Dune: Awakening Guide | How To Construct The Ornithopter (Solo)

This guide explains how to acquire the Ornithopter quickly and entirely solo in Dune Awakening. It offers a clear, step-by-step breakdown of procedures and essential tips for accelerated progress without unnecessary delays.

Resource Breakdown

Acquiring and crafting the Ornithopter requires a substantial number of materials: 241 Aluminum Ingots (approximately 1,700 Aluminum Ore), 82 Cobalt Paste (about 246 Erythrite), and significant water consumption—57,410 liters for Aluminum Ingots alone. 

Additional components include 46 Advanced Servoks, 22 Particle Capacitors, eight Complex Machinery, 14 Diamondine Dust, seven Carbide Scraps, and eight Industrial Pumps. 

Crafting the Medium Refiner and Vehicle Fabricator adds another 60 Cobalt Paste, 50 Complex Machinery, 125 Steel Ingots, plus 30 Complex Machinery and 40 Steel Ingots, consuming an extra 12,750 liters of water. 

Overall water requirements approach 70,000 liters and may be near 100,000 liters when accounting from the very start of the campaign.

Tips Before You Start

Strategic base placement dramatically improves efficiency. Establish the base between the Eastern Shield Wall and the Hagga Rift to access the majority of required resources: abundant Aluminum Ore, plentiful water sources (especially when using a Reaper), and proximity to the Hagga Rift for Cobalt Paste and parts of Complex Machinery. 

Rarer materials, such as Diamondine Dust and Carbide Scraps, can be gathered in Misataril, while Industrial Pumps are found in Sentinel City. Proximity to a Trade Post enables fast travel via the Pilot, costing 700 Solar, which conserves time and reduces risk. 

Character carry capacity is limited—around 250 units of Aluminum Ore per load—so frequent returns to base or fast travel are essential. Focus on efficient, bite-sized farming sessions of about 30 minutes per key resource, excluding refinement timers.

Best Early Water Farming

Water harvesting should operate continuously in the background. Equip multiple Medium Blood Bags—crafted or purchased at The Anvil Trade Post for 2,000–3,000 Solar each—and a Blood Extractor MK2, which yields two liters of blood per extraction. 

Combining this with bleed weapons such as Kaleff's Drinker or Scipio's Drinker Sword offers marginal gains but is optional. Target combat-dense locations like Barracks 47 in the Rift, or fallback sites such as Vermillius Gap or Imperial Testing Station No. 2 in the Hagga Basin South, to maximize blood collection. Each run can supply up to half the water requirement once refined.

Complex Machinery

Many larger outposts contain Refiners that drop Complex Machinery upon breach. Alternatively, Iron Works facilities guarantee Complex Machinery rewards. Plan routes that double-dip for blood extraction and Complex Machinery acquisition in a single sortie.

Small vs. Medium Blood Refiners

Small Blood Refiners convert blood to water at 20% efficiency, yielding 200 ml per liter of blood, and require 10–15 units. Medium Blood Refiners hold 24 L and convert at 40% efficiency, producing 400 ml per liter of blood. 

Although they demand more Complex Machinery and 50 Steel Ingots each, medium units halve the number of necessary trips.

Passive Water Option

For a hands-off method, deploy one or two Wind Traps despite their cost of 90 Steel Ingots, Silicon Blocks, and Servoks. With filters installed, each trap can generate roughly 17 L over eight hours. Filters incur additional resource costs—standard filters require five Aluminum Ingots, while makeshift variants use three Steel Ingots each.

Aluminum Farming Route

Aluminum Ore is abundant along the Western Shield Wall. Traverse mountain paths or roadside veins to collect up to 250 units per load. A focused 30-minute session typically yields the 1,700 units needed, benefiting further from respawn timers and high-yield belts.

Erythrite Ore for Cobalt Paste

Erythrite Crystals appear as purple glows in Chrome Mineral Extraction facilities within the Rift. Gathering 250–500 units from these nodes ensures sufficient Cobalt Paste output.

Advanced Servoks and Particle Capacitors

Both Advanced Servoks and Particle Capacitors drop reliably from any Testing Station, including early-game locations. Integrate their collection with blood farming or outpost raids to streamline resource gathering.

Diamondine Dust and Carbide Scraps

Chests scattered in Misataril, particularly along building perimeters and mountain edges, offer chances to obtain Diamondine Dust (up to five per chest) and Carbide Scraps. Only 14 Diamondine Dust and seven Carbide Scraps are required. Vendors at the Crossroads Trade Post sell these materials for 2,000–5,000 Solar each if supplemental purchases become necessary.

Industrial Pumps

The primary source of Industrial Pumps is Sentinel City. Focus on chest loot in the southwestern entrance to acquire eight units. The Crossroads Trade Post vendor also stocks Industrial Pumps for convenience.

Also, check our Dune: Awakening Review and other guides below:

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