The Planetologist skill tree is a must-have for anyone looking to make the most out of exploration and survival on Arrakis.
It’s packed with passive boosts for tool efficiency, traversal, and vehicle maintenance — perfect for players who like to roam, gather, and stay mobile.
But here’s the catch: it’s super easy to miss early on if you don’t fully explore the starting zone.
Here’s how to find the trainer, complete the short side task, and unlock the Planetologist skill tree for good. Also know about Moisture Sealed Cave Location.
📍 Where to Find the Planetologist Trainer
Your Planetologist journey starts with Derek Chinara, a trainer NPC camped out on a cliff above Imperial Testing Station 02 in Hagga Basin South.
How to Get There:
- If you’re following your Journey quests, you’ll eventually be sent to the Testing Station during the Sandbike Journey quest.
- Once you’re nearby, look above the station, on the cliffs. Derek’s camp is easy to overlook if you’re not scanning your surroundings.
Talk to Derek, and he’ll agree to teach you Planetology — but first, you need to find a Minimic Film.
🎞️ Where to Find the Minimic Film
You’ll find the Minimic Film inside Imperial Testing Station 02, hidden in a secret room near the end of the facility.
Steps to Find It:
- Progress through the Testing Station as normal.
- Near the final section, look for a bookshelf with a glowing yellow book.
- Interact with it — the bookshelf will slide open, revealing a hidden room.
- Inside, grab the Minimic Film from a container sitting on a round table.
Got the film? Great — now head back to Derek.
🌌 Unlocking the Planetologist Skill Tree
Once you give Derek the film, he’ll unlock the basic nodes of the Planetologist tree. From there, you can start spending Skill Points as you level up, just like you would with any other class tree.
🧬 What the Planetologist Tree Offers
The Planetologist tree is split into three branches, each focused on survival efficiency and quality-of-life upgrades:
🔬 Scientist Tree
- Boosts power efficiency
- Speeds up resource gathering with tools
🧗 Explorer Tree
- Grants abilities for better terrain navigation
- Helps you scale tricky environments
🔧 Mechanic Tree
- Buffs vehicle performance and repair capabilities
- Improves your Sandbike and other future rides
🔄 Can You Multiclass?
Absolutely! Dune: Awakening doesn’t lock you into one class. As long as you’ve unlocked a class tree by meeting its trainer and completing their task, you can freely invest skill points into any combination of class trees — including Bene Gesserit, Mentat, or Fremen.
So if you’re already on one path but want to pick up the Planetologist perks for a smoother exploration experience, go for it!
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