Pick the PvE instance unless you want the 2.5x yield and you're ready to defend it. Since patch 1.3.20 in April, every official World runs at least one PvE and one PvP Deep Desert, and you choose each time you fly in from the Overland Map.
The PvE instance has no player combat anywhere, shipwrecks included. The PvP instance is the launch-day layout: row A along the Shield Wall stays safe, and from row B outward it's open season. Checked against Funcom's 1.3.20 notes and April developer update, 9 October.
Older guides describe a Deep Desert you can't play any more. If one tells you PvE and PvP share a single map, it was written before April 2026.
Is Hagga Basin PvP in Dune: Awakening?
No. Since patch 1.3.20 in April 2026, Hagga Basin is fully PvE, shipwrecks included. On official Worlds, player combat only happens from row B outward in the PvP Deep Desert instance.
