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Guides Overview/9. Infrastructure, Tech Trees & Master Tables
#9.3
12 min read

Research Cottage Tech Priority, Pre-Click Snapshot & 3-Second Formation Tank-Baiting Tactics

5-tier Research Cottage priority ranking (Arms Race Prep 6th Chest +200% 100% Queue 1 Boost), preserving the Economy tree as a 5–30m event-bait bank, the 4-step Pre-Click Snapshot formula cutting 40%–60% duration, 3-second Euclidean Formation Tank-Baiting PvP tactics, and the 17-row Dragon Essence (DE-Dust) tech cost table.

30-Second Actionable Summary (TL;DR)
Golden Rule #1

Ultimate Priority: Once Research Cottage hits Lv.20, funnel 100% of resources into Arms Race Prep / Commendation.

  • Yield Breakthrough: Unlock the 6th Chest (Extra Rewards / Double Rewards) for +200% GAR yields while pushing Queue 1 Boost / Combat Expertise to 100%.
Immediate Action Today

Preserve Bait Bank: Freeze short 5–30m Economy nodes at ~20%–25% (24.8%) for Guild Race Golden Tasks and GAR/KvK Tuesday GAR chest thresholds.

  • Pre-Click Snapshot: Lock all 4 buffs (12★ Brawler/Knight +30%, Shaman/Hostess +40%, Villagers +3.20%, Secretary of Science) BEFORE tapping Research!
Strictly Forbidden

Freeze Costly Trees: Strictly freeze S1 Battle, Peacekeeper, and Queue 2 & 3 Boost until unlocking the 6th Chest in Arms Race Prep and 100% Queue 1 Boost.

  • Never Clear Economy: Never clear out 100% of short 5–30m Economy nodes on non-event days!
01

Core Mechanics: Research Cottage Tech Tree Priority Tier List

Economic & Combat Engine: If your Castle level governs building caps, the Research Cottage is the economic engine and hidden combat core of your entire account.

  • Misallocation Cost: After finishing Beginner Combat (100%), investing across the 7+ major tech branches in the wrong sequence costs tens of thousands of Diamonds and Universal Shards monthly.
1.1

The 5-Tier Absolute Tech Tree Priority Ranking

Arms Race Prep / Commendation Tech Tree UI & The 6th Reward Chest Goldmine

MED-8.3-01 • Annotated UI Guide

Annotated screenshot of the Arms Race Prep / Commendation tech tree (unlocked at Research Cottage Lv.20), highlighting the terminal Extra Rewards / Double Rewards (6th Reward Chest) node that doubles (+200%) event chest returns.

RESEARCH TREE
Research Cottage
#1 ARMS PREP
Arms Race Prep / Commendation Tech
#2 QUEUE BOOST
Queue Boost & Hero Tech Tree
#3 T11 COMBAT
Soldiers / T11 Combat Tech Path (4,677 DE)
CHEST 6-9 2X
Guild Arms Race (GAR)
DOUBLE HONOR
Guild Honor
#1 Absolute Target — Extra Rewards / Double Rewards Node (6th Chest)
#1

As soon as Research Cottage hits Lv.20, funnel 100% of resources to unlock the 6th Chest and double reward multipliers in Guild Arms Race (GAR), surging weekly Diamonds, Universal Shards, and Speedups by 200%.

Parallel Priority — Complete 100% of Queue 1 Boost / Combat Expertise
#2

Directly injects March Size and % ATK / HP / DEF into Queue 1 while serving as the mandatory prerequisite gate to unlock advanced military tech trees.

Freeze S1 Battle / Peacekeeper & Preserve the Economy Bait Bank (~20%–25%)
#3

Never burn resources on S1 Battle or Peacekeeper before finishing Arms Race Prep & Queue 1 Boost; keep 5–30 minute Economy nodes untouched as event quest bait.

Table 1.1: 5-Tier Research Cottage Tech Tree Priority Ranking & ROI Analysis

Priority TierTech Branch Name (In-game EN / VI)Core Unlock ObjectivesWhy Must You Upgrade in This Exact Order? (ROI Analysis)
#1 ABSOLUTE PRIORITY ★Arms Race Prep / Commendation (Unlocked at Research Cottage Lv.20)• +Event Points multiplier nodes • Double Rewards / Extra Rewards node (6th Reward Chest)The single biggest goldmine in the entire game. Unlocking the 6th Chest and doubling chest rewards in Guild Arms Race (GAR) boosts your weekly Diamonds, Universal Legendary Shards, and Speedups by 200%. Completing this tree early compounds account wealth exponentially.
#2 PRIORITYQueue 1 Boost / Combat Expertise (Main March Enhancement)• Adds March Size to Queue 1 • Grants % ATK / HP / DEF to all Queue 1 units • Must hit 100% to unlock high-tier military treesEvery PvP battle, Arena match, and Boss rally is carried by Queue 1. Completing 100% of Queue 1 Boost / Combat Expertise injects raw combat power directly into your main squad while acting as the mandatory key to deeper military branches.
#3 PRIORITYGrowth / Development & Economy• Max only Construction Speed & Research Speed reduction nodes • Tool Improvement node (-5% construction resource cost)Delivers compounding time savings across all 3–4 Builder Queues and 2 Research Queues. Note: Stop immediately after maxing speed nodes and Tool Improvement; preserve short 5–30 minute resource yield nodes in the Economy branch at ~20%–25% as Event Bait!
#4 PRIORITYSoldiers & Heroes (After completing Tiers 1, 2, and 3)• Massive HP & ATK boosts for Soldiers (especially Queue 1's faction troop type) • Hero stat nodes and Season Tech treesSynergizes directly with high-tier troops (T8 / T9 / T10) once Barracks reach Lv.25 – Lv.35. Upon entering Season 1+, prioritize Season Tech because combat stats inside seasonal trees are retained permanently after the season ends!
STRICT FREEZES1 Battle / Peacekeeper / Queue 2 & 3 Boost (Expensive Endgame / Sub-Queues)• Completely frozen throughout Pre-Season and early Mid-gameS1 Battle, Peacekeeper, and Queue 2 & 3 Boost consume tens of millions of Meat/Rubies and hundreds of research hours for marginal % gains. Investing here before unlocking the 6th Chest in Arms Race Prep chokes your account economy.
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