Dune: Awakening- How to Build a Column Outside Your Land Claim

Building outside your land claim in Dune: Awakening isn't as straightforward as placing structures inside your base perimeter. By design, Funcom limits external building to prevent territory griefing, resource blocking, and exploits. Still, the game includes a few intended, legitimate methods for placing columns, supports, and Dune Awakening Solari small structural pieces beyond your claimed area-mainly for traversal, vertical access, and environmental interaction. Mastering these methods helps you reach loot caches, create temporary scouting perches, or anchor zipline paths across rugged cliff terrain.

1. Understand Land Claim Restrictions

Your land claim defines where full-tier structures-bases, rooms, crafting stations, and long-term platforms-are allowed. Outside this radius, most building pieces become unavailable.

However, the game has a second category of "temporary or utility" construction pieces. These are not permanent base elements; rather, they're meant for traversal and exploration. Columns fall into this category when used in the field, especially lightweight or scaffolding-style variants.

So the key is not expanding your land claim, but instead using approved utility build modes to place specific structural elements.

2. Use the "Exploration Build Mode"

Dune: Awakening includes an Exploration or "Utility Build" mode-designed for scaling cliffs, crossing gaps, and reaching otherwise inaccessible areas. This mode allows the player to place certain pieces outside a land claim, including:

Lightweight columns

Temporary scaffold platforms

Handholds or climb points

Rope anchor stakes

To activate this mode, open your Build Wheel and switch from Base Construction to Exploration Utilities. The game will highlight pieces that are legal to place in open-world spaces. If the column piece you want becomes green instead of red, you're in the correct mode.

3. Place an Anchor or Foundation First

Even utility columns need an anchor point. You generally can't place a free-standing column on bare sand unless the game registers a valid surface or attachment.

Try placing:

A shallow anchor stake

A rock-mounted bracket

A low platform pad

A wall-side bracket, if you're building against a cliff

Once placed, your column can snap to that anchor. Often the first anchor is the hardest-the game wants to prevent floating or physics-breaking builds-so look for terrain features that are flat, stable, and recognized by the placement grid.

4. Leverage Natural Terrain

The placement system allows support structures to snap to:

Rock surfaces

Cliff edges

Canyon walls

The sides of derelicts or abandoned wrecks

If your goal is height-like reaching a spice-blown cliff cache or a high observation point-start by placing a bracket or minimal platform against the rock face. Once that's set, stacking columns upward is far easier.

Pro tip: Columns placed directly on rock are more forgiving than on sand.

5. Use Temporary Structures for Traversal, Not Permanence

Anything built outside your claim is temporary by design. The game may auto-decay it after some time or remove it during a sandstorm.

Use outside-claim columns for:

Creating a vertical path to loot, POIs, or cave entrances

Setting a zipline anchor on high ground

Making a temporary sniper or overwatch perch

Reaching a spice bloom before it collapses

Escaping a risky engagement by climbing cliffs quickly

Don't rely on these for storage or long-term defense-they're meant for mobility, not settlement.

6. If You Need Permanent Columns, Expand Your Land Claim

If you want a stable long-term tower, lookout, or solar platform, the only way is to expand your land claim radius. Upgrades can increase the claim size, but you cannot place permanent structural columns beyond the claim border.

This is an intended limitation and won't be bypassable.

7. Common Issues and Fixes

Red placement indicator:

Move slightly until the terrain snaps; sometimes one meter to the left makes a difference.

"Needs support" message:

Place a pad, bracket, or foundation block first.

Column disappears after a storm:

Normal. Build higher-tier supports inside land-claim zones for durability.

Final Thoughts

Building a column outside your land claim in Dune: Awakening is all about using the game's traversal-oriented construction tools. Switch into Exploration Build Mode, anchor your column properly, lean on terrain for stability, and treat external structures as temporary tools rather than permanent architecture. Mastering these techniques opens up hidden routes, gives you access to hard-to-reach areas, and cheap Dune Awakening Solari dramatically expands how you move across Arrakis.