How to play Dunefolk

General Dunefolk Strategies:

NOTE: This article is about Dunefolk in 1.14 version of BfW. This faction is very different in 1.15 and later, so this article will be re-made when 1.16 will be a stable release.

Dunefolk is another human faction. They have a lot of diversity, fight well in desert hexes and they are both lawful and liminal. Simply to say, liminal units does not like burning sun or freezing night, they love dusk and dawn. Dunefolk is good in fighting classic human army, but they are weak against cold attack of the liches, dark adepts of saurian. Impact is a minor disadvantage, yet they are stronger against blade attacks.

Similar to elves, they are mobile, have healing and ranged horse archer. Also they have all three classic attack types (blade, pierce and impact. Dunefolk have access to Dune Burner, with both melee and ranged fire damage. Dunefolk is much better in hills than in forests.

Dunefolk basic units

• Dune Burner - fire in both melee and ranged fighting is very useful against skeletons (including liches), ghosts, saurians and woses.
• Dune Herbalist - not good in fighting, only melee impact damage and low HP, yet good support that heals +8 to all units, yet cannot cure poison (so you have to upgrade this unit of find a village)
• Dune Piercer is an armored cavalry, similar to knights, but without any special abilities. High single pierce damage (good against units on wrong terrain) or three impact attacks, meaning they can be good against skeletons.
• Dune Rider is a horse archer. Similar to elvish rider in many ways, yet with impact melee damage and great speed in desert, not in forest. Good for village grabbing and against some drakes or units with no ranged attacks.
• Dune Rover is a good all-around unit. They are similar to elvish fighters in many ways and their cost is only 15 gold.
• Dune Soldier can be used to guard important hexes or attack enemies with their precise melee attacks. They can be compared with orcish grunts, but overall stronger and more expensive.
• Falcon is not very good in attacking. However, as a level 0, it is easy to have a lot of them, mostly for village grabbing.

Dunefolk advanced units

• Dune Burner can be upgraded to Dune Scorcher and Firetrooper, making him overall stronger.
• Dune Herbalist can be upgraded to Dune Apothecary, which will give them ability to cure ale improve his stats.
• Dune Piercer can become:

- Dune Raider/marauder, balanced melee/ranged horseman

- Dune Sunderer/Cataphract, strong melee-oriented horseman

• Dune Rider can become:

- Dune Raider/Marauder, balanced melee/ranged horseman

- Dune Swiftrider/Windrider, horseman with powerful ranged attacks

• Dune Rower can become:

- Dune Explorer/Ranger, balanced melee/ranged infantry

- Dune Skirmisher/Harrier, skirmisher with strong melee attack and great mobility on battlefield (similar to loyalist fencer)

• Dune Soldier can become:

- Dune Spearhead/Spearmaster, defensive infantry with pierce attack and first strike

- Dune Swordsman/Swordmaster, unit with high HP that can use sword (blade) or shield (impact, slows)

• Falcon can be upgraded to Elder Falcon, that is a level 1 unit. Elder Falcons are stronger and faster.

Dunefolk vs. Drakes

Drakes are weak to cold, arcane and pierce. You have only access to pierce from these three attack, and still you need something strong and cheap. Dune Rower is a way to go. They are also good against saurians. Your cavalry (Piercer, Rider) can be also useful, when drakes stand on defense terrain with low defense rating. Dune Burner might be good against saurians, but they are useless against drakes.

Dunefolk vs. Dunefolk

Even match. Use variety of units and with good strengh/price, your army should have a lot of rowers. No enemy is vulnerable to fire, so you should not buy Dune Burners. Also prefer units with impact attack and use less units with blade attack.

Dunefolk vs. Khalgans

Dwarves have a lot of HP and good resistances, while outlaws have good defense on many terrains. Use Dune Fighters and other units with raw power against outlaws. You will need a good mix of units against dwarves, probably with Dune Riders and use ranged attack as much as possible. Do not buy units like Dune Burners, because they have low HP and cost more than Riders. Enemy might try to kill your healers with ulfserkers and gryphons.

Dunefolk vs. Loyalists

It is possible that loyalists will use Heavy Infantry and Fencers against you. Kill them quickly with fire. Prepare units with pierce against massed cavalry and try to protect your healers. Also, try to use Dune Soldiers against Bowman/Spearman.

Dunefolk vs. Northerners

Dunefolk are from the south, orcs are from the north. So, they will use what you do not have and cannot simply block - poison. Lots of poison. Try to get a level 2 healer and choose main hero a healer. Both factions are good in hills, so they will use trolls against you, because some dunefolk units are weak to impact and trolls can heal. Kill them with a lot of units, probably during day, because orcs are chaotic.

Dunefolk vs. Rebels

They have better ranged attack than you. Kill them with Dune Soldiers, even when they are in forests. Few rowers are good as well. Use Burners only if you see your enemy using woses. Use falcons to grab villages, so your enemy must hire some scouts.

Dunefolk vs. Undead

Burners. Lots of Burners. They are good against ghosts, skeletons, skeleton archers and can fight in both melee and ranged (unlike Dark Adepts). However you need something against adepts, like Dune Rowers. Similar to orcs, undead will also try to poison you, so your herbalists should get some experience. They are good against skeletons, but who knows, how many skeletons will undead use against your dunefolk units...