Tech tree & doctrines guide
Every technology, what it unlocks, and the one exclusive choice that reshapes your whole colony.
How does research work?
Research Labs generate research points over time; you spend those points in the Tech panel (press T) to unlock new buildings and eras. The critical path runs Expansion → Mobility → Scanning → Xeno → Resonance → Gateway; everything else is optional and off to the side.
Build an Observatory or Xeno-Lab to research faster — and to help decode the Signal.
Industrial Automation vs Sustainable Habitats — which doctrine should you pick?
After Expansion Engineering you commit to one doctrine, and it locks out the other for the whole run. Choose Industrial Automation for raw output and speed, or Sustainable Habitats for a happier, more resilient colony. There's no wrong answer — they lead to different colonies and different endings.
⚙ Industrial Automation
commit to heavy industry: +25% output from all Extraction and Processing, plus exclusive Automated Foundry and Strip Mine buildings. Locks out Sustainable Habitats.
Best for: fast expansion, speedruns, and Helium-3 stockpiles. Unlocks the Automated Foundry and Strip Mine.
🌿 Sustainable Habitats
commit to your people: +30% life support, +25% from happiness buildings, 20% fewer supplies used, plus exclusive Biodome and Memorial Grove buildings. Locks out Industrial Automation.
Best for: large, happy, low-fail colonies and the "kinder" ending. Unlocks the Biodome and Memorial Grove.
How you treat the Moon — build or strip — quietly shapes how the Signal's caretaker judges you at the Gateway. Playing sustainably nudges you toward the warmer ending. We won't spoil it here.
The full tech tree
Here is every technology, its research cost, what it requires, and what it unlocks.
| Technology | Cost | Requires | Unlocks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Expansion Engineering | 60 | — | Unlocks Habitat Complex, Fission Reactor, Supply Fabricator, Wellness Center, Zero-G Arena. |
| Lunar Mobility | 90 | — | Unlocks the Rover Garage. Rovers boost all extraction by 15%. |
| Orbital Scanning | 130 | Lunar Mobility | Unlocks Observatory & Deep Drill Rig. Marks a heading — scout to the deposits to resolve the scan. |
| Helium-3 Fusion | 200 | Orbital Scanning | Unlocks the Fusion Plant. Massive clean power from Helium-3. |
| Lunar Flight | 240 | Lunar Mobility | Unlocks the Flying Vehicle Pad. Scouts increase discovery frequency. |
| Xenoarchaeology | 300 | Orbital Scanning | Unlocks Excavation Site (on the ruin), Xeno-Lab and Arcology Spire. |
| Resonance Technology | 380 | Xenoarchaeology | Unlocks the Resonance Amplifier — alien-hybrid power. |
| Gateway Protocol | 500 | Resonance Technology | Unlocks the Alien Gateway — the final wonder. |
| Logistics Networks | 120 | Expansion Engineering | Unlocks the Cargo Depot — large shared storage for a sprawling colony. |
| Lunar Agronomy | 120 | Expansion Engineering | Unlocks the Greenhouse Tower — stacked hydroponics that feed and cheer the colony. |
Ready to build your own?
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