Developer Shiro Games today gave us a better look at House Harkonnen, the second playable faction in upcoming real-time strategy game Dune: Spice Wars, touching upon its units, councillors, and preferred tactics.
Where House Atreides stood out because of its political power and loyal nature, House Harkonnen claims victory through its “formidable force on the battlefield” and willingness to employ any sort of underhanded tactics to reach its goals.
Dune: Spice Wars House Harkonnen
“Whether it’s shady politics, assassination, or cutting-edge spying, they know how to implement and execute long-term plans to win wars without having to start them,” the developer said.
Manipulation, torture, and blackmail are all things its leader, Baron Vladimir Harkonnen, excels at. Adding to his ruthlessness are his four councillors that make House Harkonnen an even more dangerous foe.
Feyd-Rautha uses charm and manipulation to crush opponents using politics rather than weapons, while Rabban knows how to maximize profits by breaking the will of and maintaining permanent pressure on the people over which the Harkonnens rule.
Pieter de Vries uses his Mentat abilities to create a network of spies and set up various operations that harm any enemy of the Harkonnens, while Iakin Nefud, bolsters the capabilities of their troops, even if that means using soldiers as cannon fodder.
House Harkonnen’s armies are made up of expendable and fanatical soldiers in Dune: Spice Wars, described as follows by the developer:
- Troopers: Armed with razor-sharp blades and able to enter a berserker rage when injured, ignoring their pain and increasing their strength the closer they are to death.
- Gunners: Demolition experts, equipped with experimental explosive weapons manufactured in secret. Their damage is so extensive that their troops are often wounded and killed by their own fire, for the glory of the House.
- Vanguards: Masters of combat and excellent assassins who revel in blood and death, slaying their targets one after another in an unflinching and unfeeling fashion.
- Stealth Probes: Disposable and inexpensive mechanical units developed for the sole purpose of espionage and murder from the shadows.
- House Guards: Main strength of the Harkonnen armies. Ruthless killers and unstoppable war machines who will follow and carry out any orders given to them without hesitation.
Dune: Spice Wars arrives on PC, via Steam Early Access, at some point in 2022.
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