Note: the Guide was updated up to Abyssal Tier reserach

Written by Morreion. All credit for the guide goes to Morreion.

Hey everyone!

I’ve noticed that for some people, research is something that’s quite a mystifying and expensive-looking thing that they mostly just ignore. Understandable, but especially with recent discounting changes there are quite a few very good bits to pick up that really every player should have, some even at quite low levels.

So I’ve decided to write a small guide, mostly aimed at newer players or players who never really bothered to look into research much. In it I’ll describe some basic mechanics, link some resources, and give some recommendations for specific research items that are, in my opinion, worth getting.

How does research work?

Note: This section is aimed at new players, if you already know how research works, you can skip ahead to the Recommended research below

• What it does

Research items give various bonuses to dragons, towers or specific spells. Some apply to all dragons and towers, others only to one class of dragons or one type of tower. Spell boosts always only work with that one specific spell, not with similar ones with different names. Once you have researched a boost, it will stay forever, and will apply on all past and future dragons/towers it relates to.

• Where do I find it?

Research is controlled in the hall of research building, on the home island of your base. You will need to upgrade this building every time you want to start research in a new tier. You can’t do research while the building is upgrading.

In the building you will find a very long horizontal tree structure with all research items. You can also find a vertical version of it on Neon here. To unlock an item, you will have to research one of the items to the left of it connected by a line first. Note that you do not have to research everything in a tier to move on to the next tier. This can be useful since some (but not all!) of the old research items aren’t very useful in today’s game.

• What do I need to do research?

Research is payed for with “spare” dragon eggs. You get one of these every time breeding gives you a dragon you already bred before. The eggs waiting in your incubator don’t count for this, and you can never accidentally use up an egg you were planning to hatch. Each tier of research requires eggs of a specific tier, you can’t use them for lower or higher tiers. For example only green dragon eggs can be used for green tier research.

You get these eggs in two ways. First of all a breeding path will give you a lot of spare eggs. You will also need these for your builder hut, so don’t use them all, but anything left over after your breeding hut is done can be used for research. You will likely need more than that eventually. When you do you can find the cheapest way to make more of them on Neon here.

Other than eggs, research also takes time to complete, which can add up significantly. Some research can be worth speeding up, especially if you’re still researching construction discounts (which save a -lot- of timers when building). The “speed up” button shows a (fairly scary) cost in research, however when you press it you will be given the option to use timers or rubies. Never actually use rubies for speeding research, but using timers is useful at times.

Recommended research by tier

In this section I’ll write down the “must have” and “nice to have” research items according to my personal taste. Note that other research items aren’t neccessarily useless, but I wouldn’t spend time on them until you’ve done all the must have and nice to have ones of all tiers you can access. If you wonder why a certain research item is included or not included feel free to ask/discuss in this thread.

Also note that you will likely need to complete some unlisted items to get to the next “must have”, you can consider those part of the “must have” line and worth getting just to reach the next must have item.

Red tier

The must haves in this tier you can start working on right away, as soon as you have your first spare eggs. The nice to have items can easily wait until your base and dragons have grown a bit, and it’s no problem if you only start getting them around level 100.

Must haves

• Construction Efficiency - +5% construction speed
• Ammo Reserves - +1 starting supershot ammo

Nice to haves

• Fiery Breath - +4% dragon damage
• Organic Dragon Meat - +5% Dragon HP
• Hunter Violence - +4% Hunter Dragon Damage
• Warror Armor - +5% Warrior dragon HP

Purple tier

Same as red tier, try to get the must haves as soon as possible (~level 25), the rest can wait until level 100 or so, get must haves up to green tier first.

Must haves

• Essence of Rage - +1 Starting Dragon Rage
• Ammo Reserves - +1 Starting Supershot Ammo
• Battle Barricades - +4% to All Combat Tower HP
• Fortified Storm Towers - +4% Storm Tower HP

Nice to haves

• Sharpened Steel - +4% to All Combat Tower Damage
• Organic Dragon Meat - +4% Dragon HP
• Sorcerer Fury - +4% Sorcerer Dragon Damage
• Heated Chamber - +5% Incubation Speed

Blue tier

Try to get the must haves fast (level 40 or so), the nice to haves can wait until level 100-120.

Must haves

• Construction Efficiency - +5% Construction and Upgrade Speed
• Essence of Rage - +1 Starting Dragon Rage
• Ammo Reserves - +1 Starting Supershot Ammo
• Fiery Breath - +4% Dragon Damage
• Sharpened Steel - +4% to All Combat Tower Damage
• Organic Dragon Meat - +4% Dragon HP

Nice to haves

• Red Magic Guard - +30% Red Mage Tower HP
• Blue Magic Guard - +30% Blue Mage Tower HP

Orange tier

Must haves should probably be done around level 70-80, the nice to haves again can wait a bit until after green must haves are done.

Must haves

• Construction Efficiency - +5% Construction and Upgrade Speed
• Essence of Rage - +1 Starting Dragon Rage
• Red Magic Siphon - +1 Additional Rage Stolen from Red Mage Tower Supershot
• Blue Magic Siphon - +1 Additional Rage Stolen from Blue Mage Tower Supershot
• Advanced Hunter Training - +1 Maximum Hunter Ammo
• Battle Barricades - +4% to All Combat Tower HP
• Offensive Tactics - +4% Hunter Damage & +4% Sorcerer Damage
• Sharpened Steel - +4% to All Combat Tower Damage
• Ammo Reserves - +1 Starting Supershot Ammo
• Organic Dragon Meat - +4% Dragon HP

Nice to haves

• Warrior Armor - +4% Warrior HP
• Galvanized Beams - +4% Lightning Tower HP & +4% Trebuchet HP
• Poetic Alchemy - +10% Research Speed

Green tier

Aim to clear the must have ones around level 100. Then you’ll likely have some time to get some nice to haves of this and lower tiers (to taste) before you can manage to get the eggs for the platinum must haves from your breeding path.

Must haves

• Construction Efficiency - +5% Construction and Upgrade Speed
• Essence of Rage - +1 Starting Dragon Rage
• Advanced Hunter Training - +2 Maximum Hunter Ammo
• Ammo Reserves - +1 Starting Supershot Ammo
• Organic Dragon Meat - +4% Dragon HP
• Fiery Breath - +4% Dragon Damage
• Sharpened Steel - +4% to All Combat Tower Damage
• Sharpened Steel - +6% to All Combat Tower Damage

Nice to haves

• Hunter Fury - +4% Hunter Damage
• Multilayered Coils - +4% Lightning Tower HP
• Galvanized Charge - +4% Lightning Tower Damage & +4% Trebuchet Damage
• Galvanized Beams - +4% Lightning Tower HP & +4% Trebuchet HP
• Enhanced Lightning Resistance - +10% Lightning Tower Resistance Spell
• Super Charged Generators - Lightning Towers gain 5% Attack Speed for each other Lightning Tower on the same island
• Poetic Alchemy - +15% Research Speed
• Sorcerer Fury - +4% Sorcerer Damage

Gold/Platinum tier

Pay attention to what gold research you do first, I recommend making sure to unlock a path to the construction research before anything else, as soon as you can find the eggs for it.

Must haves

• Diamond Tools - +5% Building Construction Speed
• Endless Arsenal - +1 Super Shot

Nice to haves

• Dark Matter - +5% Dark Flak Tower HP
• Sorcerer Wrath - +4% Sorcerer Dragon Damage
• Suffocating Flames - +2% Chance for Sorcerer Attack to Stun
• Sorcerer Savagery - +4% Sorcerer Dragon Attack

Sapphire tier

Sapphire doesn’t really have any must haves. The DF damage used to be one, but the role of DFs isn’t nearly as big anymore. You’ll still have to get them to reach must haves further on of course. However by this point it’s probably best to focus tokens on dragon progression first.

Nice to haves

• Intense Explosion - +5% Dark Flak Tower Damage
• Heavy Warrior Armor - +5% Warrior Dragon HP
• Wing Guard Plate - +5% Hunter Dragon HP
• Magic Armor - +5% Sorcerer Dragon HP

Garnet tier

The ice flak is still a critical tower, so labeled this must have, but it’s no issue to wait until level 300 or so before getting this.

Must haves

• +10% Ice Flak Tower HP

Nice to haves

• +10% Fire Flak Tower HP
• +10% Fire Flak Tower Damage
• +5% Dark Flak Tower HP
• +5% Dark Flak Tower Damage

Emerald tier

Nothing really recommended here. You will likely end up getting the +6% Earth Flak damage and the dragon xp ones just to get to the next tier, but with Orreries replacing earth flaks there’s really no must have here.

If you do still use earth flaks you can consider picking up the two earth flak HP nodes, but I don’t really feel it’s worth the tokens for a tower that should get replaced eventually anyhow.

Obsidian tier

Lightning towers are still strong, and mage research also works on archmages, so all of these are very strong base improvements. They are not quite as “must have” as the early construction research and starting rage, but still worth getting before any nice to haves, eggs allowing.

Must haves

• Fatal Bolts - +5% Lightning Tower Supershot Damage
• Fatal Bolts - +5% Lightning Tower Supershot Damage
• Red Magic Guard - +5% Red Mage Tower HP
• Red Magic Guard - +5% Red Mage Tower HP
• Blue Magic Guard - +5% Blue Mage Tower HP
• Blue Magic Guard - +5% Blue Mage Tower HP

Nice to haves

• Sorcerer Fury - +5% Sorcerer Dragon Damage
• Magic Armor - +5% Sorcerer Dragon HP

Harbinger tier

Some good stuff here and especially the next tier, but egg cost does start to ramp up too. However tempting this research is, I would still recommend to focus tokens on breeding first, as the last tiers get a lot more expensive, and going through tiers will do a lot more for your progress than any research can.

Must haves

• Master Hunter Training - +1 Maximum Hunter Ammo

Nice to haves

• Refined Blasting Powder - +10% Fire Flak Supershot Damage

Vanguard tier

Loads of good stuff, especially the rage research effectively adds a mythic rage rune to all of your dragons, which is awesome. Keep focusing on your dragon progress too, but with the current discounts these are cheap enough to mix them in a bit once you’re well into the level 400s.

Must haves

• Dragon’s Fury I - +5% Dragon Rage Generation Rate
• Dragon’s Fury II - +7% Dragon Rage Generation Rate
• Arcane Plating I - +5% Red and Blue Mage Tower HP
• Arcane Plating II - +7% Red and Blue Mage Tower HP

Nice to haves

• Lightning Tower Frenzy - +6% Lightning Tower Attack Speed
• Flak Tower Frenzy - +6% Attack Speed for all Flak Towers
• Enchanted Armor I - +4% Sorcerer Dragon HP
• Enchanted Armor II - +6% Sorcerer Dragon HP
• Sorcerer Savagery II - +4% Sorcerer Dragon Damage
• Sorcerer Savagery III - +6% Sorcerer Dragon Damage

Empyrean tier

Howitzer HP isn’t its most important stat, but the tower is important enough to still go for it by the time you’re hitting 500 or so.

Must haves

• Fortified Crystals I - +4% Crystal Howitzer HP
• Fortified Crystals II - +6% Crystal Howitzer HP

Nice to haves

• Smoldering Hunter I - +6% Hunter Dragon Damage
• Invoker Ferocity I - +4% Invoker Dragon Damage
• Invoker Ferocity II - +8% Invoker Dragon Damage
• Ravenous Spikes I - +5% Drakul Pylon Damage
• Thick Bloodwell Plating I - +4% Drakul Pylon HP
• Thick Bloodwell Plating II - +6% Drakul Pylon HP
• Crystal Catalyst I - +5% Crystal Howitzer Attack Speed
• Blistering Warrior I - +6% Warrior Dragon Damage

Abyssal tier

Discounts here are a lot lower, meaning all of this is quite expensive. Some decent stuff in here but not really worth getting until you’re fully caught up with endgame dragons.

Nice to haves

• Smoldering Hunter II - +4% Hunter Dragon Damage
• Invoker Armor I - +4% Invoker Dragon HP
• Invoker Armor II - +6% Invoker Dragon HP
• Warrior Armor I - +4% Warrior Dragon HP
• Warrior Armor II - +6% Warrior Dragon HP
• Invoker Ferocity III - +4% Invoker Dragon Damage
• Hunter Armor I - +4% Hunter Dragon HP
• Hunter Armor II - +6% Hunter Dragon HP
• Blistering Warrior II - +4% Warrior Dragon Damage