The Dune: Spice Wars can be a hard egg to crack, especially in its game mechanics. The game is entirely different from the usual base building games like Command and Conquer or its predecessors like Dune 2 and Dune 2000. The game does not provide any new conquests apart from a single campaign to victory. It is completely dependent on its game mechanics. What brings a unique flavor to the game is how the player wants to play it.
Choosing from a pool of four factions, House Harkonnen is easily the most destructive and ruthless. This specific house likes to seize and take control via its unethical and violent means is not a force to reckon with. It is the rightful pick for players looking for an imperialistic approach to the game.
4 About The Faction
Ruled by Baron Vladimir Harkonnen, House Harkonnen from the Giedi Prime is entirely opposite to House Atreides. They get things done through brute force - their economic productivity or bending their enemies into submission. However, Dune: Spice Wars is a game that gives the players options to pen their own way to victory. Yes, one can take the economic approach to victory, but that would be a marathon playing with the House of military might.
The biggest play card to Harkonnen's strategy is the Oppression ability (exclusive only to this faction) which helps multiply the resources from captured villages. As per the in-game history, the House has been on Arakkis more than its arch-nemesis Atreides, giving them an edge over their enemy's influence levels and growth. This is highly useful as no other faction can do so without reaching a certain infiltration level.
3 The Councilors Of The House
Feyd-Rautha Harkonnen is the political architect at the house of Harkonnen. The vile and cunning personality provides for all chaos and corruption in the Landsraad Council resolutions. With the right amount of Corruption points, the councilman would see the resolutions aiding a particular faction, making them beneficial or harmful to otherwise what it was initially intended for.
Piter De Vries is the master of spies for the faction. The players can benefit from bonus Intel generations while scouting enemy regions with him on the team. Intel is his game, and he is of good use to players who take the operations and espionage tactics to their gameplay.
Rabban Harkonnen extends the military might of the House. His addition to the team adds an extra militia slot for every village captured and controlled by the Harkonnen. This helps for a strong fortification of captured villages and makes it relatively easier to waive off any raids when compared to other factions. Iakin Nefud is all things military and the faction's muscle power. Half the Solari and Manpower costs of military units destroyed in combat are refunded back to the inventory with him on the team.
2 Military Units
Troopers from House Harkonnen are very similar to the ones from House Atreides. They are basic close-range units trainable at a scanty cost and have average attack and defense skills. The next would be the Gunners. They are the faction's riflemen in all the primary forms and the soul replica of the rangers from House Atreides
Vanguards are grenadier options equipped with experimental explosives exclusive to the House. They can be used as long-range demolishers, but one should remember that their attacks are prone to damage even allied units in their firing range.
House Guards are top-tier units with an equally weighted offense and defense trait. Their damage dealt is more than any other units, and they are tough to kill. Stealth Probes are solely for the purpose of stealth and assassination. They are disposable and are suitable for players who prefer adopting a strategy of moving through the shadows.
1 Strategy
House Harkonnen runs purely on Oppression and the belting whip ideology to get its resources from its regions. It is essential to ensure that the captured villages are in areas rich in minerals. Territories that have access to such minerals would yield a multiplier bonus. In addition to it, Oppressions and the Hegemony bonuses allow the player to have a more peaceful expansion without having the need to deal with enemy factions on the map.
The perfect beginning for an expansion is to take control of two nearby villages rich in minerals and rare materials. Make sure to get the best out of them. Concentrating on Plascrete Factory, a Recruitment Center would be the right way to proceed to meet the faction's inventory needs for all its further expansion needs. Oppressing the two villages captured one by one (not simultaneously) would give the player a constant flow of resources.
Unlocking and researching Advanced Engineering would aid in increasing the output of the villages making the Oppression even more fruitful. This should provide enough resources to fortify the existing villages with your military units and missile defenses. The next step would be to make way to the Polar Sink. Capturing unique territories while en route to the Sink provides opportunities to build water extractors to help further your cause.
While stepping into enemy territory, it would be wise to start with the weakest enemy on the map. This should help gain a good chunk of Hegemony while blitzkrieg'ing the enemy village. While clearing out the most vulnerable opponent, plotting against the strongest ones (at the Landsraad Council) with Influence would do good for the cause. With the extreme opposites taken care of, an expansion on the forward should lead to victory via the Harkonnen might.
Dune: Spice Wars is now available for PC as early access on steam.