Dune Spice Wars: Research and development Dune Spice Wars guide, tips

On this page of the Dune Spice Wars guide you will learn a list of all available research / development in the game. You will find an explanation of how they work and the differences in research between the factions.

Last update: 26 May 2022

This page contains information on Research / Development in Dune Spice Wars. You'll find the list of all research projects here, as well as the descriptions of the most unique ones.

• Expansion
• Economy
• Military
• Espionage

Research is a key element of the game. You unlock it after conquering your first village. There are four tech trees available:

1. Blue - dedicated to agents, espionage and infiltration.
2. Green - dedicated to gathering and stocking up resources and materials.
3. Red - dedicated to army issues and unit training.
4. Orange - which focus on increasing the Solari's income.

Each faction has a few exclusive research projects which replace the default projects from the tree. We've placed them at the end of each list. Each subsequent research project needs more time to complete than the previous one. The higher-leveled the project, or the lower it is in the tree, the longer it takes.

Expansion

Local Dialect Studies

1. -15% Authority cost when annexing villages
2. Unlocks: Investment Office (a building that increases the village's passive bonus)

Local Hubs

1. +0.2 Knowledge for controller villages
2. 40% of production in villages with one building
3. Unlocks : Administrative Hall (base building: increases Authority, Solari and Hegemony)

Outposts Logistics

1. -30% Authority penalty for owning villages when annexing new villages
2. -10% Solari cost of village upkeep
3. Unlocks: Crafts Workshop (produces 5 Hegemony)

Airfield Network

1. -40% cost of building Airfields
2. -40% maintenance cost for Airfields
3. 40% faster ferries

Lay of the Land

1. +1 Agent to Infiltrating Arrakis
2. Agents Infiltrating Arrakis produce +20% Authority
3. +100% Sietches search speed

Border Defense

1. +1 Militia
2. +10% Militia Health
3. +1 Militia Armor

Water Sellers Contracts

1. -20% Water cost for maintaining military units
2. -20% Water cost for maintaining villages
3. Unlocks : Water Extractor (a building used to scavenge huge amounts of water from the polar Special Region in the center of the map)

Water Trade

1. +20% unused Water into Solari income (You'll be gaining 20 Solari if you have 100 unused Water)
2. 20% Health in a region with a Wind Trap (does not affect the Militia)
3. Unlocks: Recycling Vats (base building, additional Hegemony and Water for each base building)

Paracompass

1. +30% PoI investigation time
2. -30% Supplies consumption by military units (regardless of the Ornithopter)
3. +30% Ornithopter speed

Underground Network (Smugglers only, replaces Outpost Logistics)

1. -40% Authority cost when annexing villages based on distance
2. 20% Supplies recovered after destroying an enemy unit
3. +20% Unit power when fighting at night

Dune Wanderers (Fremen only, replaces Water Sellers Contracts)

1. -30% Water cost for maintaining military units
2. -30% Water cost for maintaining villages
3. Unlocks: Recycling Vats (base building, additional Hegemony and Water for each base building)

Desert Mastery (Fremen only, replaces Water Trade)

1. -30% Supplies consumption when in deep desert
2. Camouflage in deep desert

Understand the Beauty (Atreides only, replaces Border Defense)

1. +20% Influence for each Special Region
2. +20% Militia power in Special Regions

Instill Fear (Harkonnen only, replaces Outpost Logistics)

1. Pillaging a village grants it the Fearful status which stacks up to five times, reducing the Authority cost required for annexing by 5% per stack
2. -50% Authority cost to annex a village you've already owned before
3. Unlocks: Crafts Workshop (produces 5 Hegemony)

Economy

Composite Materials

1. -15% construction cost in villages
2. +15% construction speed in villages
3. +15% building repair speed in villages

Advanced Engineering

1. +5% resource production for each building built on an additional space
2. +50% building health
3. Unlocks : Processing Plant (lets you convert rare materials into Solari)

Energy Markets

1. 30% Fuel Cells (total quantity)
2. 3 Solari for each unused Fuel Cell (after maintenance costs are deducted, it will be 4 Solari for the Fuel Cell Factory)

Modular Parts

1. +1 available Crew in Harvesters
2. 30% harvester Health recovery
3. Unlocks: Harvester Works (base building that improves Harvester performance)

Gridex Plane

1. +1 available Crew in Harvesters
2. Unlocks: Spice Silos (building that increases the efficiency of spice extraction nearby by 20%)

Crew Training Program

1. +1 available Crew in Harvesters
2. +50% Hegemony for paying Imperial Spice Taxes

Economic Lobbying

1. +10% Spice into Solari convertion rate for each agent infiltrating CHOAM
2. Unlocks: Mercenary (military unit)
3. Unlocks: CHOAM Branch (base building, boosts Solari income)

Field Work

1. +20 Solari for each controlled Special Region
2. +20% resources production in villages inside Special Regions

Spreading the Faith (Fremen only, replaces Energy Markets)

1. +2 Solari for each neutral village
2. +1000 Solari for liberating a village
3. Unlocks: Shai-Hulud Temple (increases production of resources nearby by 20%)

Spice Market (Fremen only, for Modular Parts)

1. +1 Crew in Harvesting Teams
2. Unlocks: Spice Silos
3. Unlocks: Bazaar (Base building: increases Influence and the district bonus)

Arrakis Secrets (Fremen only, for Gridex Plane)

1. +1 Crew in Harvesting Teams
2. Troops are more resistant to sandstorms
3. Villages are more resistant to sandstorms

Spice Hegemony (Fremen only, replaces Crew Training Program)

1. +10% harvesting speed of Harvesting Teams for each allied Sietch
2. +1 construction space in any village with an allied Sietch

Underground contacts (Smugglers only, for Advanced Engineering)

1. +20% Solari for pillaging villages
2. Unlocks : Processing Plant (lets you convert rare materials into Solari)
3. 2 Solari for each Underworld Headquarter
4. Unlocks: Black Market Branch (Base building)

Atreides Merchants (Atreides only, replaces Advanced Engineering)

1. 15 Solari for 80 relations with a faction (for each faction)
2. +5 Solari for 80 Relations with a Sietch (for each Sietch)
3. +50% resources offered by Sietches

Martial Economy (Harkonnen only, replaces Field Work)

1. -30% Solari cost of maintaining military units
2. -30% cost of recruiting military units
3. +1 Agent available for infilitrating CHOAM

Military

Survival Training

1. 30% of the maximum Army Supply
2. Unlocks: Heavy Weapon Squad
3. Unlocks: Military Base (increases attack power of nearby units by 20%).

Defense Systems

1. +1 Militia space in villages
2. +1 Missile Batteries limit
3. Unlocks: Enhanced Fortification (Base building: increases the Base's defenses)

Support Structures

1. +1 Agent for infilitrating the Spacing Guild
2. Unlocks: Support Drone
3. Unlocks : Command Post (Base building: increases the power of units and Command Points)

Military Threat

1. 1% of your units' Power becomes Influence
2. -10% Supplies consumption for units
3. Unlocks: Military Pressure treaty (lets you pressure a faction to gain more when trading)

Air Command

1. +8 Command Points
2. +20% airport range
3. +20% missile strike range

Ground Command

1. +8 Command Points
2. -20% Manpower cost of maintaining units
3. Unlocks: Barracks (Base building: restores units' health and grants experience)

Call to Arms

1. +10% Manforce production
2. Unlocks: Heavy Militia
3. Unlocks: Warden

High Command

1. +8 Command Points
2. +20% unit experience if one of them reached the maximum level
3. +1 experience level for new Wardens

Army Logistics

1. +30% resources from pillaging
2. +30% supply regen when near controlled and occupied villages
3. 3% supplies recovered when cooperating while eliminating an enemy unit

New Homeland (Atreides only, replaces Army Logistics)

1. +20% unit power in your own regions
2. -80% Militia training time
3. +20% Missile Battery power

Guerrilla Tactics (Smugglers only, replaces Defense Systems)

1. +20% damage against Militia
2. -100% Authority penalty for annexing a pillaged village
3. Unlocks: Weapons Facility

Desert Command (Fremen only, replaces Air Command)

1. +8 Command Points,
2. +20% Power if there are Spice Harvesters in the region,
3. -80% Supplies loss for hidden, stationary units.

Central Command (Harkonnen only, replaces Supreme Command)

1. +8 Command Points
2. +20% damage against enemy militia
3. +5% Power for each nearby unit killed in combat, up to 25%

Espionage

Intelligence Network

1. +100% Solari production from infiltrating CHOAM
2. +100% Influence production from infiltrating Landsraad
3. Unlocks: Data Center (produces 2 Intel)

Diplomatic Maneuvers

1. 1 Agent to be assigned to the Landsraad Infiltration
2. +2 Solari for spying on other factions
3. Unlocks: the Open Borders treaty (traveling through the regions of the faction the treaty was signed with doesn't use Supplies).

Negotiation Tactics

1. Lesser houses deliver a Dropbox to your base every 10 minutes.
2. +1 Agent available for infilitrating CHOAM
3. +30% relations increase with other nation

The dropbox generates around 100 Influence or 600-700 Solari.

Sand Diplomacy

1. +30% relations with Sietches
2. +30% resources from Sietches
3. +30% Authority from infiltrating Arrakis

Political Stance

1. 10% of cast votes converted into Influence
2. +10 Solari for each active treaty
3. +1 Influence for each active treaty

Spying Logistics

1. +100% Agents recruitment speed
2. +1 Agent for spying on other factions
3. Unlocks: Intelligence Agency (Base building: operation slot, increased speed of recruiting agents and obtaining Intel)

Stealth Gear

1. +1 Agent for infiltrating other factions
2. -10% Supplies consumption by units in foreign territory,
3. Tactical Gear at the site where an operation was last used. It's a buff which increases the power of your units by 10% and stacks when you use several operations at once.

Spying Mastery

1. Chance not to use up an operation after starting it based on its difficulty - the easier the operation, the higher the chance it won't be used up,
2. +1 Counterintelligence Agent
3. +2 Intel for each Agent delegated to Sietches

Counter Measures

1. +100% Agents recruitment speed
2. +50% range to detect hidden units
3. +5 agents max

Underworld Bribes (Smugglers only, replaces Political Stance)

1. +20 Solari for each faction with less Influence than you,
2. +20 Intel for pillaging villages
3. +2 Intel for each

Atreides Delegation (Atreides only, replaces Stealth Gear)

1. +100% Landsraad Standing penalty if another faction breaks your treaty
2. +1 Agent for spying on other factions
3. Unlocks: Council Chamber

Sietch Network (Fremen only, replaces Negotiation Tactics)

1. +5% Intel for each allied Sietch
2. +50% Agent recruitment speed for each allied Sietch
3. Unlocks: Al-Gaib Temple (Base building: increases spice extraction and enhances trade with Sietches)

Desert Shadow (Fremen only, replaces Spying Mastery)

1. -30% chance of capturing a discovered Agent
2. +1 Agent available for infilitrating CHOAM
3. +1 Counterintelligence Agent

Cruel Reputation (Harkonnen only, replaces Negotiation Tactics)

1. -20% cost of annexing a village for 2 days after activating an operation in the region it is located in
2. +10 Influence for targeting an enemy faction during an Operation
3. Unlocks: Interrogation Center (Base building significantly increases Intel production)