Guide to Locating and Completing the Fourth Trial in Dune: Awakening

The Fourth Trial of Aql in Dune: Awakening presents a formidable challenge within the “Find the Fremen”questline, often causing confusion among players. Frequently, the obstacle isn’t the combat itself, but the struggle to locate the trial’s entrance, which is obscured by complex terrain, deceptive rock formations, and vertical ascents that require both skill and technical proficiency.

Having navigated this challenge myself and explored various pathways, I have compiled an effective guide that details both the approach to the summit and the trial’s mechanics. This guide aims to eliminate any uncertainty, allowing you to transition from wandering aimlessly to achieving victory.

Location of the Fourth Trial

The Fourth Trial is set in the Eastern Vermillius Gap, nestled within a majestic, hammer-shaped rock structure known as The Hammer or Mirzabah’s Head. Once you are close, the tallest and most spire-like formation in the vicinity will be easy to identify.

Begin your ascent from the base of The Hammer, where you’ll encounter broken stairs and a series of platforming elements that will facilitate your climb. Utilizing tools like Shigawire Grappling (available through the Trooper class) or the Emperor’s Wings can significantly simplify your journey upward.

Climbing Strategy

To navigate upward efficiently, follow these essential steps:

Grapple outward rather than directly upward.
While swinging, hold Spacebar to maintain your momentum and gain altitude.
Employ this technique to create a series of grapples and jumps that propel you higher without making contact with the walls.

Pay close attention to guiding elements such as ropes, markings, skeletal remains, and crumbling platforms, as they will direct you toward the correct path. Upon reaching the summit, you’ll discover an intact Aql Altar within the area known as the Hollow Hammer; interact with this altar to initiate the trial.

Executing the Fourth Trial

The Fourth Trial is fundamentally a combat endurance challenge. Upon acquiring the Crysknife located in the center of the arena, you will face successive waves of spectral adversaries. Healing is not an option, so every hit you take counts.

Dune Awakening Fourth Trial combat — Combat scenario during the Fourth Trial in Dune: Awakening

Helpful Tips for Success

Prioritize dodging and parrying: Effective timing is crucial and often more important than aggressive tactics.
Understand that falling during the trial is part of the design. Your main objective is to engage skillfully and endure for as long as possible.
At a critical midpoint, you will achieve Awaken Prescience, a transformative state that amplifies your skills, reduces cooldown periods, and grants immunity to poison. Utilize this state to dispatch enemies with greater precision.

Should you be defeated, know that you will experience Spice Withdrawal, but this defeat unlocks valuable rewards: