Unlocking your full potential on the harsh sands of Arrakis requires mastering more than just survival – it demands finding the elusive skill trainers scattered across Dune: Awakening. From the rugged trade outposts to hidden caves, these mentors offer both basic and advanced training that open up powerful new abilities across all five classes. Ready to embark on the quest to locate every trainer and unlock every skill tree in the game? This guide will lead you straight to each trainer’s exact location, so you can wield the force of the Bene Gesserit, the might of the Swordmaster, or the cunning of the Mentat like a true master of Arrakis.
Finding skill trainers in Dune: Awakening is essential for upgrading your combat and survival capabilities, though some are easier to track down than others. You can unlock a handful of new skill trees fairly early in the game without much issue, but others require you to complete more challenging quests and venture further afield. There’s no time limit on unlocking new skills, though, so just seek them out at your own pace when you feel ready to.
Below, we’ve explained where to find all Dune: Awakening skill trainers, including advanced skill trainer locations.
What do Dune Awakening’s skill trainers do?
In Dune: Awakening, skill trainers are NPCs who enable players to unlock new skill trees and abilities for different classes beyond their initial choice. Basic trainers must first be found and completed through a quest to unlock an entirely new class skill tree, such as Trooper or Planetologist. After unlocking the basic skill tree, players can then seek out advanced trainers to access and upgrade more specialized abilities within that skill tree. This progression ensures that players gradually expand their skill sets through completing quests with the trainers, who are scattered across Arrakis and are tied to specific class paths like Mentat, Swordmaster, Bene Gesserit, and others.
Dune: Awakening’s skill trainers come in two varieties, basic trainers scattered across Arrakis and advanced trainers who stick to two specific locations. The basic trainers let you access skill trees from a class that’s different to the one you chose during character creation, while advanced trainers let you improve skills you already know and learn even more powerful abilities.
The basic skill trainer from the class you first choose can’t teach you anything, which is why we recommended against picking Trooper. There’s also one hidden-ish class, the Planetologist, that you can only unlock by completing a quest for its basic trainer.
You can learn from any trainer as soon as you find them, though only after completing a side quest for them. Some of these are lengthy or send you into dangerous areas. Trooper, Mentat, and Planetologist are less complicated to handle early, but for Swordmaster and Bene Gesserit, you’ll want to wait until you’ve at least unlocked iron-level crafting recipes and get some decent defensive gear on you.
Trooper basic trainer location
The basic Trooper trainer in Dune: Awakening is Ghavouri, located just inside the entrance to the left at Griffin’s Reach Tradepost in Hagga Basin South. He is accessible early in the game, and to unlock the Trooper skill tree, you must speak with him and complete the “Proving Grounds” quest, which involves assassinating three targets in nearby locations before returning to report your success. This trainer provides an entry point to the Trooper skills for players who did not choose Trooper as their starting class.
Ghavouri, the basic Trooper trainer, spends his days in Griffin Trading Outpost, so he’s likely the first trainer you’ll encounter, assuming you follow the main story path (which you should do, at least until reaching Vermillius Gap). Ghavouri asks you to take down a handful of targets to prove your worth, and then he’ll teach you Trooper skills.
Mentat basic trainer location
The basic Mentat trainer in Dune: Awakening is Samin Moro, who can be found at the Riftwatch base located in the southern part of the Hagga Rift region. Riftwatch is a Harkonnen outpost situated directly east of the Anvil Tradepost in Eastern Vermillius Gap. To unlock the Mentat skill tree, approach Samin Moro at the base entrance-typically to the right of the contract board-and accept her quest. Completing her introductory contract, which involves gathering specific resources and performing a short task, will grant access to the Mentat abilities for your character.
Samin Moro is the Mentat trainer, and you’ll find her outside the Riftwatch base, which is east of The Anvil in Hagga Rift. She’s standing near the staircase that leads into the base’s imposing main structure. Samin asks you to bring her iron ore – you need to unlock the iron category in your research tree for that – and plant fiber to make poison you can use on the local bandits.
Swordmaster basic trainer location
The basic Swordmaster trainer in Dune: Awakening is Arno, who can be found inside Pinnacle Station, located in the Jabal Eifrit region-just north of the Shield Wall and north of the Pallas Shipwreck. To access the station, head due north from Western Vermillius Gap and look for the tradepost building, which becomes easier to spot as you get closer. Upon entering Pinnacle Station, Arno is just inside to the right, ready to offer the introductory quest “Checking the Post” that unlocks the basic Swordmaster skill tree.
The Swordmaster trainer, Arno, hangs out in Pinnacle Station on the edge of Eastern Shield Wall and Jabal Eifrit Al-gharb. It’s a long drive here from the Vermillius Gap, so unless you’ve already established a base in the region. make sure you’ve got some full or mostly-full water storage on you before setting out.
Arno is inside the trading post, to the right of the outpost’s main entrance. He asks you to investigate several of his former drop sites for messages pertaining to a top secret mission. This quest takes a while and also sends you to some dangerous places, so get properly prepared before setting out.
Bene Gesserit basic trainer location
The basic Bene Gesserit trainer in Dune: Awakening is Sister Mesa, located inside Helius Gate in the Eastern Shield Wall region. Helius Gate is situated north of the large shipwreck known as The Wreck of the Pallas in Western Vermillius Gap. To reach Sister Mesa, it’s often easier to travel north while staying east of the cliff wall that Helius Gate rests upon, passing Pinnacle Station before looping south to the entrance. Sister Mesa offers the quest “The Missing Pieces,” and completing it unlocks the Bene Gesserit skill tree for players to begin learning the class’s abilities.
The next easiest trainer to find is Sister Mesa, the Bene Gesserit trainer. She’s hiding out in Helius Gate in Eastern Shield Wall, under a green canopy in the main building. She wants you to investigate some Fremen ruins in pursuit of a prophecy.
Planetology basic trainer location
The Planetology basic trainer, Derek Chinara, can be found near the Griffin’s Reach Tradepost, above Imperial Testing Station No. 2 in the Hagga Basin South region. Players must complete a quest called “Minimic Film Recovery” by retrieving an item from the Testing Station 2 dungeon, located southeast below the rocks near the trainer’s location. This quest unlocks the Planetologist skill tree, which is the only class in Dune: Awakening that is not available at the start and must be unlocked as a secondary class early in the game. Derek moves to different locations as the player progresses, but his initial base camp and starting point remain in this area.
It’s possible to completely miss the planetology skill tree, since it’s Dune: Awakening’s only class that you can’t pick during character creation. The associated quest also doesn’t outright say “this is for a new class” unless you’re paying attention.
Pick up the contract “Assistance Required” from the Griffin Trading Post. You’re asked to help Derek Chinara, who’s currently stuck above a nearby imperial research facility.
Dune: Awakening advanced trainer locations
The advanced trainers in Dune: Awakening are primarily located in the major cities of Arrakeen and Harko Village. Players can reach these locations via fast travel using their Ornithopter or by paying for the Ornithopter Taxi Service. Each advanced trainer unlocks specific gated abilities within their class skill trees and requires completing a quest chain to begin unlocking these advanced skills. For example, the advanced Trooper trainer Kara Valk is found in Arrakeen, while advanced trainers for classes like Mentat and Bene Gesserit are also situated in Arrakeen and Harko Village respectively. This system allows players to expand their character’s abilities beyond their starting class by seeking out and completing tasks for these trainers.
Advanced trainers are all located in one of Dune: Awakening’s social hubs, either Arrakeen or Harko Village. You can access either location from any trade post by paying 2,500 Solari for the Ornithopter taxi to take you there. That’s the only way to reach Arrakeen and Harko Village until you create an Ornithopter of your own, but you can get enough cash from completing a few basic contracts.
That said, you don’t really need to unlock advanced skill training until maybe around the time you complete your third or fourth Trial of Aql.
As far as we’re aware, there is no advanced Planetologist trainer.
Advanced Bene Gessiert trainer location
The Advanced Bene Gessiert trainer, Jacosta Cleo, is located in Harko Village, a Harkonnen stronghold in Dune: Awakening. To find her, head northeast in the village near the weapons merchant, past a landmark called the Baron’s Eye, and look for an alleyway with stairs where she stands underneath. Players can reach Harko Village by paying 2,500 solari for an ornithopter taxi at any tradepost. Jacosta Cleo offers advanced Bene Gessiert skills and a questline starting with “Sacred Records,” focusing on uncovering the history of the Fremen people. This location is key to unlocking the higher tiers of the Bene Gessiert skill tree after completing the basic training at Helius Gate.
Jacosta is the advanced Bene Gesserit trainer, and she’s near the weapon stall in Harko Village. Her quest follows a similar line as Sister Mesa’s, as Jacosta also sends you into Fremen ruins in exchange for teaching new skills.
Advanced Swordmaster trainer location
The Advanced Swordmaster trainer, Seron Varlin, is located in Harko Village, a Harkonnen stronghold in Dune: Awakening. To reach him, you can take an ornithopter from any tradepost by paying 2,500 solari. Once in Harko Village, head towards the Beast’s Bend area at the far end of the village, where you’ll find Seron Varlin, a blind man standing under a canopy. He offers advanced Swordmaster training and the quest chain necessary to unlock high-level Swordmaster skills, specializing in sword abilities, defense, and utility combat techniques.
Seron Varlin continues your Swordmaster training, and he’s also in Harko Village, near the northern entrance by a campfire. Seron’s first quest is sending you after his old sword.
Advanced Mentat trainer location
The advanced Mentat trainer, Zayn De Witte, is located in Arrakeen at the Salusan Bull bar. To reach him, take the ornithopter taxi to Arrakeen and head up the stairs toward the main area. The bar is downstairs on the first right, and Zayn can be found at the back of the room. Completing his quest chain unlocks advanced Mentat skills, offering more tactical options and gadgets for players who want to enhance their Mentat abilities beyond basic training.
Zayn de Witte in Arrakeen is your ticket to more assassination techniques. You’ll find him in a bar, and, surprise, he wants you to assassinate some people.
Advanced Trooper trainer location
The advanced Trooper trainer in Dune: Awakening is located in the city of Arrakeen. To find her, head to the second floor of the city’s inner market area, where you will meet Kara Valk. After interacting with her, you will be given the quest “Seeking Control,” which involves infiltrating a slaver base to find two transmitters. Completing this quest grants access to advanced Trooper skills, allowing you to further develop your combat abilities. Arrakeen is accessible via fast travel, making it convenient to reach the advanced training location once you have progressed through the basic Trooper training at Griffin’s Reach Tradepost.
Finally is Kara Valk, the advanced Trooper trainer. Kara is also in Arrakeen, on the city’s second floor. She wants you to infiltrate a slaver camp, but only to grab some transmitters. You can turn the slavers into water, too. It’s just not mandatory.
What hidden trainer locations might unlock rare skills in Dune: Awakening
In Dune: Awakening, some hidden trainer locations that unlock rare skills are found in caves, personal hideouts, and less obvious areas away from main trade outposts. For example:
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The Planetologist trainer Derek Chinara is located in a cave above Imperial Testing Station No. 2 in Hagga Basin South. This cave is somewhat hidden and requires completing a quest involving retrieving a Mimic Film from inside the station to unlock the Planetologist skill tree. Derek also appears later at Imperial Testing Station No. 197 in Western Vermillius Gap for advanced training.
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The advanced Bene Gesserit trainer is hidden in a tunnel on the lower level of Harko Village, a location known for being difficult to spot due to lighting, but can be found by looking for a guiding blue light.
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Advanced trainers in general, including trainers for Swordmaster and Mentat advanced skills, are located in major city hubs like Arrakeen and Harko Village, often inside buildings or bars, hidden behind quests that unlock powerful skill chains and rare weapon rewards.
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The advanced Trooper trainer, Kara Valk, is found in Arrakeen inside a building requiring a quest to infiltrate a slaver base to unlock skills.
These hidden or less straightforward trainer locations not only offer access to rare and powerful advanced skills but also come with questlines that reward unique weaponry and abilities, making their discovery important for maximizing your character’s potential on Arrakis.
Are there secret caves or hideouts that hold rare trainer locations on Arrakis
Yes, in Dune: Awakening, there are secret caves and hideouts on Arrakis that hold rare skill trainers.
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The Planettologist trainer Derek Chinara is located in a cave above Imperial Testing Station No. 2 in Hagga Basin South. This cave is somewhat hidden and requires completing a quest involving retrieving a Mimic Film from inside the station to unlock the skill tree. Derek also moves later to Imperial Testing Station No. 197 in Western Vermillius Gap for advanced training. These cave locations are less obvious and require exploration.
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Advanced Bene Gesserit trainers are hidden in tunnels or dark lower levels of villages such as Harko Village, making them difficult to spot without careful searching.
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Other advanced trainers are found inside building hideouts or bars in major hubs like Arrakeen and Harko Village, behind quests that unlock rare skills and weapon rewards.
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Various Trials of Aql, which are skill-related challenges, take place inside caves like The Deep Struggle cave in Eastern Vermillius Gap, Devil’s Eye Cavern in Hagga Rift, and others, highlighting the importance of cave exploration to unlock rare abilities and rewards.
In summary, Arrakis contains several secret or hidden cave locations and hideouts that house rare or advanced skill trainers, often linked to specific quests or exploration challenges, making these locales critical for players seeking rare skills and advanced training.
