Things escalate quickly upon arrival on the unforgiving sand dunes of Arrakis. One of the first major objectives is to connect with the Fremen; however, it does not happen through some easy meeting. Instead, it all starts with a powerful experience that occurs during your initial brushing with spice. This instigates the Trial of Aql, an essential questline that greatly defines what lies ahead in the process.
Step 1: The Vision Begins
Early on, you cross paths with Zantara, a hardened desert dweller who becomes your first true mentor. He sets you up with some basic survival tasks, one of which is to build a Blood Purifier inside your Sub-Fief, the base you will call home for some time.
Upon completing the setup and watching the purifier start working, something strange happens. The spice-heavy air within your shelter starts affecting you. A vision strikes—unexpected, intense, and clearly not just a hallucination. This is the spark that kicks off your deeper journey.
Zantara doesn’t vanish after that. He’ll check in with you from time to time to assign objectives and give directions in the larger scheme of adapting to life in Arrakis. In order to know where you stand and what remains to be done, open the Journey tab in the menu. All quests, Trial of Aql included, can be tracked there.
Step 2: Finding the First Trial of Aql
Once your first vision has finished, you will get a quest telling to follow your inner sight. That gets you at the location of the First Trial of Aql.
To see it:
- Open up your map and find the quest marker in purple.
- That icon shall point you toward the trial location.
- Keep in mind that sandstorms on Arrakis may shift the terrain just slightly, so while the marker is correct, the exact location itself might vary a little bit.
- Most of the time, it will be found within 2,000 meters from your Sub-Fief.
To keep up with navigation:
- Keep an eye on your compass hub right at top of the screen to track the purple marker in real-time.
- You may want to get ready for the journey first! Use the Blood Purifier to distill water from Scavenger blood as a precaution, ensuring you are adequately hydrated for the journey across the dunes.
Following the marker, you will come to a cave entrance wherein there are stone pillars on either side.
Enter, follow the path downward, and you will come upon a bowl full of spice. Interact with it: inhaling the spice triggers the start of Trial of Aql.
Step 3: Inside the Trial – Surviving the Floating Eyes
Once the trial begins, you’ll find yourself inside a stealth challenge featuring floating surveillance eyes. Your goal is to make it past each section without getting caught.
Here’s a full breakdown of how to get through each eye section:
The First Eye
This one is a good warm-up. It opens and closes in a rhythm, giving you time to move between safe spots.
- Two broken columns lie in its path — wait behind one until the eye shuts, then move to the next.
- Time your movement carefully and continue on your way when it’s safe.
The Second Eye
This eye presents a new twist — it never closes.
- To get past it, stay crouched and hug the low wall along the cliff’s edge.
- Stay low and out of sight, and you’ll be able to pass by without detection.
The Third Eye
Back to a familiar pattern — this eye opens and closes intermittently.
- Use a combination of crouching and sprinting to stay hidden.
- Wait behind low walls and columns, then dash forward when the eye closes.
The Fourth Eye
Things get trickier now.
- This one never blinks and instead moves its gaze back and forth.
- To get past it, position yourself under a partially collapsed bridge.
- Wait for the gaze to shift to one side, then move carefully when the coast is clear.
The Fifth Eye
Similar to the last one — constant gaze and side-to-side movement — but now there’s an extra challenge.
- First, move under the collapsed bridge like before.
- Then sprint forward, but be prepared to jump across a gap in the path.
- Land carefully and keep moving forward without falling.
The Final Eye
This one combines all the mechanics you’ve learned so far:
- It has a wide viewing angle and opens/closes in intervals.
- Use outcroppings of rock for cover while you approach.
- Move only when the eye closes.
- Halfway through, you’ll need to climb over a ledge. Just jump, grab on, and pull yourself up quickly.
- After that, head toward the large staircase on your right — once you reach the top, the trial is complete.
Trial Complete!
You’ve successfully made it through the First Trial of Aql. The stealth challenges test your awareness, patience, and ability to read patterns — and this trial sets the tone for the deeper spice-induced quests to come.
