Research Guide

System

The Lab runs one project at a time (a second queue is a huge upgrade). Research is a permanent account multiplier. There are about 13 trees.

Tree overview

Tree	Gives
Development	Build/research/train/heal speed, infirmary, Training Grounds unlock
Economy	Production, gathering, extra Herb Garden slots
Hero: Warrior / Ranger / Warlock	ATK/DEF/HP for that faction only
Alliance Duel	Event reward tiers / multipliers (Lab 15+)
Soldiers	Troop load, ATK/DEF/HP
Squad 1–3 (+4)	Per-squad combat buffs
Elite Troop	T10 hard gate
Offensive / Defensive Tactics	Late combat (high Lab required)
Caravan Transport	Caravans — later

Priority for most accounts

1. Development — always first

Inside Development, hit these immediately:

1. Training Grounds unlock
2. Construction Master (~−5% build time per node)
3. Research Speed (~+10% — critical on 20–30 day timers)

Then healing, production, and infirmary nodes.

2. Economy — Herb Gardens first

Extra Herb Gardens exist only in this tree. After the slots, push gathering speed (it scales with marches better than raw production).

3. Hero tree = Squad 1 faction

Do not spread research across three factions. Composition bonuses:

Same-faction heroes in Squad 1	Effect (community)
3	~5% attributes
4	~15%
5	full dual-bonus

4. Alliance Duel at Lab 15

Immediately: Tier 4–6 reward unlock → Arena Expert 20 → Tier 7–9 → finish Arena Expert. Missed chests never come back.

5. Later

Soldiers (Load Training first) → Squad 1 → Elite Troop (T10) → Squad 2/3 → Tactics → Caravan.

Dual queue

Queue 1: Alliance Duel critical nodes. Queue 2: Development / Soldiers. Do not open two late trees first.

Mistakes

• Treating quests as a research roadmap
• Spreading all three Hero trees
• Delaying Herb Gardens
• Ignoring Alliance Duel after Lab 15
• Rushing Tactics with weak Development/Economy
• Leaving the Lab queue idle

See Alliance Duel, Troops.