Set in Frank Herbert's groundbreaking Dune universe, Shiro Games' Dune: Spice Wars is a sci-fi strategy game in which players take command of one of the powerful factions on the planet Arrakis. Players will need to gather resources, build armies, and construct buildings to ensure dominance over rival factions. Meanwhile, a range of complex diplomatic and economic game mechanics keep the world feeling alive and dynamic.
One of the first things players will need to do is to construct buildings to acquire and produce various resources such as Spice, Water, and Solari. There are three main types of building players can choose from: Economy, Military, and Statecraft. Each building type has a specific focus and offers its own unique benefits. Nonetheless, there are plenty of options to choose from, and it can be difficult for new players to know where to begin. These buildings should be every player's go-to if they are looking to start their campaigns on the right foot.
10 Plascrete Factory
Plascrete is a hard material to produce, and as a result, it needs its own dedicated factory. All buildings will require Plascrete to construct, so it is best to start generating high amounts of this resource as early in the game as possible.
Each factory will produce +10 Plascrete per day, but it comes at a high price of 18 Solari in Upkeep. Nevertheless, construction of the Plascrete Factory is essential for developing a prosperous and expansive faction.
9 Wholesale Market
Arrakis is known to attract all kinds of interesting characters, and there's no better place to let them assemble than the Wholesale Market. This hive of commerce and social activity will generate income based on the many trade goods other than Spice and Water on the desert world.
Each Wholesale Market will produce +5 Solari. They are relatively cheap to construct, too, costing just 50 Plascrete to construct with an Upkeep cost of just 2 Solari. This bonus stream of income can add up over several settlements, and will prove to be a good investment in the early game.
8 Processing Plant
The initial barren appearance of Arrakis can be slightly deceptive, since it is actually a resource-rich planet. Throughout the game world, players will find deposits of various resources and will be able to construct special buildings in the territories surrounding them.
One such example is the Processing Plant, which can be used to extract Rare Elements from the ground. This will add +20 Solari production to the region, and should be implemented at the first available opportunity whenever a Rare Elements deposit is discovered.
7 Investment Office
Although it may not seem obvious at first, each village has its own unique traits and characteristics. These will affect the development, production, and recruitment within a given region. These traits are displayed as small icons along the top of the Details panel in the lower-left of the user interface.
Positive traits will have a green glow behind their small icons, while negative traits will be shown as red. Constructing the Investment will invest in the local community and provide an additional instance of a Village trait. This can be used to accelerate many processes within the selected territory.
6 Military Base
Military Bases are a good place to start when it comes to Military constructions in Dune: Spice Wars. This building allows for better preparedness of deployed troops, and can provide a substantial advantage when it comes to defending and retaining occupied territories.
The Military Base will provide 20% Power to allied Military Units within the region, in addition to one neighboring region. When placed strategically, players can build up a solid defensive network of controlled territories, without having to construct too many of them.
5 Research Hub
Research Hubs are a Statecraft building that can be used to accelerate the process of acquiring new Developments. Like research technologies in other grand strategy games, Developments can be used to acquire bonuses and additional perks, but they unlock at a slow pace.
One way of speeding up the process of Developments is to construct Research Hubs. The construction or discovery of a Research Station later in the game will add additional resource or production depending on the amount of Research Hubs in the region.
4 Missile Battery
The Missile Battery is a powerful defense system useful for keeping enemies at bay, both in the air and on the ground. In addition to defending settlements, they can also be deployed near important resource deposits such as Spice Fields to ensure that collecting can be undertaken safely.
As an explosive-based weapon, the Missile Battery will have a 30% chance to destroy enemy armor, as well as 100% damage against flying units. The only downside is their high maintenance and production cost. They must be placed strategically to make the best use of them.
3 Maintenance Center
The Maintenance Center is an Economy building that serves to centralize supplies, as well as streamline logistics within a given region and its neighbors. Its function is to reduce the overall upkeep of buildings in a region, leading to easier and more efficient management of annexed territories overall.
Maintenance Centers will provide -25% Solari Upkeep for allied villages in the region and its neighbors (1x max). It will cost 150 Plascrete and take 3 in-game days to build, and can be placed anywhere within reasonable proximity to its parent Village. There is no upkeep charge for the Maintenance Center.
2 Windtrap
Along with Spice, the most valuable commodity on Arrakis is Water. Being a barren desert planet, the inhabitants of Arrakis have to undertake all sorts of extreme measures to conserve water. They have to be creative when it comes to extracting water from their environment.
Windtraps will capture humidity from the air and produce a small amount of clean water. This is needed to sustain populations and expand into larger territories. Without enough water, attempting to annex new regions will be an act of futility. Wind levels vary in each region, with the Windtrap collecting +3 Water for each level.
1 Refinery
Refineries are Economic buildings thatplay a crucial role in the process of Spice production. And Spice is, after all, what the "Spice Wars" are all about. This valuable resource can be used to pay Imperial Tax as well as generate Solari via the CHOAM market.
Refineries will allow for the deployment of Harvesters, which can harvest nearby Spice Fields for the precious substance. Spice is then automatically brought back to the Refinery, which sifts through sand and rock debris in order to extract trace amounts of the naturally occurring entheogen.
Dune: Spice Wars is currently available on PC.