The Exchange is supposed to be Dune: Awakening‘s main player-run marketplace (kind of like an Auction House), but right now, it is a ghost town. Most players have either never been, forgot it existed, or do not think it is worth the hassle. Here is why almost no one is using it, and what the community thinks would actually make it useful.
Quick heads up: this whole Exchange topic started with a recent Reddit post.
You can check it out here if you want the original context:
Why the Exchange Is Empty
There is technically an auction house in the game called the Exchange, located in Arrakeen and Harko Village. But it is barely used across most servers, and the reasons are adding up:
- Travel is expensive; 2500 Solari per flight is a big ask.
- If you fly there, you often get queued just to return to your home server.
- You have to carry the items you want to sell in your backpack.
- Most players are still hoarding resources and crafting for themselves.
So even though money is easy to come by, the actual incentive to sell is rather low.
Community Suggestions to Improve It
Players are already coming up with better systems that could make the Exchange way more useful:
- Turn it into a barter system, like trading 50 Aluminum for 1 Carbide Scrap, with Solari as a fee.
- Add base upgrades that let you trade remotely, like sending off a launch pod and getting items back later.
- Tier VI trading buildings with limited access (e.g. browse listings, delayed delivery).
- Let players use common resources like water or sand as currency instead of just Solari.
Right now, the system feels a bit clunky and disconnected from the rest of the game loop.
When Will Players Actually Use It?
The general feeling is: once players have their ornithopters and midgame production going, usage might pick up.
- Early players are focused on gathering and crafting, not trading.
- Friends and guilds are sharing gear directly, skipping the Exchange.
- Some players are already selling steel or water and making good Solari, but they are the minority.
- The real value later will likely be in unique schematics, PvP-only resources, or rare blueprints.
For now, most of us players are still working on our setups and grinding through the early zones.
Will It Ever Be Worth It?
There are quite a few players on Reddit who worry that the Exchange might never see real use. The problem is that Solari currently has no meaningful sink/use yet, so most players do not care about collecting or stacking it. Landsraad quests also encourage keeping your items, rather than selling them, and in the closed beta servers, the Exchange was also barely used.
It might take more than just time… it may need major design changes to be worth the trip.
All in all, the Exchange has huge potential, but it is clearly not there yet. Until then, most players will keep trading in person, hoarding gear, or just skipping the system entirely.
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