By Josh Childs
Dune: Awakening’s main story quest sees you explore Arrakis to find the eight Trials of Aql in order to uncover the mystery of the Fremen’s disappearance. The game doesn’t directly tell you where each trial is located, and instead gives you a riddle with a clue for how you might be able to find them. If you’re not up for solving riddles, or you just want to rush to the endgame, here is a quick guide on where to find each Trial of Aql.
All Trial of Aql locations in Dune: Awakening
The first Trial of Aql
The first Trial of Aql is extremely easy to find as the game leads you directly to it once you’ve unlocked the quest. The trial is located in Mihna Cave. Just go to the purple quest objective on the map, and you’ll be brought to the cave’s main entrance. Head down into the cave’s lower level until you reach an altar, where the first trial will begin.
The second Trial of Aql
Second Trial of Aql clue: “Para-southeast of the great hammer of Mirzabah…the shattered teeth of the gods… nestled between molar and incisor …a cavity revealed.”
The second Trial of Aql is a bit harder to find, since the game will no longer point you in its direction. It’s located in the lower middle of the Eastern Vermilius Gap. The cave is called The Deep Struggle, and it sits in the landmass to the right of The Wreck of Actaeon. Once you’ve gotten close to the destination, a purple cave icon will appear on your map, showing you the location of the trial.
The third Trial of Aql
Third Trial of Aql clue: “Para-west of the great hammer of Mirzabah… a table of stone for God’s feast… turn para-north from its bounty and seek the cave of the purple eye.”
For the third Trial of Aql, you’ll definitely want a sandbike, as it’s quite a distance away, and there’s a lot more open sand to cross on this trip. It’s located towards the eastern edge of the Western Vermillius Gap. It’s called the Cave of the Lost Pilgrim, and it sits on the landmass directly southwest of The Wreck of Pallas. The safest way to get here is to travel counterclockwise along the border of the region, sticking to the frequent patches of hard ground. It’s a roundabout path, but it’s better to be safe than eaten by a worm.
The fourth Trial of Aql
Fourth Trial of Aql clue: “The Iron Hammer that beats the dead who cannot enter paradise. The head of the hammer awaits.”
The fourth Trial of Aql in Dune: Awakening is a fun one to get to. The clue for this one mentions a hammer, so you’ll want to look at the map for any structure that looks similar to the shape of a hammer. The structure in question is on the large landmass on the leftmost edge of the Eastern Vermillius Gap.
To get to this trial, you’ll have to climb the giant hammer-shaped rock in the middle in order to reach the entrance. You’ll know you’re climbing the right thing as there is a guided climbing path around the rock. You’ll want to equip a suspensor for this trip, as this will make climbing much quicker. Once you’ve reached the top of the path, the marker will appear on your map, showing you the cave called The Hollow Hammer. Head inside and complete the trial. Now it’s time for the real reason you brought the suspensor – to jump off of that enormous rock.
The fifth Trial of Aql
Fifth Trial of Aql clue: “Where earth has sundered…across the bridges of stone… where the great stones lean… always para-east.”
The fifth Trial of Aql can be found in the upper level of the Hagga Rift. You can easily get here either through Jabal Eifrit Al-janub, or from its entrance on the rightmost edge of the Eastern Vermillius Gap. On the map, look for a slanted rock formation on the edge of the ravine. Once you get to it, the map icon for the trial, called The Hidden Test, will appear. The trial is located in a hole in the ground. Jump down into it and complete the fifth Trial of Aql.
The sixth Trial of Aql
Sixth Trial of Aql clue: “Follow your para-compass to the north and east… amidst the jinn’s towering spires… across the rift… seek the eyes among the stones.”
The sixth Trial of Aql is located in the upper right corner of Jabal Eifrit Al-sharq. If you’ve reached Pinnacle Station and obtained the first Swordmaster quest, that objective will lead you right to where you need to go. If you haven’t been there yet, Jabal Eifrit Al-sharq is the furthest region northeast on the map. The cave is sat next to a scavenger camp and is called Devil’s Eye Cavern.
The seventh Trial of Aql
Seventh Trial of Aql clue: “Red teeth…gaping maw…down. down in the depths…hunger hidden from storm and worm”
The seventh Trial of Aql in Dune: Awakening brings you back to Hagga Rift, only this time, you’ll have to go down to the bottom floor of the ravine. On the map, it sits between CHOAM Mineral Extraction Facilities 5 and 6. The cave is called The Red Maw.
The eighth Trial of Aql
Eighth Trial of Aql clue: “The crevice that hides…the mountain that protects…the sands that provide. Home.”
The riddle for the eighth Trial of Aql is pretty straightforward. The trial sits right on the border between Jabal Eifrit Al-gharb and Mysa Tarill. You’ll want to come prepared with armor and weapons since this trial will have you fighting a good deal of enemies. This final trial is also much longer than the previous Trials of Aql, and includes a couple of more intricate puzzles than we’ve seen thus far in the game.
With the Trials of Aql out of the way, you’re probably geared up enough to dive into PvP. Check out all of our Dune: Awakening coverage to make sure you’re prepared for everything Arrakis has in store.