Getting started
Quick high-level priorities for the research/tech tree — what to chase first as F2P or as a Spender.
The research tree is broad and most of its multi-day late-game timers don’t pay off if you chase them in the wrong order. This page covers what to push first; the detailed path below covers all of it.
Top priorities (F2P)
- Construction Speed — push TC as fast as possible to unlock higher troop tiers
- Research Speed — research takes multi-day after TC 24; this compounds
- Rally Capacity — bigger contributions when joining
- Command Tactics — unlocks march queues
- Training Speed — bigger, faster armies
- Healing Speed — recovery during heavy events
After the early TC levels, resource gathering speed matters more than resource production — focus there. Combat tech and camp/ward expansion sit at the bottom of the priority list — save combat tech for HoG day for max power-per-research-hour.
Top priorities (Spender)
The same top items as F2P apply (Research Speed, Command Tactics, Training Speed, Healing Speed) — but with three big adjustments:
- Combat Tech is pulled forward — comes before resource gathering, since rally damage matters more than resource output you can pack-buy
- Ward Expansion is pushed up significantly — you have more troops to lose if your infirmary overflows
- Deprioritize Rally Capacity and Training Capacity — you lead rallies (not join), and capacity just determines how long training runs, not how fast. Take the minimums the lab forces, nothing extra
Construction Speed still matters early but declines once buildings hit multi-day timers — they stop being a force multiplier. Camp expansion is the lowest priority for everyone — the lab gates each branch, so you’ll still take some levels, but only the ones it forces.