getting a good start in Dune: Spice Wars is important.
There is a lot to keep track of at the beginning, and it can seem overwhelming at first. There are several types of resources in Dune: Spice Wars. Some can be traded, but others cannot. Players need certain resources to expand and then others to construct buildings. Then, of course, the infamous sandworms can swallow up troops and harvesters if players aren’t careful.
Dune: Spice Wars is currently in early access, so expect some bugs. However, it is in a mostly completed state. Like its source material, a lot is happening all at once. As a result, it can be confusing to understand how the game's various systems interact and what they even represent. As its name suggests, players will fight against other factions to control spice and the planet in Dune: Spice Wars.
Beginner Tips For Dune: Spice Wars
Dune: Spice Wars is a 4X game which stands for exploring, expanding, exploiting, and exterminating. Players will be doing these things in order. Early game, it is important to build Ornithopters to explore the surrounding areas. Then expand to the best places first. The first thing players must worry about is finding and securing a way to harvest spice. There is always one in a region next to the player’s base, marked in purple on the map. In the top-left corner of the screen is the CHOAM Contract and Spice Stockpile. That yellow and purple bar can be dragged to change the amount stockpiled vs. the amount sold to CHOAM. Players who find themselves running low on Solari can trade more Spice to get more Solari. Just make sure to meet the Imperial Tax. For those not familiar with either the novel Dune or its TV/movie adaptations, spice is the most important resource in the galaxy, so getting a lot of it is essential.
Players need to recruit military units to take over nearby settlements to expand. One melee and one ranged unit should be fine to start with, but they should train more as the game goes on. The goal is to capture the nearby village with spice in its region. Once players capture the village, Developments unlock. Here, players can research different things. For example, some factions will have to research how to build a Refinery, which can construct a harvester to harvest the spice. Others have it automatically, so they can get the spice soon after capturing a village in Dune: Spice Wars.
Exploiting resources is not always easy. There is a risk that comes with harvesters, and that is because harvesters generate a lot of vibrations. Periodically these vibrations will attract sandworms. If this happens, be sure to recall the harvester, or else it will get swallowed by the sandworm. It is fun to watch, but it is not so great for business. Players can select auto-recall, but it comes with a -5% penalty in spice production. Still, it is worth it for players who are not adept at multitasking. There are many things happening in the game at once, and if a player is involved in a fight, they may not notice Dune: Spice Wars' terrifying sandworms or its alert until it is too late. Therefore, having auto-recall might be worth it. If a sandworm swallows a harvester, a new one will be built, but it takes time, and during construction, players will not be harvesting spice. It can set players back quite a bit, allowing their opponents time to get ahead.
Eventually, players will encounter the other factions in the game. Players need to have a strong military, or else they will find their settlements getting occupied. This includes building militia for the settlements as well as mobile troops. There are even special military buildings such as missile batteries. Try building these on the borders with an enemy faction, leaving interior regions free for production buildings. Other factions can sometimes be negotiated with by either trading with them or by initiating treaties in Dune: Spice Wars. How successful players are, depends on their relationships and on which faction and councilors players choose. However, it is likely that war will eventually come, which is where the exterminate part of 4X in Dune: Spice Wars comes in.
It is also important to know how troops work. Troops have a supply stat, which acts as provisions they carry in the field. If they run out, they die. They gain more supply by being in friendly regions. Alternately, by being within the circle when taking control of a settlement. The deep desert in Dune: Spice Wars is especially damaging to troop supply, so be careful when venturing out there. Troops will eventually be able to air travel when players build airfields, avoiding the open desert. In true RTS gameplay fashion, Dune: Spice Wars has players collecting resources to survive. Arrakis is a desert world, so water is another valuable resource. The larger the wind strength of a region, the more water it generates once a player builds a windtrap. It is crucial to build these windtraps early; otherwise, players won’t be able to control settlements.
Other Important Tips in Dune: Spice Wars
The factions in Dune: Spice Wars do play similarly in many respects. It's not as asymmetric as other games in the RTS genre, such as Starcraft. However, each faction does have some noticeable differences, and it is essential to play to their strengths. For example, House Atreides will play diplomatically, while House Harkonnen will have a strong military.
The map is randomized each time, so strategies that work well in one game may not work in another, and players need to be adaptable. They also shouldn’t be afraid to experiment and see what works. Even if their economy collapses and an enemy faction overruns them, hopefully, they learned something valuable about what not to do. If players are still having trouble, try playing at a lower difficulty setting.
Dune: Spice Wars is available on PC.
