Joining the Great House Atreides in Dune: Awakening isn’t all about strength and prowess. In the Test of Cunning quest, players are tasked with digging up some dirt on Maxim Kazmir, the Harko Representative rivaling Lieutenant Tolliver in The Anvil. Instead of violence, players will need to resort to charisma and deception in order to succeed.
This quest is part of the initiation phase for joining the Atreides in Dune: Awakening. It’s a fairly short and simple mission that will take players to a Harkonnen checkpoint to the east. Thankfully, no fighting will be involved, and all players have to do is convince one of the Harko grunts to spill some of Kazmir’s secrets.
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Where to Find Lanov in Dune: Awakening Test of Cunning Quest
The target for this quest is Lanov, one of House Harkonnen’s troopers stationed at Riftwatch, a large base leading to the base of the Hagga Rift that also houses the basic Mentat trainer. You can easily find Lanov by tracking the quest through the Journal menu. Doing so will highlight his location on your compass and the map as a quest marker.
You can get to Riftwatch fairly early on, as long as you use your Sandbike and stay away from open sand. From the Anvil, ride directly east until you reach the cliffs on the other side of the dunes. Then, either follow the cliff wall south, or climb the cliff until you reach the top. The path to Riftwatch should be clear and fairly straightforward.
Once you find Lanov, you’ll have to interrogate him without raising suspicion. Lanov is a known Semuta addict, and it just so happens that he’s taking a break. To successfully interrogate him, pretend to be an officer who’s investigating the troops. Lanov won’t know any better, and if you ask him about Maxim, he’ll gladly spill the beans.
After you thoroughly investigate Lanov, go back to the Anvil and tell Tolliver what you learned. This marks the end of the quest, but you’re not part of the team just yet. Before you become a House Atreides recruit, you’ll need to finish one more quest for Tolliver, and unlike Test of Cunning, that one will involve fighting against some members of the Kirab somewhere in the desert.
By finishing all of Lt. Tolliver’s tests, you’ll become an official member of the Atreides, and with that, you’ll be able to purchase faction-specific items from the quartermaster in Arrakeen. A new set of quests will also become available from Lt. Tolliver, if you want to further improve your standing with the house.