Into the Desert War

Welcome back to the unforgiving sands of Arrakis, fighters! The Desert War expansion will once again take you into battle on the planet Dune, with new troops and vehicles at your disposal. Adding these new units to the mix will create fresh and interesting elements of conflict and interaction in the epic struggle between the Atreides and the Harkonnen.

The Desert War of Arrakis was not solely fought through pitched battles between great Legions, but also with guerrilla and disruptive actions in the most remote areas of the planet. To recreate this, this expansion introduces a new type of figure for both factions, the Desert Troopers.

These soldiers specialized in desert warfare are usually not found inside Legions, and instead act independently as scouts, sappers, and unconventional combatants. Although unable to repel heavily armed opposing Legions, the Desert Troopers of both factions will nevertheless prove decisive in turning the tide of the conflict!

The iconic Fremen Sandriders use their thumpers to summon the great Sandworms of Arrakis, then ride them with devastating effectiveness. Thanks to them, the Atreides player will have access to the most terrible manifestation of the Desert Power already from the very first turns of the game. The Sandriders will not only give you better and earlier control over Sandworms but will also increase their range of movement and threat.

The Harkonnens certainly won’t sit idly by in the meantime. Their technologically advanced Suspensor Troopers are perfectly equipped to fight the “Fremen rats” right in their environment, while also providing useful intel to flush them out. Safe from Wormsign and Coriolis Storms thanks to their levitating suits, Suspensor Troopers are highly mobile and can provide Scouting without sacrificing valuable Ornithopters, while also disrupting one of the most powerful abilities of the Fremen, the Sandriding.

On the other hand, although not nearly as advanced as their oppressors, the Fremen do not count only crysknives and maula pistols in their arsenal. Their Rocket Launchers use the few explosive weapons they manage to get hold of to counter the Harkonnen’s most effective tool: their Vehicles. Emerging from their mobile desert Camps, these troops are able to shoot down Ornithopters, Harvesters, and Carryalls to slow down the Harkonnen Legions or starve them for Spice.

Finally, one would not truly know the treacherous Harkonnen if they didn’t know that they always back up their subtleties with brute force. The dreaded Escort Ornithopters are built exactly for this purpose: more heavily armed and armored than normal Ornithopters and therefore less suitable for Scouting, they can nevertheless transport troops while providing them with battle support.

All these new factors at play will make your games of Dune: War for Arrakis even more tense and exciting than before, spicing up the game with new strategies to counter your opponent’s. But will you be able to make good use of them? You better be, because to win the War for Arrakis, one must win… the Desert War!

You can find more information on the pre-order by clicking here