 Large Storage Unit
- Ornithopter Garage on roof
9. Weekly Reset and Map Changes
The Deep Desert map resets weekly during the Coriolis Storm on Tuesday morning. All fields, facilities, and structures are wiped. Always:
- Pack up all spice, gear, and structures before Monday.
- Return to Hagga Basin with your refined Spice Mélange.
- Use the new map each Tuesday to plan new routes and base spots.
10. Solo PvP Survival Tips
Spice farming solo in PvP is dangerous but viable with preparation:
- Fly high when escaping – 800m ceiling allows safe glides.
- Use Scout Ornithopters with Mk5 or Mk6 wings to outrun rocket users.
- Always bring a Backup Tool to deploy a faster ornithopter if attacked.
- Use rocky terrain for emergency respawn beacons or suicide recovery.
11. Group PvP Survival Tips
Large Spice Blooms attract PvP groups, so coordination and quick response are critical. Here’s how to stay alive while farming as a team:
- Rotate Lookouts – Assign players to scan the sky for hostile Ornithopters.
- Bring Rockets or Boosters – At least one player should be equipped to engage or escape.
- Use Voice Comms – Callouts like “Crawler up!” or “Enemy incoming north!” save seconds.
- Safe Park Ornithopters – Always land vehicles near cover or structures in case of raid.
- Spread Out – Avoid grouping tightly; rockets and AoE attacks can wipe your team quickly.
- Carry a Vehicle Backup Tool – Always keep a Scout Ornithopter stored for emergency escape.
Farming in groups isn’t just faster—it’s safer when everyone plays their role. With proper setup and vigilance, you can clear entire spice fields before hostile players or the worm shut you down.
12. How to Refine Spice as a Solo Player
Spice Refinery
To avoid losing large quantities of Spice Sand:
- Drop off Spice at your Deep Desert base often.
- Refine directly on-site using your Small or Medium Refinery.
- Carry home only Spice Mélange to reduce transport risk.
You can safely suicide-respawn to your base or fly out during low-traffic hours.
13. How to Refine Spice as a Group
Refining Spice Sand into Spice Mélange is more efficient when done collaboratively in a shared Deep Desert base. This reduces resource strain, speeds up production, and allows players to split logistics across multiple tasks.
13.1 Group Refining Setup
- Build a shared Deep Desert base near active Spice Fields (preferably in PvE zones for safety).
- Place and maintain a Medium or Large Spice Refinery.
- Bring multiple Water Systems and Generators to support refinery power and hydration needs.
- Use Large Storage Units to pool Spice Sand from all group members.
- Designate roles: one player oversees refining, others continue spice runs or gather fuel cells.
14. All Methods to Farm Spice in PvP and PvE Zones
There are several ways to farm Spice Sand across Dune: Awakening. Below is a breakdown of every known method and their efficiency.
14.1 Spice Farming Methods in PvP Zones
- Sand Crawler Group Farming
- Deploy a Sand Crawler at a large bloom
- Farms up to 50,000 Spice Sand automatically
- Ideal for guilds or large groups
- Scout Ornithopter + Respawn Beacon (Solo)
- Use Scout Ornithopter to reach bloom
- Farm with Compact Compactor
- Return to base, then respawn at beacon near the field
- Assault Ornithopter Solo Runs
- Slower but safer due to better armor and double cargo
- Good for low-competition hours
- Manual Harvesting with Thumpers
- Distract Sandworms by placing Thumpers away from bloom
- Allows safer harvesting before worm aggro triggers
14.2 Spice Farming Methods in PvE Zones
- Manual Compactor Farming
- Fly to small or medium Spice Blooms
- Use compactors to extract 500–5,000+ Spice Sand
- PvE Research Labs
- Farming labs also yields Tier 5–6 schematics
- Crash Shuttles and Shipwrecks
- Some Crash Sites contain random Spice Sand in loot compartments and these zones have low risk
- Map-Based Scouting Tools
- Use tools like Planetologist.app to locate safe blooms weekly
- Spice fields rotate with Coriolis Storm resets
14.3 Low-Yield Backup Options (Any Zone)
- Haga Basin Small Blooms – ~500 Spice Sand per field, high competition, frequent worm aggro
Whether you prefer solo sneaking or full guild operations, these methods cover every approach to farming Spice Sand across Arrakis. For the highest yields, the Sand Crawler group method in PvP zones remains unmatched.
