Dune: Spice Wars – Beginner’s Guide (Tips, Cheats & Strategies)
Dune: The Spice Wars is a 4X real-time strategy game where players battle against other factions to control Arrakis, and knowing a few beginner tips can give players all the edge they need to control the planet. Although there is a pause button which allows players to plan what they are going to do, they need to move quickly to gain an advantage. Opposing factions are also trying to gather resources to win, so get a good start in Dune: The Spice Wars is important.
There’s a lot to follow in the beginning, and it can feel overwhelming at first. There are several types of resources in Dune: The Spice Wars. Some can be traded, but some cannot. Players need certain resources to grow, then others to construct buildings. Then, of course, the infamous sandworms can gobble up troops and reapers if players aren’t careful.
Dune: The Spice Wars is currently in early access, so expect some bugs. However, it is in an almost complete state. Like its source material, a lot is going on at once. As a result, it can be confusing to understand how the game‘s various systems interact and even what they represent. As the name suggests, players will fight against other factions to control the spices and the planet in Dune: The Spice Wars.
Beginner Tips for Dune: Spice Wars
Dune: The Spice Wars is a 4X game which means explore, expand, exploit and exterminate. Players will do these things in order. At the start of the game, it is important to build Ornithopters to explore the surroundings. Then expand the best spots first. The first thing players need to worry about is finding and securing a way to harvest the spices. There is always one in a region next to the player’s base, marked in purple on the map. In the upper left corner of the screen are the CHOAM contract and the spice stock. This yellow and purple bar can be moved to change the quantity stored relative to the quantity sold at CHOAM. Players who run out of Solari can trade more Spices to get more Solari. Just make sure to respect the imperial tax. For those who do not know the novel Dunes or its TV/Movie adaptations, Spices are the galaxy’s most important resource, so getting plenty of them is essential.
The players must recruit military units take control of neighboring settlements to expand. One melee unit and one ranged unit should be enough to start with, but they should train more as the game progresses. The goal is to immortalize the neighboring village with spice in its region. Once players capture the village, developments unlock. Here players can research different things. For example, some factions will need to research how build a refinery, who can build a harvester to harvest the spice. Others have it automatically, so they can get the spice shortly after capturing a village in Dune: The Spice Wars.
Exploiting resources is not always easy. There’s a risk that comes with harvesters, and that’s because harvesters generate a lot of vibration. Periodically, these vibrations will attract sandworms. If this happens, be sure to recall the harvester, otherwise it will be swallowed by the sandworm. It’s fun to watch, but it’s not so good for business. Players can select auto recall, but this comes with a -5% penalty in spice production. Still, it’s worth it for gamers who aren’t adept at multitasking. There are a lot of things going on in the game at once, and if a player is involved in a fight, they might not notice it. Dune: The Spice Wars‘ terrifying sandworms or sound alert until it’s too late. Therefore, having an automatic reminder 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 harvest spices. This can set players back a bit, giving their opponents time to get ahead.
Eventually, players will encounter the other factions in the game. Players must have a strong army, otherwise they will see their settlements occupied. This includes building militias for settlements as well as mobile troops. There are even special military buildings such as missile batteries. Try to build them on borders with an enemy faction, leaving inner regions free for production buildings. Other factions can sometimes be negotiated either by trading with them or by initiating treaties in Dune: The Spice Wars. The success of players depends on their relationships and the faction and advisors players choose. However, it is likely that war will eventually come, which is where the exterminated part of 4X in Dune: The Spice Wars Between.
It is also important to know how the troops work. Troops have a supply stat, which acts like the supplies they carry into the field. If they run out, they die. They gain more supply by being in friendly regions. Alternatively, by being in the circle when taking over a colony. The deep desert of Dune: The Spice Wars is particularly damaging to troop supplies, so be careful when venturing there. Troops will eventually be able to travel by plane as players build airfields, avoiding the open desert. In true RTS gameplay mode, Dune: The Spice Wars has players collecting resources to survive. Arrakis is a desert world, so water is another precious resource. The greater the wind strength of a region, the more water it generates once a player builds a wind trap. It is crucial to build these wind traps early; otherwise, players will not be able to control settlements.
Other important tips in Dune: Spice Wars
The factions in Dune: The Spice Wars play the same way in many ways. It’s not as asymmetrical as other games in the RTS genre, such as Starcraft. However, each faction has notable differences and playing to their strengths is key. For example, House Atreides will play diplomatically, while House Harkonnen will have a strong army.
The map is random every 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 hopefully invades them, they’ve learned something valuable about what not to do. If players are still having issues, try playing on a lower difficulty level.
Dune: The Spice Wars is available on PC.
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