Dune Spice Wars – Assassination Mechanics and Guide

This guide will show you how assassination works in Duin: Spice Wars. Tegelijkertijd, you will also be getting some tips that you can use every round of the game. Apart from this guide, we also recommend checking our other Dune: Spice Wars guide called Assassination Operation Guide and Tips.

How To Start an Assassination Attempt

The Assassination Mission

To start a mission to eliminate someone secretly, you must initiate the Assassination Mission for the faction you want in the Espionage section. Look at the mission requirements: je hebt nodig 1,000 Solari, 500 Intel, 1 Information Level in Arrakis, 1 in Spacing Guild, 1 in CHOAM, 1 in Landsraad, en 3 in your target faction. Dit vereist 7 Agents, but you can get away with just 2 if you use the Smuggler advisor Drisq along with a Bene Gesserit Agent. The more Agents you have, the faster you gather Intel, making the actual Assassination Attempt easier.

Infiltration Cells Missions

You may observe that the last two slots for Agents in a faction are initially locked when you begin the game. To open these slots, engage in the Infiltration Cells Mission, die vereist 100 Intel and at least 1 Information Level for the target faction.

The second Agent Slot unlocks when you deploy your first Infiltration Cell in the target faction, and the third Agent Slot unlocks with your second Infiltration Cell in the faction. If you lose your second-to-last or last Infiltration Cell, it will re-lock a Faction Slot and remove its Agent.

To create an Infiltration Cell, choose the appropriate mission and place it in the target faction’s village. It’s crucial to note that you can’t place a cell once the Assassination Attempt has begun, so keeping them safe is essential.

You are restricted to having only 2 Infiltration Cells. You can raise this limit with the Nefarious Contacts development or the Whisperer’s Hub Major Underground Headquarters Extension (exclusive to Smugglers). Echter, having more than 2 provides an advantage mainly in terms of backup and redundancy.

How To Complete an Assassination Attempt

Progressie

To make sure your Assassination Attempt succeeds, you must advance the Progression Track from 0 naar 100. The Progression Track rises by the Total Progression each day, allowing an unhindered Assassination to succeed in as little as 16.7 dagen.

The Base Progression is twice the number of Agents assigned to that faction in the Espionage tab. Losing Infiltration Cells leads to losing Agent Slots, reducing assigned Agents and the Base Progression. You can always maintain at least 2 Base Progression, as you can’t lose your first Faction Slot for an alive opponent.

Progression_Base = 2 * Intelligence_Agents

The Total Progression is the Base Progression multiplied by the Progression Factor percentage, rounded up.

Progression_Total = ⌈ Progression_Base * Progression_Factor ⌉

The Progression Factor starts at 100% and decreases by 6% per day for each enemy Agent assigned to Counterintelligence. This means your target can freeze the Assassination Attempt in as little as 5.6 dagen.

Progression_Factor_Rate = -6% * Counterintelligence_Agents

The displayed number of days until completion considers these factors. Success is guaranteed within that duration, as long as the number of assigned Agents remains the same. If this information isn’t shown, you currently lack enough progression to reach 100.

Onderhoud

To keep the Assassination Attempt going, you need to spend 2 Intel and 2 Solari for each full day it’s active. If you run out of Intel, there’s no immediate impact, but you get the Intel Deficit debuff. This debuff boosts the capture rate of assigned Agents, making them more likely to be caught. Aanvullend, you won’t be able to purchase Assassins, which require Intel.

Solari_Upkeep = 2 * ⌊ Dagen ⌋
Intel_Upkeep = 2 * ⌊ Dagen ⌋

Assassins

Assassins are a special unit that needs the Spying Logistics development. You can buy them for 200 Intel, of 100 Intel if you have the Nefarious Contacts development. When you aim an Assassin at an enemy unit, it sacrifices itself to eliminate the target. alternatief, if you target one of your Infiltration Cells with an Assassin, it sacrifices itself and resets your Progression Factor back to 100% for the faction that holds your cell.

Detection

On the tracker, your Assassination Attempt is categorized as either Undetected or Detected. Standaard, with the standard detection chance, je hebt 4 naar 6 days before it becomes Detected. If you have the Stealth Gear development, this duration extends by 50%, so anticipate 6 naar 9 dagen.

Please note that this information is based on anecdotal data.

During this Undetected period, your opponent can’t see the Progress Tracker, initiate searches for your Infiltration Cells (unless indirectly), or negotiate for you to halt the Assassination Attempt. Echter, a human opponent might still infer your intentions by detecting Infiltration Cells Missions and capturing assigned Agents with Counterintelligence.

Even if Undetected, your opponent’s Counterintelligence Agents can still diminish your Progression Factor.

How To Prevent an Assassination Attempt

Assign Agents to Counterintelligence

Your most potent defense against an Assassination Attempt is Counterintelligence. Every Agent assigned to Counterintelligence aids in lowering your opponent’s Progression Factor, compelling them to dispatch Assassins to your Infiltration Cells to reset it.

Counterintelligence can also serve as a proactive measure by capturing Agents before the Attempt is fully prepared. This not only shortens the time it takes to Detect the Attempt but also slows down Progression even before it’s Detected.

Remove Infiltration Cells

Once an Assassination Attempt against you has been Detected, you gain the ability to initiate a Cell Search Mission. This mission costs 200 Solari and must be executed on one of your own villages. The chosen village and its neighboring villages then become searchable, unless they have already been searched for in the current Assassination Attempt. To search, select a unit and right-click on one of these villages. The search process only takes 2 dagen. If the village contains a cell, it will be eliminated.

Opponents often defend their cells by surrounding your village with units, so a robust army may be necessary to displace them. As a last resort, you can choose to Abandon your villages that have cells in them. This action will remove the cells that were supporting the Assassination Attempt.

Intercept Assassins

While it may sound simple, employing Ornithopters to patrol routes where you suspect Assassins might travel to reach their Infiltration Cells can be an effective strategy. The key is to have something capable of shooting them down. Assassins are relatively vulnerable with only 50 Health and no Armor, making them susceptible to attacks.

Bankrupt Your Attacker

Assassinations can become quite costly. Even if you can’t completely eliminate Infiltration Cells and Assassins, extending the Attempt and targeting their economy may be sufficient to pressure them into canceling it.

Do All of the Above

Taking just one of the mentioned actions isn’t adequate to halt an Assassination. To effectively counter an opponent who has invested heavily in Research, Intel, and Solari to undermine you, it’s crucial to implement multiple strategies. Simply removing cells or solely relying on Counterintelligence won’t pause the countdown on the tracker. It’s essential to employ a comprehensive approach to thwart the Assassination Attempt successfully.

General Strategies

Where To Place Infiltration Cells

There are two primary strategies for deploying cells.

The first strategy involves placing cells close together and adjacent to your own regions. This makes it easier to send Assassins and guard them with units. Echter, because they are clustered and in predictable locations, a single Cell Search may uncover them all.

Anderzijds, the second strategy involves placing cells in spaced-apart and random locations. This extends the time it takes for your opponent to find them but makes it challenging (or impossible) for you to send units to them.

A hybrid approach is also viable. Protecting only 2 cells is sufficient for full-speed progression. By sending your 3rd and/or 4th cells to distant regions, you compel your opponent to spend time dealing with them while also managing your units on the front line.

Protecting Your Infiltration Cells

Once your opponent detects your Assassination Attempt, they are likely to dispatch their units individually to initiate the search for your cells in numerous villages. Op dit punt, the most effective way to safeguard your investment is to use a small, swift strike force to eliminate these individual units. Air units are ideal for this role, as they move quickly, can bypass water restrictions, and can efficiently deal with individual targets. This approach also has the added benefit of diminishing your opponent’s army for the subsequent actions.

As your opponent gains a precise understanding of which villages likely contain cells, they may send a concentrated force to protect the search units. To defend your Assassins and retain your cells long enough to complete the Attempt, you’ll need to match this force.

Assassination Is Not a Win Condition

In a 4-player free-for-all game, attempting to Assassinate all three opponents is essentially impossible. After each Assassination, your opponents will become more aware of your intentions. Even if you were to try Assassinations against everyone, a robust army is necessary to protect your cells. Daarom, opting for a military strategy might be more practical. Achieving a passive victory condition generally takes less time than Assassinating everyone, making it more likely to lose to someone using a more specialized build order.

A more effective approach is to aim for an instant win condition and only Assassinate players who seem likely to fulfill their win conditions before you. Collaborating with others in a gang-up can also be an effective way to slow down the leading player.