PSA: Dune: Awakening's sandworm is 'currently missing', says Funcom, but 'we're working on it and he'll soon be back prowling the sands'

Well sleepers, this is a really good time to login to Dune: Awakening and harvest some spice. Somehow, the sandworm has gone MIA.

"We're aware that Shai-Hulud is currently missing," Funcom said in the official Discord around 2 pm Pacific Time. "We're working on it and he'll soon be back prowling the sands."

Huh. How do you misplace a giant ravenous worm that restlessly patrols the desert and pops up every time a player sets foot on the sand? I don't know, but Dune: Awakening has only been out for a few days so some post-launch bugs are to be expected. The other and maybe more likely possibility is that Funcom disabled the worm deliberately to fix or adjust something, but didn't want to announce it until it was almost done.

I'm glad the issue is being worked on: the sandworm is a major source of tension in the survival MMO since it swallows all your gear, permanently if it catches you. It's also great fun to watch videos of players almost getting eaten but just barely escaping.

At the same time, I'd tell Funcom not to work too quickly. With the worm out of the picture, it's a great time for players to take their time on the dunes, plunder shipwrecks, and dig up buried treasure. A little break from Shai-Hulud isn't such a bad thing.