The Fremen are a group of people in the Dune series of science fiction novels by Frank Herbert.



The Fremen inhabit Arrakis, also known as Dune, the desert planet that is the sole source of the spice melange in the known universe. The Fremen came to Dune thousands of years earlier as the Zensunni Wanderers, a religious sect (as their name suggests, they are derived from Zen Buddhism and Sunni Muslims) in retreat. Over time, surviving the incredibly harsh conditions of Dune bred them into the ultimate example of humans in extremis: a people bred purely to survive. They took to calling themselves the Free Men of Dune, which was later shortened to Fremen.

The Fremen have ofttimes been mentioned in the ''Dune'' series of games, playing a vital role in the plots of nearly all of them. The first Dune game and Frank Herbert's Dune are tied closely to the original book by Frank Herbert, retelling Paul Muad'Dib's rise to becoming the Fremen's Messiah, and leading them against the Harkonnens and the Padishah Emperor under the Atreides banner.

In Dune II, the Fremen were special Atreides units, native elite guerillas invoked from the Palace, uncontrollable by the player. The same goes for Dune 2000, though with the minor exception that the Fremen warriors are player-controllable units. There was also a scene where the Fremen naib (which is uncommon considering the naib was a woman) apparently held the Atreides Mentat at knife-point, supposedly as a threat.



During the War of Assassins in Emperor: Battle for Dune, the Fremen-Atreides alliances forged in ages past has sundered, and the Duke Achillus desperately wants to reestablish it in order for the Atreides supremacy over Dune to succeed. Mentat Kolinnar Koltrass requires the player to help do so by doing the Fremen favours in various parts on Arrakis.

The refusal of the Fremen alliance with the Atreides was featured in the second Atreides campaign cutscene, in which the two Fremen in the screenshot argued over the importance of said alliance. The naib was unwilling to discuss an alliance with the House because "our fathers spilt their water for them" for nothing. Even so, the Harkonnen will overrun the Fremen, while the latter will "stand as Fremen, and fall as Fremen".

Later, shortly after the Sardaukar assassination attempt, the Fremen troop mentioned the previous cutscene were ambushed by a Harkonnen armor battalion. All hope seemed lost for the troop, when a fleet of ornithopthers flew out of the sky, assaulting the battalion, allowing the Fremen to charge in and mop up the remaining tanks. A while later, the Naib barged into the camp where the Mentat was talking to the player about the said deed, demanding the bodies of his falllen men since "that water belongs my tribe" and he shall have it back, lest he wants the Mentat to "taste my blade". A later explanation later revealed that the bodies of the fallen men were wrapped in microfoil to "preserve their water, they can be returned to you whenever you like". The Naib spat on the floor as a sign of respect to the Atreides commander.

Moments later, a Fremen-Atreides alliance conference was to be held on Caladan, much to the Naib's dismay. A Bene Tleilax assault force of Face dancers besieged the party, with the Fremen representatives and the Duke later rescued by the player. In return of the player's aid to the Fremen, the massive water-debt owed by the Naib's tribe states that they'll send as many warriors into battle, along with their warrior elite, the Fedaykin.

Being a neutral faction, the Fremen can also choose to be allied with the House Ordos or be destroyed. An alliance with House Harkonnen - though it can be done in skirmishes - in the campaign though, is nearly impossible. In an opening cutscene, a Harkonnen soldier was seen slitting a Fremen warrior's throat, then proceeding to send the corpse rolling down the dunes. At some point in the game though, the Fremen will ally with the Harkonnen if the player plays for that House.

Aside from the typical Fremen warrior, the Fremen Fedaykin Warrior is a relatively new addition to the pantheon of units in the Dune series of games. Utilizing a Weirding Module as their main weapon, their attack is the infantry equivalent of the Atreides Sonic Tank. The Fedaykin are also accomplished Sandriders, luring sandworms using thumpers then proceeding to ride them for a limited amount of time.