Augments in Dune: Awakening: what they are, where schematics drop and which to take
Everything about augments: what they fit, where the schematics drop, how many slots Crafting opens, the key rules and how to choose. With a Perforator example, builds for every weapon and a calculator.
Contents
Augments are the main way to push purple weapons and armor past tier 6. Here's what they are, where the schematics come from, how many slots you can open and how not to ruin an item. Ready-made builds for every weapon are on the Best augments page, and you can check your own numbers in the augment calculator.
What they are
An augment is a module that permanently changes an item's stats: damage, clip size, fire rate, poison protection and so on. Most have an upside and a downside. Scattergun Rampage-Enhancement, for example, gives +48–70% damage and an almost twice as big clip, but cuts headshot damage by 15%.
Without augments a purple tier 6 weapon hits a ceiling. With three damage augments it hits almost three times harder: a grade 5 Perforator goes from 1,290 to about 3,570 damage per shot.
Where to get them
- 1SchematicDrops from the final chest of the testing stations, after the boss. Grade 5 from station level 19; loot quality grows up to level 40.
- 2CraftingAn augment is crafted from the schematic in the Advanced Weapons Fabricator. One schematic makes one augment.
- 3ApplyingAugments go on at the Augmentation Station. Recycle unwanted schematics for schematic patterns, which you need to craft augments.
Which station drops what
| Augments | Where they drop |
|---|---|
| Generic ranged: Heavy Caliber, clip, recoil, fire rate, Disruptive Coating | every station |
| GRDA 44: Perforator, Shellburster | #89 |
| Drillshot FK7 and Disruptor M11 | #136 |
| Karpov 38 and Maula pistol | #24 |
| JABAL Spitdart and VULCAN GAU-92 | #195 |
| Rafiq Snubnose: Seethe, Regis Disruptor Pistol | #152 |
| From update 1.4: Rampage-Enhancement, Antipersonnel Rounds, Heavy Metal Blade Coating and more | Old Quarry |
| Lasgun, flamethrowers and missile launcher | every station |
| Melee: Blade Sharpener, Blade Grip Adjuster, Blade Flexi-Coating / the rest | every station / #152 and #89 |
| Armor: Garment Reinforcement, Blade-warding Weave, Dart-proof Latticing / the rest | every station / mostly #195 and #89 |
Slots and skills
The Crafting specialization decides how many augments you can apply. It also has skills that help you craft them.
| Skill | Specialization levels | What it does |
|---|---|---|
| Ranged Augmentation Limit | 1 · 31 · 87 | up to 3 augments on a ranged weapon |
| Melee Augmentation Limit | 3 · 30 · 88 | up to 3 on a blade |
| Garment Augmentation Limit | 10 · 42 | up to 2 on each armor piece |
| Augment Fabrication Mastery | 20 · 33 · 55 · 78 · 96 | better chance of good rolls when crafting |
| Augment Cost Reduction | 25 · 59 · 90 | −10% crafting cost per step |
Key rules
Kinds of augments
Generic
Fit any ranged weapon. The key one is Heavy Caliber Upgrade: +48–70% damage with no downside. There are also clip, recoil, fire rate, range and shield damage.
Weapon family
For example "GRDA 44" or "JABAL Spitdart". Usually stronger than generic ones, but with a downside: more damage for less clip, more clip for less damage.
Melee
Shared by every blade: damage, stamina per attack and per block. Blade Sharpener is +48–70% damage with no downside.
Armor
Protection from one damage type (poison, fire, energy, blades, darts, radiation) for a small penalty to another. They go on every piece, so the bonus counts per piece.
Protective Coating
The only augment for any item: it loses no durability on defeat. The schematic comes only from station final chests.
House Heavy Caliber Upgrade
Same as the regular Heavy Caliber and goes on together with it. Its schematic comes from your Great House.
How to choose
- Damage first. Almost every weapon takes a damage augment first: Heavy Caliber or its family's damage augment.
- Small clip — fix the clip. The Tripleshot has 3 shots, Dunewatcher 2: an Expander gives them more than another damage bonus.
- Energy weapons — cut power cost. The lasgun, Plasma Cannon and Lightning Gun fire from your power pack, so power per shot works like a clip.
- Headshot damage is for marksmen. It does little for a shotgun or an SMG, but a lot for Seethe (2× headshots) and JABAL rifles.
- Check the downside. Many augments look useful but cut something that matters more: the GRDA 44 Optimizer gives as much damage as Heavy Caliber but shrinks the clip.
- Armor for the place. Poison protection at the poison station, fire at the fire one, darts in PvP.
The order, traps and tips for every station and PvP for all 28 purple guns and 13 blades are on the Best augments page.
Example: Perforator
The most common question. The best build: Scattergun Rampage-Enhancement (damage and a 4 → 7 shot clip), Heavy Caliber Upgrade and GRDA 44 Amplifier (damage and tighter pellets). A grade 5 Perforator with grade 5 augments deals about 3,570 per shot instead of 1,290.
The schematics are spread out: Rampage drops only in the Old Quarry, GRDA 44 augments only at #89, Heavy Caliber everywhere.
