Dune: Awakening crafting gets progressively more involved as you get higher, needing players to mesh together limited resources with heavy machinery. Silicone blocks are an essential mid-game resource that’s used for all sorts of high-level blueprints, particularly in water harvesting and processing tech. Whether you’re playing through the game normally or skipping ahead using the released research menu, finding silicone blocks takes forethought and travel to particular areas and tools.
This manual takes you through all you have to do to effectively make silicone blocks, from unlocking machinery to gathering resources.
How To Get Silicone Blocks?
Step 1: Unlock the Second Region of Vermillius Gap
You will need to access the second region of Vermillius Gap in order to start making silicone blocks. The area introduces the particular terrain and raw materials that are needed—specifically, the white sand areas required to create flour sand.
If you’ve already unlocked the silicone block recipe early through the research tree, remember that the required tools and resources won’t be available until you are in this area.
Step 2: Construct a Small Chemical Refinery
You’ll need a Small Chemical Refinery to create silicone blocks. This refinery building becomes accessible quite early in the game and can be constructed using the Construction Tool after you’ve acquired: 45 Copper
After placing the refinery, you’ll be able to convert raw materials into more advanced crafting components, including silicone blocks.
Step 3: Gather Required Materials
Silicone blocks require two main components:
1. Water (50 units)
Water is an essential resource in Dune: Awakening, used for both survival and crafting. There are several methods to collect water:
- Using a Dew Reaper on Primroses
- Purifying blood through basic purifiers
- Harvesting ambient moisture from environmental sources
Important Note: Your survival hydration meter (bottom-left of HUD) is for your own survival, not how much water is stored. For crafting, ensure water is stored in:
- Literjons (carried)
- Cisterns (immobilized)
Only water that is stored is considered a crafting input in machines such as the chemical refinery.
2. Flour Sand (5 units)
Flour sand is a special material that exists only in the second region. To harvest it:
- Find white sand islands in the desert
- Use a Static Compactor to process the sand into flour sand
- These compactors turn loose sand into a usable powder that can be refined further into silicone blocks.
Step 4: Craft Silicone Blocks
Once you’ve gathered:
- 50 Water
- 5 Flour Sand
Take them to your Small Chemical Refinery and start processing. Each cycle will take a little bit of real-time to go through, so batch crafting is strongly advised if you’re planning on making several advanced items down the line.
Applications of Silicone Blocks
Silicone blocks become very necessary after you open up iron and steel-tier technology. They’re needed in constructing many of the advanced survival tools and structures, such as:
- Dew Reapers – gather water from the environment
- Better Blood Purifiers – take water from natural sources more effectively
- Windtraps – actively produce water from atmospheric humidity
- Cisterns – hold significant amounts of water for crafting or survival
Since some of these buildings are water-centric, accumulating silicone blocks in the early game can significantly enhance your sustainability on tougher maps.
