One of the most engaging contracts in Dune: Awakening is Buy Items Search and Retrieval—a mission that plunges you into Kirab bandit camps in Hagga Basin to piece together the fate of missing spice harvester survivors. This blog post breaks down what the contract entails, how it fits in the world of Arrakis, and why it's worth your time.
Contract name: Search and Retrieval
Location: Hagga Basin, near Kirab camps
Objective: Survivors of the wrecked spice harvester, Mithra, have been abducted by Kirab bandits. Your task is to search multiple Kirab camps for Spice Miner's Guild Tags, and find a discarded comms device. After gathering this evidence, you must return to Chief Hanso.
The Kirab camps are notorious for harboring bandits who disrupt spice harvesting operations. By accepting this mission, players help give voice to the missing — providing closure, evidence, even a tale that restores some order in a chaotic region. It's less about big battlefronts and more about investigation, risk, and piecing together clues.
Also, the environment — Hagga Basin — is harsh but less chaotic than open dunes; you'll get a mix of stealth, combat, and hazard navigation.
Here's how to smoothly complete Search and Retrieval:
Preparation
Gear up: weapons, armor, hydration supplies. Hagga Basin has environmental hazards.
Map out Kirab camps: ideally choose a path that lets you move camp to camp without unnecessary travel or overlaps.
First Camp Search
Sneak if you can, or approach with caution. Kirab outposts may have sentries.
Prioritize finding any tag quickly, in containers or on bodies.
Subsequent Camps
Repeat procedure. Watch for variations: some camps are better defended.
Always stay aware of ambient threats: wildlife, storms, or bandit patrols.
Find the Comms Device
The contract requires examining a discarded Comms Device. It may be in the vicinity of one of the camps or just outside. Keep eyes peeled.
Return to Chief Hanso
Once you have all tags and the device, head back. Be wary — carrying evidence may slow you. Kirab may try to intercept.
Stealth pays: Approaching under cover or at night can reduce resistance.
Resource management: Bring healing supplies and hydration. If you're out in the open too long without shade, risks increase.
Use mobility: Vehicles or fast traversal allow you to move between camps faster and avoid getting trapped.
Fight or evade: You don't need to clear every enemy; sometimes an evasion yields better outcomes (less risk, fewer wounds).
XP Awarded: ~150 XP.
Narrative rewards: Aside from experience, gathering the tags and device may affect how NPCs respond, how safe certain routes become, etc.
Gear/loot: Loot from camps can include weapons, spare materials, or upgrades.
Search and Retrieval is a contract that rewards curiosity and careful planning. It's not the fastest or the flashiest, but it's meaningful: you help fill in gaps in the game's lore, bring justice to missing individuals, and wind through some of the more tense, morally gray zones of Arrakis.
If you enjoy contracts that blend exploration, risk, and detective work — this one is for you. Plus, it gives you a chance to better understand the Kirab bandits, the Spice Miner's Guild, and the precarious state of survival in Dune Awakening Items on sale here Hagga Basin.