Research

A sharp blade outlasts a dull army. The scholars of the Laboratory study the craft of war — improvements to spear, shield, bow, siege, and sail that permanently strengthen every unit trained afterward. Research is slow and costly, but no raid can undo what has been learned.

The Laboratory

The structure required to conduct all research.

Units

Military forces strengthened and unlocked by research.

Combat

How research bonuses affect battle outcomes.

The Scholar's Bench

Only one advancement may be studied at a time per settlement. Research costs scale with each level — patience and a well-funded treasury are both required. Higher advancements demand a more advanced Laboratory before the scholars will undertake them. The effects are cumulative and permanent: a Level 5 Spear study does not replace Level 4 — it builds upon it.

Master Quill notes

Research is the slowest pillar of governance, but the most enduring. Every level completed is a permanent advantage that no raid can take away.

Weapons & Armour

The core of the research programme. Spear sharpens infantry striking power and is the gateway to Spearfighters — a Governor's first real defenders. Shield hardens the garrison, and at Level 3 unlocks the elite Swordsman. Bow arms Archers for ranged offence, while Catapult research enables the devastating siege engines needed to break walls and claim new territory. Dog Training establishes the handler drills that allow Guard Hounds to be raised at the Kennels.

Spear

military

Enhances spearfighter combat effectiveness. Increases infantry attack by 10% per level.

Effect: +10% infantry attack per level

Max Level: 10

At Max: +100%

Requires: Laboratory Level 1

Lv	Gold	Stone	Lumber	Research Time	Cumulative Bonus
1	100	50	80	3m	+10%
2	150	75	120	4m 30s	+20%
3	225	112	180	6m 45s	+30%
4	337	168	270	10m 7s	+40%
5	506	253	405	15m 11s	+50%
6	759	379	607	22m 46s	+60%
7	1,139	569	911	34m 10s	+70%
8	1,708	854	1,366	51m 15s	+80%
9	2,562	1,281	2,050	1h 16m	+90%
10	3,844	1,922	3,075	1h 55m	+100%

Shield

military

Improves defensive capabilities. Increases infantry defense by 10% per level.

Effect: +10% infantry defense per level

Max Level: 10

At Max: +100%

Requires: Laboratory Level 1

Lv	Gold	Stone	Lumber	Research Time	Cumulative Bonus
1	50	100	80	3m	+10%
2	75	150	120	4m 30s	+20%
3	112	225	180	6m 45s	+30%
4	168	337	270	10m 7s	+40%
5	253	506	405	15m 11s	+50%
6	379	759	607	22m 46s	+60%
7	569	1,139	911	34m 10s	+70%
8	854	1,708	1,366	51m 15s	+80%
9	1,281	2,562	2,050	1h 16m	+90%
10	1,922	3,844	3,075	1h 55m	+100%

Dog Training

military

Establishes formal hound drills and handler commands. Required to train Guard Hounds.

Effect: Unlocks guard hound

Max Level: 1

Requires: Laboratory Level 1

Lv	Gold	Stone	Lumber	Research Time
1	90	60	70	2m 40s

Bow

military

Enhances archer combat effectiveness. Increases archer attack by 10% per level.

Effect: +10% archer attack per level

Max Level: 10

At Max: +100%

Requires: Laboratory Level 3

Lv	Gold	Stone	Lumber	Research Time	Cumulative Bonus
1	80	40	100	3m 20s	+10%
2	120	60	150	5m	+20%
3	180	90	225	7m 30s	+30%
4	270	135	337	11m 15s	+40%
5	405	202	506	16m 52s	+50%
6	607	303	759	25m 18s	+60%
7	911	455	1,139	37m 58s	+70%
8	1,366	683	1,708	56m 57s	+80%
9	2,050	1,025	2,562	1h 25m	+90%
10	3,075	1,537	3,844	2h 8m	+100%

Catapult

military

Enables and enhances catapult siege weapons. Increases siege attack by 10% per level.

Effect: +10% siege attack per level

Max Level: 10

At Max: +100%

Requires: Laboratory Level 5

Lv	Gold	Stone	Lumber	Research Time	Cumulative Bonus
1	120	100	80	3m 40s	+10%
2	180	150	120	5m 30s	+20%
3	270	225	180	8m 15s	+30%
4	405	337	270	12m 22s	+40%
5	607	506	405	18m 33s	+50%
6	911	759	607	27m 50s	+60%
7	1,366	1,139	911	41m 45s	+70%
8	2,050	1,708	1,366	1h 2m	+80%
9	3,075	2,562	2,050	1h 33m	+90%
10	4,613	3,844	3,075	2h 20m	+100%

Marshal Voss notes

Spear first, then Shield. An army that can hold ground survives long enough to learn everything else. Once Shield reaches Level 3, your Swordsmen will make raiders think twice.

Sail & Navigation

Speed on the open water wins wars before they begin. Sail research improves the speed of every vessel in the fleet and unlocks the heavier classes of ship: the Large Merchant Ship at Level 1, the fearsome Large Warship at Level 3, and the Colonisation Ship at Level 5. A Governor with advanced sails strikes faster, trades further, and expands sooner than one without.

Sail

naval

Improves ship speed and naval capabilities. Increases ship speed by 10% per level.

Effect: +10% naval speed per level

Max Level: 10

At Max: +100%

Requires: Laboratory Level 2

Lv	Gold	Stone	Lumber	Research Time	Cumulative Bonus
1	80	60	100	4m	+10%
2	120	90	150	6m	+20%
3	180	135	225	9m	+30%
4	270	202	337	13m 30s	+40%
5	405	303	506	20m 15s	+50%
6	607	455	759	30m 22s	+60%
7	911	683	1,139	45m 33s	+70%
8	1,366	1,025	1,708	1h 8m	+80%
9	2,050	1,537	2,562	1h 42m	+90%
10	3,075	2,306	3,844	2h 33m	+100%

Treasurer Mora notes

Faster ships mean shorter supply runs and quicker reinforcements. Sail research pays dividends long before the first Large Warship is even commissioned.

The Shadow Arts

Knowledge of the enemy is as valuable as any weapon. Espionage research trains spies to slip past defences more reliably and return with richer intelligence. Higher levels reveal not just resources but buildings, garrisons, and fleet composition of a target settlement. Consult the Espionage chapter for how spy missions work in practice.

Espionage

espionage

Improves spy mission success rates and intel quality. Each level increases success chance by 5% and reveals more information about the target.

Effect: +5% espionage success per level

Max Level: 10

At Max: +50%

Requires: Laboratory Level 2

Lv	Gold	Stone	Lumber	Research Time	Cumulative Bonus
1	100	60	80	3m 20s	+5%
2	150	90	120	5m	+10%
3	225	135	180	7m 30s	+15%
4	337	202	270	11m 15s	+20%
5	506	303	405	16m 52s	+25%
6	759	455	607	25m 18s	+30%
7	1,139	683	911	37m 58s	+35%
8	1,708	1,025	1,366	56m 57s	+40%
9	2,562	1,537	2,050	1h 25m	+45%
10	3,844	2,306	3,075	2h 8m	+50%

Marshal Voss notes

A war fought without reconnaissance is a war fought blind. Even one level of Espionage research turns a reckless charge into a calculated strike.

What Research Unlocks

Several advanced units cannot be trained until the relevant research is completed. The following ledger shows which advancements gate which forces.

Unit	Research Required	Level
Spearfighter	Spear	1
Archer	Bow	1
Swordsman	Shield	3
Guard Hound	Dog Training	1
Catapult	Catapult	1
Spy Ship	Espionage	1
Large Warship	Sail	3
Large Merchant Ship	Sail	1
Colonisation Ship	Sail	5

Master Quill notes

Research cannot be rushed, but neither should it be delayed. Every day without a Laboratory is a day rivals grow sharper while one's own forces remain unchanged.