Augments are one of the biggest power and quality-of-life upgrades you can put on high-end gear in Dune: Awakening. They let you tailor MK6 and unique weapons and armor with passive stat modifiers, effectively giving the same item different “personalities” depending on what you socket. This guide breaks down how augment slots work, where to get schematics, what grades mean, how crafting and durability interact, and how to make smart choices that fit your playstyle and budget.

What Augments Are (and Why They Matter)

Augments are craftable modifiers you socket into eligible gear to gain passive stats. In exchange, some augments may reduce other stats to keep items balanced. The result is meaningful customization: two identical rifles can feel completely different once augmented.

• Weapons can roll into different roles (slower but harder-hitting, faster firing, larger ammo pools, and more).
• Armor can be tuned toward survivability, durability management, or specialized defenses.

In progression terms, augments are a lever you pull when you want your loadout to perform better in tougher overland content, higher-tier testing stations, and PvP encounters where small stat edges matter.

Which Items Can Use Augments

Augments apply to MK6 and unique weapons and armor. These items have augment sockets, but most sockets start locked.

Socket Limits

• Weapons: up to three augment slots
• Armor: up to two augment slots

Socket Types (Color-Coded)

When a socket is unlocked, you’ll see it clearly marked and color-coded by item category:

• Red sockets: melee weapon augments
• Yellow sockets: ranged weapon augments
• Green sockets: armor augments

There are also generic augments that can be placed into any socket type, which is useful when you want a universal effect across multiple loadouts.

How to Unlock Augment Slots

Locked sockets open as you advance your crafting specialization. If you see a socket that looks inactive or “closed,” it’s still locked and requires further crafting progression before you can use it.

This is an important planning point: if you’re investing in MK6/unique gear early, consider whether you’re close to unlocking additional slots. Installing augments too early can lock you into a setup you’ll later wish had more sockets available.

Augment Schematics: How You Get Them

Augments work similarly to uniques: you need to find the schematic, learn it, and then craft the augment before you can socket it into gear.

Primary Source: Testing Stations

The main way to obtain augment schematics and their crafting materials is by running testing stations found across the overland map. The station level influences what you can get:

• Higher station levels can reward higher-grade augments.
• Higher station levels can also drop higher-grade unique weapons and armor, which come with improved base stats.

One of the most practical farming notes is that testing station chests are repeatable. With no cooldown on the chest rewards, you can loop stations to steadily build a library of schematics and materials.

Augments have grades that determine how strong their stat bonuses can be. Grades go up to level five, and higher grades generally mean better potential stats.

How to Identify Grade at a Glance

Augment grade is shown with a simple visual indicator: each “slice” equals one grade.

• 1 slice: Grade 1
• 2 slices: Grade 2
• 3 slices: Grade 3
• 4 slices: Grade 4
• 5 slices: Grade 5

Grades Also Affect Unique Gear

Unique weapons and armor obtained from higher-level stations can also have grades. Higher-grade gear usually has stronger stats but costs more to craft and maintain. This is where economy planning begins to matter, because high-grade crafting can become a serious resource sink if you constantly rebuild items.

Crafting Augments: Materials and Workstations

Once you’ve learned a schematic, you craft the augment at the appropriate fabricator. Augments also introduce a key resource requirement that many players overlook when budgeting upgrades.

HEG Components (Core Crafting Requirement)

Augments require HEG components, which you craft at an advanced survival fabricator using a mix of newer and existing resources.

To acquire off-world HEG compound inputs, you typically have several options:

• Purchase from vendors in major hubs (such as Arrakeen and other settlements)
• Buy from other players via marketplace trading
• Trade directly with players to secure needed quantities

This is one of the first places where the Dune: Awakening economy and Solari start to influence your upgrade pace. If you’d rather spend your limited playtime on exploration or combat instead of gathering every component, many players choose to stabilize their upgrade budget with Dune Awakening Solari so they can source materials and crafted augments through trade.

Where You Craft Each Augment Type

• Weapon augments: craft at the advanced weapon fabricator
• Armor augments: craft at the advanced garment fabricator

How to Apply Augments (and the Irreversible Rule)

To socket augments into gear, use an augment station. Select the item you want to augment, and the station will show which augments are compatible with that item and socket type.

Universal vs Item-Specific Augments

Some augments are universal, while others are item-specific and only fit certain weapons or armor pieces. If you’re targeting a very specific build, verify compatibility before you craft multiples.

Once you place an augment into a socket, the choice is irreversible. You cannot remove it and reclaim the socket. If you want a different setup later, you’ll need another copy of that MK6/unique item and start fresh.

This single rule should shape how you approach experimentation:

• Test your preferred feel (rate of fire, recoil control, stamina/durability comfort) on a “practice” item first.
• Commit expensive Grade 4–5 augments only when you’re confident in the final loadout.

Durability: What Actually Happens When You Socket an Augment

Adding an augment causes the item to lose a small portion of durability. However, as your crafting specialization improves, you gain benefits that help offset this:

• Higher crafted item durability
• Improved longevity through reduced durability costs on repairs

In practice, specialization progression often means your augmented gear ends up feeling more durable over time, even if socketing initially dings the durability bar.

Important Detail: Current Durability vs Max Durability

If you augment an item that isn’t at full durability, socketing mainly affects the maximum durability. The item’s current durability value can remain the same. This matters when you’re trying to avoid “wasting” durability before a difficult run.

UI Update Quirk

If your durability display doesn’t update after socketing, swapping tabs or reopening the fabricator/station can refresh the display.

RNG Stat Ranges: Crafting for “Good Enough” Rolls

Augments craft with a range of possible stat values. Each craft rolls randomly within that range. For example, a damage augment might roll anywhere between 2% and 8% damage, meaning you may need multiple crafts to hit a top-end roll.

A Practical Roll Strategy

• Set a threshold before you start (for example, keep anything at roughly three-quarters of the maximum roll).
• Avoid perfection traps unless you’re pushing the hardest content where every percent matters.
• Remember gear turnover: items don’t last forever, and rebuilding a whole set is expensive.

This is where Solari budgeting in Dune Awakening becomes relevant. Chasing perfect rolls can quickly turn into a resource drain, especially when you factor in the need to craft replacement MK6/unique items if you regret an irreversible socket choice.

Recycling and Patterns: What to Do with Extras

As you farm testing stations, you’ll inevitably collect schematic copies you don’t need and unique drops you won’t use. Instead of letting them pile up, convert them into value.

Option 1: Sell Schematics or Crafted Augments

Extra schematics and finished augments can be sold or traded to other players. This can be a reliable way to fund other upgrades, particularly when you’re trying to cover Solari for Dune Awakening gear upgrades without grinding the same route endlessly.

You can recycle augment schematics into patterns of the same grade:

• Grade 1 schematic → Grade 1 pattern
• Grade 2 schematic → Grade 2 pattern
• And so on

Likewise, unwanted graded unique weapons/armor can be recycled for additional patterns, which helps you craft the augments you actually want.

Upconverting Patterns Later

With deeper crafting specialization, you can gain access to converting lower-grade patterns into higher-grade ones. This is a long-term efficiency tool: early farming never truly goes to waste, because it can still feed your late crafting pipeline.

Buying Augmented Gear vs Crafting It Yourself

You don’t have to craft everything. Augmented items can be bought through player trading and markets. If you choose to buy instead of craft, always inspect the item carefully to confirm it has the exact augment stats you want.

For players with limited time, trading can be the difference between “good enough gear” and being stuck underpowered. This is also why some players look for how to get extra Dune Awakening Solari without burning out on grinding: a stable currency pool makes it easier to purchase the specific graded augments you need when they appear on the market.

Recommended Early Priorities: Comfort First, Damage Second

In the early-to-mid upgrade curve, the best augment choices are often the ones that reduce friction: fewer durability headaches, fewer expensive rebuilds, and more consistency while you learn station mechanics.

Protective Coating: The “Save My Gear” Augment

If you want your equipment to last longer, prioritize Protective Coating. It prevents durability loss when you die, at the cost of using an augment slot on each item you want protected.

• Ideal for main gear you don’t want to replace often
• Excellent for training gear when learning bosses or difficult station routes

It’s not the flashiest option, but it can save huge amounts of time and currency over many deaths. If you’re trying to keep a tight progression budget, this augment can be more impactful than a small damage increase.

Learn Boss Mechanics on Lower Difficulty

If you’re practicing bosses, run lower difficulty stations first. Mechanics remain the same, but incoming damage is lower, making it easier to learn patterns without hemorrhaging repairs and replacement costs.

Putting It All Together: A Simple Augment Progression Plan

• Step 1: Farm testing stations repeatedly to build a schematic and material base.
• Step 2: Push crafting specialization to unlock more sockets before committing expensive augments.
• Step 3: Craft a few key augments at a workable grade, aiming for “good enough” rolls.
• Step 4: Socket comfort augments first (durability and survivability), then stack damage/utility.
• Step 5: Recycle or sell extras to fund targeted upgrades and higher-grade crafting.

As you move into higher-grade crafting, costs rise quickly. That’s when a consistent currency plan matters, whether you earn it through trading routes, market flips, or supplementing with Solari Dune Awakening to keep your crafting pipeline moving when key materials spike in price.

Frequently Asked Questions

No. Augments apply to MK6 and unique weapons/armor that have augment sockets. Some augments are universal, while others are item-specific.

Can I remove or swap an augment after socketing it?

No. Socketing is irreversible. To change augments, you need a fresh copy of the item and new augments.

What’s the fastest way to farm augment schematics?

Repeat testing stations. Their chests can be run repeatedly, letting you steadily collect schematics and crafting materials.

Should I chase perfect max-roll augments?

Only if you’re pushing the hardest content. For most players, setting a “good enough” roll threshold saves resources and keeps progression smooth.

How do players afford higher-grade crafting and repeated rerolls?

Many rely on trading, selling extra schematics/uniques, and careful economy planning. If you’re short on time, some players also look into where to buy Dune Awakening Solari if you have limited playtime to support crafting and market purchases without endless grinding.