Each victory condition in Dune: Spice Wars

Taking place in Frank Herbert's literary Dune universe, Dune: Spice Wars is a new 4x real-time strategy game that is currently playable in early access.

Combining the 4x scope of games like Sid Meier's Civilization with RTS (real-time strategy) elements for troop movements and resource harvesting, Dune: Spice Wars brings together the best of both grand and real-time strategy genres.

Players can select between four factions and are placed on the surface of the planet Arrakis, the only source of the Spice Melange, which is the most coveted resource in the universe. To win, players will need to zero in on one of three methods.

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Ways to win in Dune: Spice Wars

Players can win through force or guile in this strategy title (Image via Shiro Games)

Becoming the sole faction on Arrakis and the steward of the spice for the Padishah Emperor isn't easy, and Dune: Spice Wars players consequently have multiple ways to achieve victory over their opponents. Players can win via Domination, Political, or Hegemony victories, though Political and Hegemony victories can be deactivated when starting a new game.

Regardless, each victory requirement asks for something somewhat unique from the player, allowing them to win through force, intrigue, or attrition.

Domination Victory

The first and most straightforward victory condition in Dune: Spice Wars, this victory can be achieved through two methods. Payers can destroy the capital cities of all other factions on the map through military force or use their espionage operations to assassinate the leaders of all the other factions.

Regardless of how it is achieved, once players are the only faction remaining, they'll win the game.

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Political Victory

Every so often, the Landsraad (council of the great houses in the Dune universe) meets to vote for policy decisions in Dune: Spice Wars. These policies can be both helpful or detrimental to factions, and players can use their votes (accrued through Landsraad standing) and their influence resources to vote for resolutions.

If a faction becomes particularly influential within the Landsraad, having built up a large Landsraad standing, a resolution vote will appear to appoint the Governor of Dune eventually. Players will need to win this vote for their faction and stay alive for 60 in-game days. At this point, the resolution will pass, and players will become the sole governor of Arrakis, winning the game.

It should be noted that certain factions in Dune: Spice Wars, such as House Atreides and House Harkonnen, have an easier time in the beginning when attempting to achieve this win condition since the Smugglers and the Fremen do not begin with the same standing with the Landsraad.

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Hegemony Victory

Similar to Civilization's Score Victory, Hegemony Victory is essentially winning by attrition. During gameplay, players in Dune: Spice Wars will accrue hegemony points as they perform different tasks, such as defeating enemies, harvesting spice, and investigating anomalies on the planet's surface. Hegemony points can also be obtained over time with the help of buildings such as the Crafts Workshop or by using agents in infiltration missions.

In order to win with hegemony in Dune: Spice Wars, players will need to collect 50,000 hegemony points. Even with help, this will take time, so players will want to ensure they maximize their hegemony income as much as possible.

Stay active, take territories, harvest spice, and defeat any who oppose you. As long as you're outpacing your opponent factions in hegemony gain, which players can examine by hovering over their hegemony total, victory is only a matter of time.