Dune: Spice Wars offers only a limited roster of units to each faction, so it's important to capitalize on the minor differences between your army's capabilities and those of your foes. With so few troops available during a game, you'll need to be sure you're deploying the best of the best if you hope to claim victory.
We've looked at all the available units in the game and picked the ones that have the most to offer. Whether they're the linchpin of a combo or a solo threat, these units will take you the farthest in your bid to control the Spice.
Updated on October 4, 2022 by Matt Arnold: The addition of a fifth playable faction, House Corrino, has brought some dangrous new units to Arrakis. While the Emperor's forces might not have the easiest time going on campaigns of conquest, their elite units like Incinerators and Sardaukar are a major deterrent for any upstart factions that might challenge the crown's authority! We've added the best Corrino units to this list, bringing the number to an even ten.
Dune: Spice Wars is in early access and as such units may be altered, rebalanced, or even added and removed. This list is subject to change as the game develops.
10 Fremen Fedaykin
The Fremen elite unit is capable of facing down their counterparts in other factions, and they become especially dangerous when they're surrounded. Their baseline stats are comparable to the Smugglers' Free Company, though in Fremen fashion they have slightly less Power but much more Health.
If you're facing superior numbers there's no better unit to have on your side than the Fedaykin. Each enemy in combat with these melee powerhouses causes them to gain Combat Power and Armor, granting them a potential maximum of twenty-nine damage per strike and a formidable nine points of Armor to contend with.
If the Fremen player chooses Otheyn for their council, a lone Fedaykin can eliminate small squads and militias on their own thanks to the Sand Killers bonus that Otheyn grants if they're fighting alone.
9 Corrino Incinerators
House Corrino lacks a demolition unit, with their expensive and vulnerable Artillery Drone filling that role later in the game. In the early stages of an Imperial conquest of Arrakis, Incinerators are the Emperor's answer to armored troops.
Incinerators fire their flamethrowers in a wide cone in front of them, damaging every enemy unit caught in the blast. This damage completely ignores Armor, so while it doesn't remove enemy defenses for other units to exploit it can quickly wear down heavier units.
Incinerators are somewhat fragile themselves, so they should always be escorted by two to three Infantry at minimum. As part of a formation, they make conquering Villages and fighting off raiders a breeze.
8 Smuggler Scavengers
The Smugglers are adept at outlasting their opponents in Arrakis' harsh environments, and their basic melee unit is no exception. Scavengers gain temporary Health regeneration whenever an enemy unit dies near them, keeping them in the fight far longer than their average Health and Armor would normally allow.
Supported by a Supply Drop, a squad of Scavengers could even go blow-for-blow with Fremen Warriors and have a reasonable chance of coming out on top.
7 Harkonnen Gunners
House Harkonnen's basic ranged unit offer the best Power-to-Armor ratio among the game's Demolition Teams, which already makes them an important addition to the Baron's armies. When it comes to cracking open heavy armor, there are few better options.
New players might be dismayed to learn that unlike the Demolition Teams of other factions, House Harkonnen's Gunners deal AoE damage to allies caught in their blast zones. The amount of damage dealt to allies is fairly negligible, clocking it at about five damage per shot while enemies will be looking at fifteen. However, this Collateral Damage trait is actually a bonus in disguise!
House Harkonnen's melee troops become stronger the more damage they take, so putting a little extra damage on them with a Gunner will allow you to defeat enemies quicker overall. If you're really worried about losing troops to Collateral Damage, just deploy Combat Drugs to keep them fighting.
6 Atreides Support Drones
House Atreides boasts heavily-armored units that can make them difficult to overcome without heavy use of Demolition Teams. A single Support Drone can make the already-impacable Atreides into a nigh-impenetrable wall.
Support Drones grant passive regeneration to nearby allied units, keeping them in fighting shape throughout a prolonged engagement.
A smart opponent will target the Drone first, but with six Armor and six hundred HP these top-tier healers can take a beating themselves.
5 Harkonnen Troopers
House Harkonnen's starting troops really are a perfect match. As we noted above, Harkonnen Gunners empower their allies by damaging them, triggering bonuses brought on by HP loss. The Troopers' Berserker trait grants them a scaling attack bonus based on how little Health they have left.
While Harkonnen Troopers don't have the survivability of the House Guard or the total damage potential of the Vanguard, they split the difference admirably. They're cheap and disposable options in a faction that likes them that way.
4 Atreides Wardens
If you need to hold a position against all comers, be sure to include a Warden in your army. With an astounding base Armor of seven, House Atreides' finest grant each friendly unit nearby two points of Armor by their very presence.
Atreides Troopers, Heavy Weapon Squads, and Support Drones can all see considerable benefits from having their impressive Armor stats made even better. Warden armor could even be a match for the toughest gear from other settings.
3 Fremen Warriors
This frontline melee unit is a little more expensive than equivalent troops from other factions, but the extra cost is worthwhile. Fremen Warriors hit hard and have elite-level Health to keep them fighting. Best of all, a Warrior's target suffers the Disoriented debuff, reducing their Combat Power and increasing the damage they take from all sources for as long as they're engaged with these desert dervishes.
While it might be tempting to spread the attacks of your Warriors to debuff as many enemies at once, you should focus fire on a single target as you would with other units. The quicker the enemy's overall numbers drop, the less damage you'll take overall and the fewer casualties you'll sustain yourself.
2 Smuggler Free Company
The Free Company are as merciless and Dune itself, and they're the last unit you want to see marching toward you from the desert. With top-of-the-line attack power, the Free Company become all the more dangerous when facing a wounded foe, with a scaling attack bonus based on their target's remaining Health.
If that weren't enough, the Free Company have Stealth as well. They can approach from any direction and often their target won't be able to react until it's too late. Whether they're intercepting raiders, outflanking a defensive line, or chasing down a shattered enemy, these cold-blooded mercenaries are the among the best of the best.
1 Corrino Sardaukar
The Sardaukar are the Emperor's elite troops, feared throughout the galaxy for their ruthlessness and unswerving loyalty. House Corrino typically fields small armies in Spice Wars, but even a single Sardaukar is a force to be reckoned with.
When a Sardaukar unit attacks an enemy who has less than a quarter of their Health remaining, that enemy is instantly killed regardless of how much damage the Sardaukar actually did. The Sardaukar unit that scored the kill then receives a power bonus until they leave combat. This bonus can stack up to five times, letting the Sardaukar easily bring other enemies within the danger zone.
Although the Sardaukar can only be recruited by House Corrino, the Emperor can use his Imperial Mandate ability to temporarily grant two Sardaukar units to another faction. These prized soldiers can turn the tide of a conflict, so it behooves players to stay on Shaddam's good side whenever possible!