Research and Tech Trees
The three research trees, the buildings that unlock them, and the HQ and Armory levels and Familiarity that gate the deeper nodes. The spine of all progression.
At a glance
| The spine | A research tree split into three trees, fed by research over time at a Research Station. |
| Tree 1 | Base and Buildings, unlocked by a built and powered Communication Hub. |
| Tree 2 | Weapons and Equipment, also unlocked by the Communication Hub. |
| Tree 3 | Alien Research, unlocked by a Laboratory with clean water. |
| The gates | Headquarters level, Armory level, and Familiarity with fauna, flora, and materials. |
Everything flows from research: better towers, better mech weapons, better energy, environmental protection, and access to rare resources.
The three trees
| Tree | Unlocked by | Covers |
|---|---|---|
| Base and Buildings | Communication Hub (built, powered) | Defenses, energy, resource and ammo production and storage, HQ upgrades |
| Weapons and Equipment | Communication Hub (built, powered) | Mech weapons and upgrades, consumables, Dodge Roll and Power Jump, Armory upgrades |
| Alien Research | Laboratory (built, powered, clean water) | Environmental shielding, -nite handling, alien weapons, towers, and equipment |
The Familiarity gate
Most Alien Research nodes need Familiarity with specific fauna, flora, or materials first. You gain it two ways:
- Kill or destroy creatures and structures, which can drop DNA Fragments the mech collects.
- Use the Bioscanner (from the Laboratory) on green-highlighted entities, which grants DNA Fragments more reliably.
Some Alien Research nodes are also locked behind Campaign story missions, including environmental shieldings and certain special structures and floors.
Do this in order
- Build and power the Communication Hub to open the Base and Weapons trees.
- Build the Laboratory (clean water) to open Alien Research and the Bioscanner.
- Prioritize extractor and resource upgrades early. A Tier 3 Extractor effectively quadruples deposit output.
- Research the environmental shielding you need before entering a hostile biome.
- Keep Headquarters (levels 3 to 7) and Armory (levels 2 to 5) upgraded so deeper nodes stay available.
Watch out for
- Ignoring HQ and Armory upgrades, which silently locks large chunks of research across all three trees.
- Trying to research Alien nodes without the required Familiarity. Bioscan first.
- Researching the flashiest tech instead of your current bottleneck.
Related: Campaign Checklist, Research and Resources, and Mr. Riggs: Mech Combat and Weapons.