Dune Awakening Ornithopter: How to Unlock, Buy or Build One
Few things change your game in Dune: Awakening as much as your first own ornithopter. The insect-winged aircraft is the fastest way to travel on Arrakis, carries you safely over sandworm territory and opens up the high-level zones. This Dune Awakening ornithopter guide shows the two ways to get your thopter, buying it fast through faction reputation or building it yourself through research, along with all classes, costs and pitfalls.
Short version: there are two ways. Buy: reach reputation rank 4 with the Atreides or the Harkonnen and spend around 125,000 Solaris at the faction vendor. Build: put enough Intel into research (Scout from about 300 Intel), craft the parts at the Vehicle Fabricator and put them together with the Welding Torch.
Why you need an ornithopter
Arrakis is huge, and on foot you are slow and vulnerable, especially with a full bag or in worm territory. The ornithopter fixes exactly that. It is by far the most efficient way to travel, lets you switch to the Overland Map for fast jumps across the whole world, and gets you out of danger before a sandworm strikes. Flying gets you to high-level points of interest, rare resources and spice fields much faster. Speaking of which: how to harvest the spice is in our spice farming guide.
Route 1: buy an ornithopter (fastest start)
If you just want to fly, buying is the fastest route, with no research at all:
- Pick a faction: commit to the Atreides or the Harkonnen and stick with them.
- Build reputation: complete faction contracts (patrols, deliveries), for example at the faction trading post, until you reach reputation rank 4.
- Save Solaris: you need around 125,000 Solaris. You earn them through contracts, selling loot, trading and exploring. Our Solaris farming guide lists the fastest methods.
- Buy the parts: at rank 4 you can buy the ornithopter parts directly from the faction vendor and then assemble them.
Note: the reputation rank and price come from community sources dating from before Update 1.5. According to the community wiki awakening.wiki, up to 20 faction ranks have existed since Chapter 3 (Update 1.3, February 3, 2026); Funcom's Update 1.5 announcement only sums that system up. Whether it changed the purchase conditions at the faction vendor is not officially confirmed.
You can also buy parts on the Exchange, but be careful: many listings carry permanent damage that can't be repaired (often parts pulled from vehicles and resold). Check listings closely.
Route 2: build an ornithopter yourself (through research)
Building your own takes more work, but it doesn't depend on reputation and is the base for stronger models later. You need:
- Intel spent on research: you unlock the ornithopter schematics in the research tree. For the first model (Scout), the community wiki says you need to have spent around 300 Intel, plus the actual research step (around 30 Intel).
- Vehicle Fabricator: required to build the vehicle parts.
- Welding Torch: to assemble the parts on the chassis. Assembly of every vehicle starts with the chassis.
- Refineries: a Medium Ore Refinery (for Aluminum Ingots) and a Chemical Refinery to process the raw materials.
You earn Intel by exploring and completing points of interest, a double win, because Intel also drives the rest of your progression.
Which ornithopter classes are there?
There are three types with rising requirements. The Intel thresholds below (total Intel spent) come from the community wiki:
| Type | Class | Minimum tier | Crew | Intel spent (approx.) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Scout Ornithopter | Light | Mk4 (Aluminum) | 1 | 300 |
| Assault Ornithopter | Medium | Mk5 (Duraluminum) | 4 | 700 |
| Carrier Ornithopter | Carryall | Mk6 (Plastanium) | 6 | 1,200 |
- Scout Ornithopter (Mk4): fast and agile, your perfect start and the stepping stone to higher tiers. Only the Scout can be stored with the Vehicle Backup Tool.
- Assault Ornithopter (Mk5): can be armed, for example with a rocket launcher. Strong for air fights and PvP.
- Carrier Ornithopter (Mk6): the bulk hauler for big resource runs, carrying your squad and Deep Desert pushes. It can also lift a Sandcrawler away from the worm.
Tip: if you are just starting out, aim for the Mk4 Scout. It is enough to reach the next tiers and materials. More on the endgame zone is in the Deep Desert PvE guide.
Materials: what to expect
Building one eats a lot. Early on, Aluminum (as ingots), Diamondine Dust and Industrial Pumps are the main bottlenecks, and aluminum is usually the hardest to get. For the higher classes (Mk5/Mk6) you increasingly need Duraluminum and large amounts of water. Stock up on raw materials before you start assembly, or production stalls halfway.
Tips for the fastest thopter
- Scout first: save the expensive models for later. The Mk4 Scout is what opens the follow-up tiers in the first place.
- Pool in a team: materials and the grind behind them go much faster as a group.
- Use the Exchange carefully: checked parts can save time, damaged ones are wasted Solaris.
- Park safely: sandstorms wear down vehicles left in the open. The same rule as for the Sandbike applies: garage or Vehicle Backup Tool.
- Think about specializations: according to the community wiki, the Exploration track improves vehicle fuel efficiency. Details are in our specializations guide.
โ Frequently asked questions about the Dune Awakening ornithopter
What is the fastest way to get an ornithopter?
Buying it: reach reputation rank 4 with the Atreides or the Harkonnen and spend around 125,000 Solaris at the faction vendor (community figures from before Update 1.5). That skips all the research and gathering.
How much Intel do I need for the first model?
For the Mk4 Scout, the community wiki says you need to have spent around 300 Intel, plus the research step itself. Higher classes need much more (Assault around 700, Carrier around 1,200).
What do I need to build one?
A Vehicle Fabricator for the parts, a Welding Torch for assembly, plus a Medium Ore Refinery and a Chemical Refinery for the materials.
Which model should I build first?
The Mk4 Scout. It is cheap enough to start with and lays the groundwork for the stronger Assault and Carrier models.
How many players fit in each ornithopter?
The Scout seats 1, the Assault Ornithopter 4 and the Carrier Ornithopter 6.
As of October 11, 2026: Update 1.5 up to Hotfix 1.5.3.7 (October 9, 2026); the hotfixes only fix ornithopter bugs, such as the thopter spawning in the air in single player, and don't change costs. Intel thresholds come from the community wiki, the purchase values (rank 4, about 125,000 Solaris) from several matching community sources dating from before Update 1.5, ornithopter types, crew and minimum tiers from awakening.wiki. Funcom can change values with patches.
