The Air & Sand update has brought flying units to Dune: Spice Wars, along with a number of additions and changes to support the new units and for balance. Today also marks the release of the game on Xbox PC Game Pass.
This update introduces two flying units that each faction has access to. One is a fast ship and the second is a large frigate. Frigates are limited to one per faction, but the fast ships can now make up part of your strategy. These ships all have their own specializations, each fitting their factions.
For House Atreides, they have the Hawk, a small ship that can attack rapidly and their frigate, the Kraken, which can transport ground units. House Harkonnen gets the small Harpy, a ship that has a powerful AoE attack, and the Overlord, its frigate that controls a series of drones. The game’s newest faction, House Corrino, has the Hammer, a smaller ship that trades speed for power, capable of large AoE attacks that can shred armor. Cronos, the house’s frigate also specializes in powerful AoE attacks and regenerates health out of battle.
Also in the update are some changes based on the new units. There’s a new projectiles system, including reworking some military units, and a new resource, Guild Favor, which is expensive, but it lets you deploy ships. The Fremen do not have access to Guild Favor; their resource is called Machine Scrap, and that is accumulated by destroying mechanical units and pillaging villages. Each faction besides the Fremen get a new building type, Spacing Guild Branch, with the Fremen getting the Recycling Plant.
Air & Sand adds a new neutral enemy type, The Renegades, which will sometimes take control of neutral villages. If you kill them, you can earn Guild Favor. Although this update doesn't add a new faction, it is a large update that touches on all of the systems in the game.
Read more, including the full update notes, over at Dune: Spice Wars
