The Best Leaders In Dune: Imperium

Frank Herbert’s Dune universe is one of the most popular universes in science-fiction. As such, it has been adapted over the years in many ways, from tabletop games to films, to video games. With the recent release and popularity of Denis Villeneuve’s Dune: Part 2, there’s never been a better time to delve deeper into the Dune universe and its many adaptations.

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Dune Imperiumstarted life as a board game, but Dire Wolf recently brought the game to Steam with a well-crafted digital version. The Steam version of Dune: Imperium doesn’t feature the expansions of the tabletop game, and as such, this topic will only cover the Leaders included in the base game and, therefore, the Steam version.

8 Earl Memnon Thorvald

An Accessible Leader With A Weak Signet Ring

Memnon is a relatively weak leader, though he’s also tremendously accessible, and perfect for beginners. Memnon’s main weakness is his Signet Ring, which earns the player a singular spice. Since the Signet Ring won’t be seen every turn, this spice gain is almost negligible.

Memnon’s main ability, however, is somewhat more helpful. Taking a High Council seat is definitely a priority in the early game, as it allows players to gain passive Persuasion and build stronger decks at a faster rate. The bonus influence gained from taking a High Seat, and getting to choose which Faction to gain it with, can be a helpful boon early on.

7 Paul Atreides

A Powerful Leader That’s Frustratingly Situational

Paul Atreides is another great leader for beginners, thanks to his straightforward ability and Signet Ring. Paul’s Signet allows him to draw an extra card, which can be massively helpful in cycling the deck and getting to the more powerful cards.

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Furthermore, Paul’s Signet Ring directly synergizes with his main ability, which allows him to look at the top card of his deck at any time. This means that Paul can risk using up actions to draw cards (if he doesn’t have the Signet Ring in hand), since he can avert the risk by looking at what he’ll draw next. However, Paul’s ability is fairly situational and can often lack impact.

6 Count Ilban Richese

A Leader With A Powerful Combo That’s Easily Blocked

Ilban is a relatively strong character but can be easy to counter, especially in games with higher player counts. Ilban is able to draw an extra card every time he spends Solaris on a board space, meaning he draws two cards instead of one when visiting the Mentat, which costs two Solaris to do.

The “Wealth” space is an easily accessible board space that grants two Solaris, the exact amount needed to visit the Mentat. This means that Ilban can reliably draw two cards every turn if need be, but this powerful combo is easily blocked, especially in four-player games.

5 Countess Ariana Thorvald

A Powerful Leader With A Nasty Drawback

Water is arguably the most valuable resource in Dune: Imperium, as it’s required if players want to visit the “Great Flat” and the “Research Station.” These two board spaces can be extremely valuable, as the former grants a massive amount of spice while the latter generates three card draws. This makes Ariana’s Signet Ring relatively strong, guaranteeing the player water in the early game, at the very least.

However, Ariana’s main ability is arguably where she falls flat. Players will need to harvest spice if they want to take advantage of the card draw, but gaining one less spice is a massive downside that can result in negligible gains. Furthermore, if several conflicts and/or cards show up that provide water, Ariana’s Signet Ring has less of an impact.

4 Helena Richese

A Versatile Leader With Consistent Abilities

Helena is a particularly powerful leader, as both her main ability and Signet Ring provide powerful boons. Firstly, Helena’s ability allows her to visit Landsraad and Populated board spaces, even if enemy Agents are present. This prevents Helena from being blocked from important board spaces, such as the Swordmaster. This becomes especially prevalent in four-player games.

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Helena’s Signet Ring allows her to take a card from the Imperium Row and reserve it for herself, making it cheaper to acquire in the process. While this allows players to ensure they get the card that they want, it also allows them to deny cards from their opponents.

3 Glossu “Beast” Rabban

An Early-Game Powerhouse

Although the Beast’s main ability isn’t the most impressive on paper, in-game it can be a massive boon early on. The extra starting spice and Solaris allow the Beast to rush for an early Swordmaster, granting the player an extra Agent, often before the other players are able to.

The Beast’s Signet Ring is also tremendously helpful, granting the Beast free Troops when played. However, this does make the Beast somewhat reliant on going for Conflicts, which may not always be in a player’s best interests. Furthermore, players will need to secure a Faction Alliance to make full use of the Signet Ring.

2 Duke Leto Atreides

A Fast-Paced Leader That Can Always Come Back

It could be argued that Duke Leto is one of the strongest leaders in the game, thanks to a consistently useful main ability and Signet Ring power. Duke Leto is able to visit Landsraad board spaces for one less Solaris than other leaders, meaning it’s easier for Leto to get the Swordmaster and visit the Mentat, among other things.

Furthermore, Leto’s Signet Ring acts as a comeback mechanic, allowing players to gain influence with a Faction so long as someone is ahead of them on the track. While players do need to ensure they have at least one spice to do this, it is a consistently powerful ability that’s almost always useful.

1 Baron Vladimir Harkonnen

A Slow-Burning Menace With Easy Access To Intrigue Cards

The Baron is a menacing character in Dune: Part 2, and he’s just as menacing in Dune: Imperium. Baron Vladimir’s main ability allows him to gain two influences very early on in the game, which can grant him a massive bonus in the early game. Furthermore, this allows the Baron to score the “Plans Within Plans” intrigue card much more easily than other players.

The Baron does rely somewhat on strong intrigue cards, but he’s able to fish for them easily with his Signet Ring. The Baron’s Signet Ring allows him to spend just one Solaris to gain an intrigue card, which is a small price to pay given how powerful those cards can be.

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