Dune: Spice Wars is a real-time strategy game with 4X elements, featuring deep faction mechanics, resource management, and strategic combat. This guide will help you get started with the basics of gameplay, faction choices, early game strategies, and key mechanics to master.

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1. Getting Started

Choose a House

Each faction has unique strengths and abilities:

• Atreides – Diplomacy-focused, ideal for a peaceful and influence-driven strategy.
• Harkonnen – Ruthless oppression mechanics, strong military presence.
• Smugglers – Economic specialists, access to underground intel operations.
• Fremen – Military and mobility buffs, thumper abilities for worm-riding.

For a balanced experience, Atreides or Smugglers are recommended for beginners.

Select a Counselor

Counselors provide additional buffs to your faction. Pick based on your preferred playstyle, whether it’s economic growth, military expansion, or espionage.

Configure Your Playthrough

• Tutorial: Leave it on for initial learning.
• Difficulty: Start on default settings to get accustomed to the mechanics.

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2. Early Game Strategies

Units & Exploration

• Scout early using Ornithopters—set them to Auto-Recon to cover more ground.
• Queue up military units immediately for early expansion.
• Prioritize claiming nearby villages, focusing on ones with essential resources like Plascrete, Manpower, or Fuel Cells.

Taking Villages

• Engage ranged units first when attacking villages.
• Use Authority & Water to annex villages after defeating their defenders.

Tech Progression

Your Tech Tree has four branches:

1. Command & Military – Expands your army and command points.
2. Diplomacy & Influence – Improves political standing.
3. Village Construction – Unlocks stronger economy and infrastructure.
4. Production Efficiency – Boosts resource generation.

Prioritize military and economic techs early to ensure stability.

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3. Expansion & Economy

Resource Management

• Solari (Gold) – Currency for buildings, units, and upkeep.
• Plascrete – Essential for construction; prioritize early.
• Manpower – Needed for military units and harvesters.
• Fuel Cells – Powers vehicles and advanced structures.
• Rare Elements & Energy Sources – Provide economic advantages.

Maintaining Balance

• Expand gradually to avoid overextension.
• Monitor upkeep costs to sustain military and infrastructure.
• Utilize trading & diplomacy for additional resources.

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4. Key Gameplay Mechanics

Ornithopters (Scouting Drones)

• Essential for revealing enemy territories & resources.
• Auto-Recon is a great way to automate exploration.

Village Upgrades & Management

• Villages have economic, military, and statecraft upgrade options.
• Early priorities: Refinery for Spice, Wind Trap for Water, and Militia for defense.

Defensive Structures

• Missile Batteries & Militia defend against raids.
• Airfields enable quick military reinforcement.

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5. Trading, Espionage & Diplomacy

Landsraad Influence

• Atreides & Harkonnen excel at political maneuvering.
• Influence decisions in Landsraad voting to gain benefits.
• Smugglers can place bounties on resolutions.

Espionage & Counterintelligence

• Agents infiltrate factions, councils, and resources.
• Accumulate Intel to fund strategic operations.
• Assign agents carefully to maximize espionage bonuses.

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6. Spice Harvesting & Economy Optimization

Managing Spice Harvesting

• Keep harvesters active at all times.
• Enable Auto-Recall to prevent worm attacks.
• Adjust Spice-to-Solari ratio for optimal income.

Boosting Spice Production

• Increase harvester crew size to maximize yield.
• Protect harvesters with nearby military patrols.

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7. Bonus Tip: Tech Progression Shortcuts

• Control + Click on multiple techs to queue research.
• This allows efficient planning without pausing gameplay.

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Final Thoughts

This guide provides a quick-start framework to get into Dune: Spice Wars. As you refine your strategy, experiment with different factions, tech paths, and diplomacy tactics to suit your playstyle. Keep an eye on updates and meta shifts as the game evolves!

Stay fresh, play your way, and most importantly—let the spice flow!