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Quick answer: Keep builders and the research queue busy with cheap Development and Economy first, then push Soldier combat stats and one Hero faction. Spend research data on Alliance Competition—especially the path to Ultimate Reward—then plan Super Soldiers by node requirements instead of maxing every level. Convoy and strategy trees come later.
Costs and times below come from the community-kept Research Database and Research Calculator (checked 2026-11-06). Database rows are usually the full cost to max that node, not one level. Times are base times before speedups, research-speed buffs, or alliance help. Your live client can differ, so confirm the popup in-game before you start a long research.
How to read this guide
- A weak research order wastes time and resources, but it is rarely permanent damage. You can re-plan; you just lose the queue time you already spent.
- After Development and Economy are moving, treat Soldier combat stats and one Hero faction as parallel early combat work.
- Oil becomes the late-game bottleneck. Keep oil production ahead of Super Soldiers.
Research categories at a glance
Early accounts mainly see Develop, Economy, Hero, and Soldier. As Alpha Research Division grows, you unlock Full Development, Prosperous Economy, Squad trees, Alliance Competition, Convoy, Super Soldiers, then Offense Strategy and Defense Strategy.
Each node lists an Alpha Research Division level range. That is the building level band needed to push the node through its levels—not a reason to buy every unlocked node immediately.
| Tree type | Typical costs |
|---|---|
| Develop, Economy, Hero, Soldier, Squad, Full Development, Prosperous Economy | Food, metal, oil (+ time) |
| Alliance Competition, Convoy | Research data (+ time) |
| Super Soldiers, Offense/Defense Strategy | Food, metal, oil, and research data |
Priority 1: Development
Construction speed, research speed, cheaper buildings, training, and healing all compound for the rest of the account. Idle builders and an idle research queue are the expensive mistake.
| Node | Alpha Research | Food / metal (full node) | Oil | Base time |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Quick Construction I | Lv 1–5 | ~5.7K / ~5.5K | ~19K | ~42m |
| Research Enhancement I | Lv 1–5 | ~94K / ~94K | ~296K | ~1h 52m |
| Master Builder | Lv 6–14 | ~77K / ~77K | ~2.3M | ~8h |
| Quick Construction II | Lv 8–12 | ~472K / ~472K | ~1.4M | ~4h 38m |
Max those cheap Development tiers early. Then open Full Development for Training Camp Addition as soon as Alpha Research Division hits 13 (~395K food/metal, ~1.2M oil, ~2h 33m). Extra barracks capacity is one of the best low-cost unlocks in the tree.
Higher tiers still help, but the bill jumps fast. Quick Construction III is about 13.4M food/metal and ~13d 12h. Research Enhancement IV is about 34.2M and ~38d 8h. Take those when income can support them—not before the cheap nodes elsewhere are in good shape.
Priority 2: Economy
Food, metal, and oil pay for almost every upgrade. Prioritize extra producers, then output and gathering, and grab the tiny capacity nodes whenever they appear.
| Node | Alpha Research | Full-node snapshot | Base time |
|---|---|---|---|
| Extra Farm | Lv 9 | ~45K / ~46K / ~143K | ~35m |
| Extra Foundry | Lv 12 | ~231K / ~231K / ~696K | ~1h 42m |
| Additional Oil Extraction Plant | Lv 15 | ~604K / ~604K / ~1.8M | ~9h 40m |
| Food Output I | Lv 1–9 | ~63K / ~63K / ~199K | ~1h 22m |
| Food Output II | Lv 9–17 | ~2.6M / ~2.6M / ~8M | ~1d 23h |
| Oil Output II | Lv 9–17 | ~3.6M / ~3.6M / ~10.7M | ~3d 10h |
Push output and gathering through tier II early, then treat III/IV as mid-game income projects. The 5-minute capacity nodes are essentially free—take them. Many late Super Soldier nodes cost roughly three times as much oil as food, so oil income cannot fall behind.
Priority 3: Soldier research
Soldier research raises troop attack, defense, HP, and load. For combat power, prioritize ATK / DEF / HP. Skip load unless a node must be completed to unlock the next one you need.
| Node | Food/metal (approx.) | Base time |
|---|---|---|
| Soldier ATK / DEF / HP / Load Up I | ~340K each | ~4h 49m |
| Same stats IV | ~29M each | ~33d 15h |
| Soldier ATK Up V | ~266M | ~201d |
| Soldier Load Up V | ~513M | ~301d |
Load helps when you are carrying resources, but it does not raise fighting strength the way ATK, DEF, and HP do. If the calculator shows a load node is not required for your next unlock, leave it.
Priority 4: Hero research (one faction)
Hero research splits into Warrior, Tactical, and Assault. Research the faction your main squad actually uses. Spreading across all three multiplies the bill.
| Faction node | Food/metal | Oil | Base time |
|---|---|---|---|
| Warrior DMG I | ~3.7M | ~11.2M | ~2d 12h |
| Tactical DMG I | ~11.1M | ~33.5M | ~10d 21h |
| Assault DMG I | ~35.6M | ~107M | ~32d 8h |
Later tiers jump hard. Tactical ATK II is about 369M food/metal, ~1.11B oil, and ~175 days of base time for the full node. That is a late-economy project. The one-level Zombie Ambush faction nodes (~4.3K food and ~19 minutes) are cheap side picks when the queue is free.
Priority 5: Squad 1 first
Squad research buffs that squad only. For free players and low spenders, deep investment in every squad is usually a trap.
| Squad | Squad Hero ATK I food/metal | Base time |
|---|---|---|
| Squad 1 | ~1.3M | ~10h |
| Squad 2 | ~17.8M | ~20d 18h |
| Squad 3 | ~104M | ~111d |
Category unlock requirements shown in-game:
- Squad 2: any Research Center Lv.15 + Squad 1 tech progress 25%
- Squad 3: any Research Center Lv.20 + Squad 2 tech progress 25%
- Squad 4: Research Center Lv.8 + Monthly Pass unlock
Priority 6: Alliance Competition research
This is the research-data sink that pays you back through Alliance Competition chests. When you can, spend research data on Wednesday (Tech Research day) so the same spend scores event points. For the weekly timing habit, see the speedup and stockpiling guide.
| Node | Max | Research data | Base time | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Radar / Speedup / Recruit Points Buff | 10 | ~1.2K each | ~4d 13h | Task-specific point boosts |
| Medium Reward | 1 | 100 | ~4h 50m | Unlocks tier 4–6 chests; Alpha Research Division 15 |
| Points Buff | 20 | ~3.8K | ~17d 6h | Up to +100% points for scored actions (except diamond purchases) |
| Building / Research / Training / Kill Points Buff | 10 | ~6.4K each | ~33d | Do not blindly max before Ultimate Reward |
| Ultimate Reward | 1 | 450 | ~2d 19h | Unlocks tier 7–9 chests; Alpha Research Division 20 |
Ultimate Reward path
Ultimate Reward directly needs Points Buff Lv.20, Training Points Buff Lv.6, Kill Points Buff Lv.6, and Alpha Research Division Lv.20. Building Points Buff Lv.1 unlocks Training Points Buff; Research Points Buff Lv.1 unlocks Kill Points Buff. Efficient order:
- Unlock Medium Reward.
- Push Points Buff toward 20.
- Building Points Buff to 1 → Training Points Buff to 6.
- Research Points Buff to 1 → Kill Points Buff to 6.
- Research Ultimate Reward.
- Come back later to finish remaining Alliance Competition levels.
Published point chests on the Alliance Competition ranking rewards page include Chest 8 at 3,620,000 points (Research Data ×220, UR Omni Hero Shard ×1, and more) and Chest 9 at 7,190,000 points (Research Data ×390, UR Omni Hero Shard ×1, Tactical Box ×16, Lv.3 Fighter Component Chest ×1).
Points Buff maxes at +100%. Radar Points Buff maxes at +50% for radar quests. If a 100-point radar action becomes 250 with both buffs, that matches an additive reading (+100% +50%). Confirm in your client whether those buffs add or multiply before you plan scores around the example.
Priority 7: Super Soldiers
Super Soldiers is the T10 unlock tree, and it is a resource sink. Enhanced HP I requires Ultimate Reward Lv.1, so Alliance Competition Ultimate Reward comes before meaningful Super Soldier progress.
| Node | Food/metal | Oil | Research data | Base time |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Enhanced HP / ATK / DEF I | ~21M | ~63M | ~3.2K | ~7d |
| Combat Defense | ~68.7M | ~206M | ~6K | ~25d 18h |
| Weapon Training VII | ~82M | ~247M | ~6.6K | ~30d 14h |
| Accelerated Training I | ~137M | ~411M | ~8.8K | ~50d |
| Morale | ~354M | ~1.06B | ~14K | ~104d |
| Weapon Training VIII | ~492M | ~1.48B | ~15K | ~126d |
The full Super Soldiers category totals about 255K research data if every level is completed. That is the wrong planning target for most players. Stop at the lowest level that unlocks the next required node:
- Accelerated Training I and Barracks Expansion I unlock when Defense/Weapon/Armor Training VII reach Lv.4.
- Enhanced Healing I and Healing Capacity I unlock when Defense/Weapon/Armor Training VIII reach Lv.3.
- Many other gates still need Lv.10. The final Super Soldiers node needs Enhanced HP III Lv.10 and Alpha Research Division Lv.30.
Use the Research Calculator with your real levels before you dump oil into a vanity max.
Priority 8: Convoy research
Convoy uses research data only. Early on, Alliance Competition and Super Soldier research data usually matter more. Convoy Basic Capacity also needs Ultimate Reward Lv.1.
| Node | Research data | Alpha Research | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Additional Transport Truck | 5,000 | 17 | +1 daily shipment; needs More Pillage Lv.5 and Emergency Procedure Lv.5 |
| Anti-Pillage | Confirm in-game | 17 | Community tables disagree between 2K and 20K |
| Elite Hauler | Confirm in-game | 17 | Same cost conflict as Anti-Pillage |
Priority 9: Offense and Defense Strategy
Both strategy trees unlock when any Research Center reaches Lv.21 and Super Soldiers tech progress reaches 40%. Hospital Expansion (Defense) is a comparatively approachable early node. Drill Ground Addition (Offense) is useful but not an early freebie—it needs Do or Die I, Swift Raid I, and Alert Formation I all at Lv.10, plus Alpha Research Division 23. Unlock the first clearly useful nodes after Super Soldiers is underway, then park the rest.
Full order checklist
- Development: max cheap tiers; take Training Camp Addition at Alpha Research Division 13.
- Economy: extra farm/foundry/oil plant; output and gathering through tier II.
- Soldier: ATK/DEF/HP first; skip load unless required.
- Hero: one faction only.
- Squad 1: deep enough to matter; Squad 2 later; Squad 3 can wait.
- Alliance Competition: Wednesday research-data spends; Medium Reward → Points Buff 20 → Training/Kill to 6 → Ultimate Reward → finish the rest later.
- Super Soldiers: only required levels; protect oil; use the calculator.
- Convoy: after Ultimate Reward, with eyes open about prerequisites and costs.
- Offense/Defense Strategy: after Research Center 21 and Super Soldiers ~40%; grab early useful nodes, delay deep maxing.
If the research center sits idle while affordable nodes are available, you are leaking progress.
Short version
Build speed and income first. Specialize into one hero faction and one main squad. Spend research data where Alliance Competition chests repay you. Treat Super Soldiers as a prerequisite puzzle, not a completionist checklist. Check long researches on the research database and total the remaining path in the research calculator before you tap Confirm.
FAQ
What research should I do first in Z Route: Redemption?
Start with cheap Development nodes for construction and research speed, then Economy producers and early output. Keep the research queue filled.
Do I need to max the whole Super Soldiers tree for T10?
No. The final Super Soldiers node needs Enhanced HP III Lv.10 and Alpha Research Division Lv.30, but several mid-tree unlocks only need partial levels. Max only what the next required node demands.
What unlocks Alliance Competition Ultimate Reward?
Points Buff Lv.20, Training Points Buff Lv.6, Kill Points Buff Lv.6, and Alpha Research Division Lv.20. Building/Research Points Buff Lv.1 are needed earlier in that chain.
Should free players research every squad?
Usually no. Squad research is squad-specific, and Squad 2/3 full nodes cost far more than Squad 1.
Are the times in this guide with speedups?
No. Unless noted, times are base times from the community database.
Where should I verify numbers before spending?
Use the Research Database, the Research Calculator, and your in-game tech popup as the final authority.
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