Dune: Imperium Digital Skirmish Mode

November 17, 2023

With Dune: Imperium Digital now in Early Access on Steam, we are excited to introduce the community to Skirmish, a brand new game mode with ever changing rules and scoring modifiers!

In Skirmish, you explore fast paced PVE games against AI opponents where your scores determine your placement on the global leaderboard as you vie for coveted seasonal badges.

Twists and Turns

Every three days a new Skirmish begins with all players competing under the same set of unique rules and scoring modifiers.

In the example above, the rules modifier “Dynasty” gives each player an extra Signet Ring in place of one of their Dune, the Desert Planet cards. And that’s just the tip of the sandworm – more than 35 other rules modifiers await you in future skirmishes!

Leaderboard Scoring

At the end of each of your first three games in a Skirmish, your leaderboard score is determined by your finish using traditional game rules:

1st place: 20 points
2nd place: 10 points
3rd place: 5 points
4th place: 0 points

In addition, each Skirmish comes with a set of special objectives which increase your leaderboard rank. In the example above, there is a bonus for each time you shuffle your deck and a bonus for using the Mentat.

So if you finished 2nd, shuffled your deck seven times and dispatched your trusty Mentat twice, your score for the Skirmish would be 10 + 7 + 2 = 19 points.

Each creates new incentives and strategies. For example, trashing and drawing cards can help you maximize the shuffle bonus, while the Mentat bonus can be maximized by using leaders that reward playing to green spaces like Duke Leto and Count Ilban.

You can choose any leader for the Skirmish, so we suggest experimenting to see which is the right fit for maximizing the rules mods and scoring bonuses.

Leaderboard Placement

Each Season lasts for around 30 days, and consists of ten Skirmishes, and each Skirmish is available for three days. Your leaderboard placement for each Skirmish game is determined by the highest score achieved among your first three attempts.

At the conclusion of the season, your performance across the 10 Skirmishes is totaled to create your season score. To showcase your progress, badges are awarded based on your rank:

Ranks 1-100: Gold Badge
Ranks 101-500: Silver Badge
Ranks 501-1000: Bronze Badge

These badges serve as a testament to your achievements and will prominently feature next to your name on the leaderboard throughout subsequent seasons, allowing you to proudly display your past success!

The Skirmish is already underway! As Gurney teaches us, “You fight when the necessity arises,” so go out there and show your mettle!