Strategy has entered early access for Dune: Spice Wars, offering players a choice among four factions, the chance to conquer settlements, and the opportunity to expand their empire. Although the game manual exists, many players still have questions about constructing certain facilities. This guide explains how to build refineries, what they provide, and when is the best time to start building them.
How to build a refinery
The refinery stands as a cornerstone building, enabling the extraction of spices and their conversion into the Empire’s official currency. Spices also fund taxes that the Empire imposes, a key requirement for maintaining a foothold on Arrakis.
To build a refinery, first survey the area around the base. Ornithopters serve as the aircraft used for exploration. A scout drone is available at the start, but it is wise to deploy multiple ornithopters. Select them and choose Auto Exploration so drones autonomously identify nearby points of interest, saving time.
Eventually a drone will locate a site labeled herb field, marked by a purple icon on the map.
Next, train infantry and ranged units. The exact names depend on the chosen faction, but three squads tend to be enough to seize the settlement containing the spice field.
During combat, watch for the exclamation mark above fighters. If it appears, reposition those units away from danger. Sandworms are drawn to battle noise and can overwhelm exposed troops.
If a settlement is taken, it can be looted or fully conquered. Click the flag icon on the target settlement, then navigate to Buildings and select Refinery.
Quickly extract herbs and manage a refinery
Once construction finishes, assign a harvester to the spice field. The heavy machinery creates powerful vibrations while mining, which can attract sandworms. If a worm appears nearby, an exclamation mark will appear above the harvester. In that case, the player should select a tactic and click Review. Failing to react in time may lead to the harvester being devoured.
Automatic equipment recall is available, which reduces total herb output but prevents the harvester from being destroyed.
Players then decide how to handle the harvested herbs. They can store them, exchange them for other resources, or convert them into cash, Solari, based on the current COOAM rate. The cash conversion happens automatically. The control panel is located in the top left corner of the screen, where the slider can be adjusted to manage the flow of resources.
A window also displays the Imperial Tax deadline. The load increases over time, so securing more spice fields and installing refineries becomes a priority to sustain revenue.
Building a processing plant and earning Solari quickly
Refineries yield rare components that are automatically converted into Solari. Building such a facility requires meeting several conditions:
- You must locate a site with rare components, indicated by a yellow icon on the map.
- Establish a settlement at deposits of rare components.
- Unlock the Warehouse System skill within the Developments section.
Following the guidance from earlier sections, the first two steps can be completed by identifying the deposit sites and founding a settlement nearby. To learn the Warehouse System skill, open the Development menu and unlock Compound Materials, then access Warehouse System to enable the production of the first processing plant.
Depending on the availability of rare materials, daily Solari earnings can reach around thirty units or more.
Note: the gameplay information here reflects standard strategies available in the current version of the game.