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Codex Entry
Tech Tree
All 22 research nodes, their categories and prerequisites.
Categories
- Support — Fleet Command, Intelligence Service and Astrophysics, plus the economy & frontier line: Mining Technology, Agrotechnology, Aetherium Chemistry, Logistics, Habitat Engineering, Salvage Technology, Deep Space Expedition and Subspace Networking. Command, intel, production and expansion passives.
- Drive — Combustion, Impulse, Hyperspace. Deeper drive research means faster ships across the whole fleet.
- Combat — Laser, Ion, Plasma, Weapons, Shield, Armor. Laser and Plasma also trim building costs and Ion and Plasma trim research costs today; Weapons, Shield and Armor make your ships hit harder and last longer in battle.
- Energy — Energy Tech, Hyperspace Tech. Powers everything from Solar plants to Hyperspace Drive.
| Tech | Category | Tier | Metal L1 | Crystal L1 | Aeth L1 | Cost × | Time L1 | Lab Req | Prereqs |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Combustion Drive Tier-1 propulsion. Required for early scouts, fighters and cargo ships. | Drive | T1 | 800 | — | 1,200 | 2.0^L | 120s | L1 | — |
Energy Tech Foundation for everything power-hungry. Boosts Solar output, gates Fusion-class tech. | Energy | T1 | — | 1,600 | 800 | 2.0^L | 120s | L1 | — |
Fleet Command Command-and-control systems. Gates Spaceport and many late-game projects. | Support | T1 | — | 800 | 1,200 | 2.0^L | 90s | L1 | — |
Intelligence Service Reconnaissance & intel. Required for Espionage Probes and Astrophysics. | Support | T1 | 400 | 2,000 | 400 | 2.0^L | 120s | L1 | — |
Mining Technology Refines extraction and ore-processing techniques. Each level raises Metal and Crystal output across every system. | Support | T1 | 800 | 800 | — | 2.0^L | 90s | L1 | — |
Agrotechnology Advances hydroponics and closed-loop food synthesis. Each level increases food production empire-wide. | Support | T2 | 1,200 | 600 | — | 2.0^L | 120s | L2 | — |
Impulse Drive Tier-2 propulsion. Powers cruisers, colony and research ships. | Drive | T2 | 4,000 | 8,000 | 1,200 | 2.0^L | 240s | L2 | Energy Tech L1Combustion Drive L2 |
Laser Tech Foundational directed-energy weapons line. | Combat | T2 | 400 | 200 | — | 2.0^L | 150s | L2 | Energy Tech L2 |
Weapons Tech Multiplies offensive damage across ships and defenses. | Combat | T2 | 1,600 | 400 | — | 2.0^L | 180s | L2 | Energy Tech L1 |
Aetherium Chemistry Deepens the study of aetherium synthesis and containment. Each level raises Aetherium output and trims Fusion Reactor fuel burn. | Support | T3 | 1,600 | 1,600 | 800 | 2.0^L | 180s | L3 | Mining Technology L2 |
Armor Tech Hull plating and structural integrity for all hulls. | Combat | T3 | 2,000 | — | — | 2.0^L | 180s | L2 | Energy Tech L2 |
Astrophysics Deep-space navigation. Required for Colony and Research Ships. | Support | T3 | 8,000 | 16,000 | 8,000 | 2.0^L | 600s | L3 | Intelligence Service L4Energy Tech L4 |
Habitat Engineering Perfects sealed habitats and life-support at scale. Each level boosts population growth and unlocks the Colony Ship. | Support | T3 | 3,000 | 2,000 | 1,000 | 2.0^L | 180s | L3 | — |
Ion Tech Ionized particle weaponry. Gates the Cruiser and Ion Cannon defense. | Combat | T3 | 2,000 | 600 | 200 | 2.0^L | 300s | L4 | Laser Tech L5Energy Tech L4 |
Logistics Optimises cargo stowage and fleet load-planning. Each level increases the cargo capacity of every ship, and unlocks heavier freighters. | Support | T3 | 2,000 | 3,000 | — | 2.0^L | 180s | L3 | Fleet Command L2 |
Shield Tech Improves shield pools across ships and defenses. | Combat | T3 | 400 | 1,200 | — | 2.0^L | 180s | L2 | Energy Tech L3 |
Hyperspace Drive Tier-3 propulsion. Required for the Battleship. | Drive | T4 | 20,000 | 40,000 | 12,000 | 2.0^L | 600s | L5 | Hyperspace Tech L3Impulse Drive L5 |
Hyperspace Tech FTL theory. Prerequisite for Hyperspace Drive. | Energy | T4 | — | 8,000 | 4,000 | 2.0^L | 450s | L4 | Energy Tech L5Shield Tech L5 |
Plasma Tech High-energy plasma weaponry. Gates the Plasma Turret and Quantum Power Grid. | Combat | T4 | 4,000 | 8,000 | 2,000 | 2.0^L | 600s | L6 | Ion Tech L4Energy Tech L6 |
Salvage Technology Develops debris-recovery rigs and field refits. Unlocks the Salvager; debris-harvesting yield improves with each level. | Support | T4 | 4,000 | 3,000 | 1,000 | 2.0^L | 300s | L4 | Impulse Drive L3 |
Deep Space Expedition Charters long-range expeditions beyond charted space. Unlocks the Expedition mission, raises everything it hauls home, lowers hostile-encounter odds, and lets you run more expeditions at once. | Support | T5 | 12,000 | 16,000 | 8,000 | 2.0^L | 600s | L6 | Astrophysics L4 |
Subspace Networking Links your Research Labs across subspace so their levels pool toward research speed (unlock gating still uses your single highest lab). | Support | T5 | 16,000 | 16,000 | 8,000 | 2.0^L | 600s | L6 | Fleet Command L5 |
Where to start
Tip·The free tier-1 nodes
Energy Tech, Fleet Command, Combustion Drive, Intelligence Service and Mining Technology all have no prerequisites and a Lab L1 requirement. Pick the one whose downstream tree you want first:
- Energy Tech → Laser/Ion/Plasma weapons, Fusion Reactor, Hyperspace tech.
- Fleet Command → Spaceport, Logistics, late-game support tech.
- Combustion Drive → Light Fighter, Small Cargo, Espionage Probe.
- Mining Technology → immediate +metal/+crystal across every system, and the Aetherium Chemistry line.