Starfield’s WIP Dune planet-conversion mod is adding Sandworms

With Year 2 DLC on the horizon and the Shattered Space expansion pack almost upon us, Starfield is getting a bevy of official content. The unofficial goodies – mods – are where it’s really at, though, and the WIP Dune – Project Arrakis mod is a prime example of why that’s the case.

Produced by modder Questionthis, Dune – Project Arrakis is precisely what it says on the tin, and then some. It’s a comprehensive planet replacer mod that attempts to overhaul the backwater world of McClure III into glorious Arrakis from the mind of Paul Herbert and Dune. This means Spice, Sandworms, sietches, Fremen factions, and lots more. As this is a one-person job, though, it’s going to take a long while before Questionthis makes good on their ambition. The good news is that the bits that are currently there are extremely promising in their own right.

Starfield’s getting a Dune/Arrakis mod that replaces a whole planet

Questionthis has a very long road ahead of them, though I will say that they’re on the right track from my point of view. You can – and should – check out Dune – Project Arrakis on Nexus Mods right now, where you’ll be beset by a series of surprisingly atmospheric screenshots. Some of them even include the embodiment of Shai-Hulud, the sandworms themselves, and they are absolutely horrific.

I will say that the filter-feeding version of the creature from Villeneuve’s recent silver screen adaptations makes more biological sense than the multi-jawed super-predator monstrosity created by Questionthis. Yet, it’s hard to argue against the modded variant’s sheer awesomeness and creepiness, so I’m quite happy with how Questionthis’s work has been turning out.

And, really, they’re thoroughly dedicated to this mod: “This is more than a planet conversion mod,” they say. “It’s a comprehensive and hand-crafted overhaul of McClure III to bring the world of Frank Herbert’s Dune to Starfield.”

Comprehensive indeed! Here’s the planned feature list:

• Hand-crafted POIs and settlements.
• Player homes.
• New mineable materials (e.g. Spice Melange).
• New creatures, factions, NPCs, and even abilities.
• New quests

As of update 1.4 for Dune – Project Arrakis, you can already plop down Spice Extractors to harvest Melange on Arrakis, enjoy your very own customizable sietch, and even find mini-worms out and about. Plenty more to come, of course, but Questionthis’s work is already plenty impressive in my book.

With that all out of the way, where’s that DOOM questline mod we saw almost a month ago? The expectation was that it would be released sometime around the admittedly awesome REV-8 vehicle update late in August, but it’s nowhere to be seen so far. Stay tuned!