Research in Z Route: Redemption
Research in Z Route: Redemption runs through 15 tech trees in the Research Center. 10 trees cost Food, Metal and Oil, and 5 cost Research Data. This guide lists what every tree gives, the order one guide recommends, and the rules for spending Research Data. It also covers the two research divisions and alliance research.
Research Center Divisions
The Research Center opens at Base 7 and holds two divisions: Alpha, the main one, and Beta, which gives you a second research queue. With both built, two researches can run at the same time.
Alpha matters for more than research. From Base 8 on, each Base upgrade asks for Alpha at a level one lower than the Base you are aiming for, so Base 30 needs Alpha 29. One list adds that Alpha level N needs Base level N, which means the two buildings climb together. The Base table shows the full chain.
| Alpha level | Build time |
|---|---|
| 5 | 11m 42s |
| 10 | 4h 58m |
| 15 | 19h 52m |
| 20 | 4d 10h 51m |
| 25 | 19d 4h 6m |
| 30 | 88d 21h 41m |
The same list shows a research speed bonus that grows with the Alpha level, from 0.7 percent at level 1 to 10.6 percent at level 21. For the Beta Research Department, one list says you unlock it with a purchase after you clear 18 plots in the district. Beta level N needs Base level N from level 9.
All 15 Tech Trees
Trees fall into two groups by what they cost. The first table lists the 10 standard trees. The priority column repeats the ranking of one guide, so treat it as advice and not as a game rule.
Standard Resource Trees
| Tree | What it gives | Priority | Lock |
|---|---|---|---|
| Develop | Research speed, building speed, cheaper construction, soldier training limit and hospital capacity, plus healing speed and training speed. | Max early (highest of the standard trees) | None listed |
| Economy | Resource output, production time, gathering speed and carrying capacity for Food, Metal and Oil, plus extra Farm and Foundry building limits. | Medium; push to about 50% early | None listed |
| Hero | Hero ATK, DEF, HP and damage bonuses in separate Warrior, Tactical and Assault branches, with skills for all heroes near the bottom. | High | None listed |
| Soldier | Soldier Attack, Defense and HP for combat, and Load, which mostly helps gathering. | High | None listed |
| Squad 1 | Hero ATK, DEF, HP and DMG for Squad 1, march speed, damage to and from monsters and the enemy soldier death rate. | High; cheap, default choice when the queue is idle | None listed |
| Full Development | Deeper nodes for research speed, construction speed, training capacity and hospital capacity. | Medium | None listed |
| Prosperous Economy | Second-tier output, gathering and carrying nodes, Food, Metal and Oil Protection and an Additional Oil Extraction Plant. | Medium | None listed |
| Squad 2 | The same node types as Squad 1, for the second squad. | Low; research last | None listed |
| Squad 3 | The same node types as Squad 1, for the third squad. | Low; research last | Research Center must reach level 20 |
| Squad 4 | The same node types as Squad 1, for the fourth squad. | Low; research last | Unlocked by the Monthly Pass; Research Center level 8 |
The Hero tree splits into Warrior, Tactical and Assault branches. Points that go into the wrong hero-type branch cannot be undone, so decide your main squad type first. Squad 1 is the cheap tree that the guide names as the default pick whenever the queue is free.
Research Data Trees
The five Research Data trees are the long-term part of research. Super Soldiers carries the final node that unlocks T10 soldiers, and Alliance Competition feeds the VS score. The Lock column shows what the Strategy trees need before they open.
| Tree | What it gives | Priority | Lock |
|---|---|---|---|
| Alliance Competition | Score buffs for the alliance competition (VS): points for Radar quests, speedups, hero recruitment, building power, tech power, soldier training, kills and transport trucks. | Critical - first Research Data target | None listed |
| Super Soldiers | Combat bonuses for heroes and soldiers, with a final node that unlocks T10 soldiers. | Critical - second Research Data target | Alliance Competition at 80 percent |
| Convoy | Transport truck nodes: cargo capacity, movement speed, pillage and defense bonuses and extra shipment. | Low - time it for the VS Research Day | None listed |
| Offense Strategy | Attacker-side hero HP, ATK and DEF, Drill Ground Addition and Expansion, Barracks Expansion, Accelerated Training, Rapid March and Lethal Strike. | Low; after Super Soldiers is well developed | Super Soldiers 40% and Research Center level 21 |
| Defense Strategy | Defender-side hero HP, ATK and DEF, Hospital Expansion (one more hospital), Emergency Care, Healing Capacity, Reduced Healing Cost, Resource Protection and Battlefield Medic. | Low, except the Hospital Expansion detour at Super Soldiers 40% | Super Soldiers 40% and Research Center level 21 |
Alliance Competition has one more milestone. One guide says that at 80 percent you can collect all 9 personal chests during the VS event each day and gain access to the Super Soldiers tree. The VS page explains the event days.
Research Priority
Early in the game, one guide pushes most standard trees to roughly 40 to 50 percent, because those buffs cost little time and few resources. Once a single research takes a day or more and costs climb, it switches to a strict order and clears the top of a tree before pushing deep. The order runs like this.
- Max the Develop tree
- Push Economy to 50%+
- Run Hero + Soldier trees (Hero matched to your squad type only)
- Keep Squad 1 ticking whenever the queue would otherwise sit idle
- Full Development + Prosperous Economy as secondary fills
- Alliance Competition to 80% - all Research Data here first
- Super Soldiers, dipping into Defense Strategy at 40% for the hospital unlock
- Convoy, but only on a VS event's Research Day
- Continue Super Soldiers to max (unlocks T10 soldiers)
- Offense Strategy + the rest of Defense Strategy
- Squad 2, 3, and 4 last
The reasoning is simple. Develop speeds up research, building and training, so it pays back in every other system. Hero and Soldier lift fighting power, and the Squad 2, 3 and 4 trees serve secondary squads, which is why they come last. One guide warns against skipping research for heroes and gear, because the buffs compound with every day you wait. Your power guide shows where research sits among the other sources.
How to Use Research Data
Research Data pays for the five Research Data trees only, and its supply is limited. One guide lists these sources: 840 Research Data for each weekly VS win of 6 million points, an Oasis Market offer of 50 dew coins per unit, and a Research Data pack that appears in the research window. One list shows that the final Super Soldiers node alone costs 2,400 units, so plan the spending before you start.
The spend order from the same guide is:
- Alliance Competition until about 80%
- Super Soldiers (dip into Defense Strategy at 40% for the extra hospital, then back)
- Convoy only on the VS Research Day
- Super Soldiers to max
- Offense Strategy and the rest of Defense Strategy
Timing counts as much as the order. The guide says to hoard Research Data through the week and spend it on the VS day where it scores most, which is the research day on Wednesday when your server runs the Alliance Duel phase that day. One VS stage lists up to 640 points per unit of Research Data, so spending it on the wrong day wastes points. Convoy is the one tree that gets Research Data outside the main order, and only on that Research Day. Friday scores research speedups too, at up to 137 VS points per minute.
Avoid spending right at the 05:00 server reset. The guide suggests waiting for the Tech Research phase of the daily Mission Readiness event, so the same spend counts twice. For the full event schedule, open the VS page.
Research Speedups
Research is usually the longest queue in the game, so the order in which you cut a timer decides how much you save. Start the research and ask the alliance for help straight away. Each Help tap cuts a percentage of the remaining time, and a speedup should only cover what is left after the helps land. Universal (yellow) speedups also go furthest on research.
An empty research queue is permanent progress you never get back, so keep something researching. Before you log off, queue a long research from the standard trees. With the Beta Research Department built, fill both queues.
Alliance Research
Alliance research is separate from the tech trees. Members donate to a node, and each donation pays Alliance Coins that you spend in the Alliance Shop. Contributions can crit with a x5 or x10 multiplier on the coin reward, and you cannot force a crit. The alliance page covers the rest of the Alliance Center.
- Officers (R4 and R5) mark one priority node with a star. One guide says to contribute only there, so the alliance does not spread its progress thin.
- The same guide ranks the tabs this way: combat stats first, then Alliance Help, then survivability. The Alliance Help line cuts the time per help and also speeds up T6 to T9 training.
- Until about day 60 to 70 of your server, it says to put contributions only into the War tab.
- Contribute every 2 to 3 hours so the donation timer never sits at full capacity.
Alliance Coins are best spent on scarce items such as Peace Shields and Teleports, as the resources page explains. The Ruins Exploration mission to donate 5 times to alliance research gives 4 sapper shovels.
Frequently Asked Questions
How many tech trees are in Z Route Redemption?
There are 15 tech trees in the Research Center. 10 of them are paid with Food, Metal, Oil and speedups: Develop, Economy, Hero, Soldier, Full Development, Prosperous Economy and four Squad trees. The other 5 are paid with Research Data: Alliance Competition, Super Soldiers, Convoy, Offense Strategy and Defense Strategy.
What should I research first in Z Route Redemption?
One guide says to max the Develop tree first, because faster research, building and training help every other system. Next it pushes Economy to about 50 percent, then runs Hero and Soldier. When the research queue would sit idle and you are unsure what to pick, the cheap Squad 1 tree is a safe default.
How do I use Research Data?
One guide puts nearly all Research Data into Alliance Competition until it reaches about 80 percent. After that, Super Soldiers comes next, with one detour into Defense Strategy at 40 percent for the extra hospital. Convoy gets Research Data only on a VS Research Day, and Offense Strategy waits until Super Soldiers is well developed.
How do I get Research Data?
One guide lists 840 Research Data for each weekly VS win, which takes 6 million points. The Oasis Market sells Research Data for 50 dew coins, and a Research Data pack offer appears in the research window. Because the supply is limited, spend it with a plan instead of as it arrives.
What unlocks T10 soldiers?
The final skill of the Super Soldiers tree unlocks T10 soldiers. Guides also say that both the Base and the Research Center need to reach level 30 for that goal. Super Soldiers is paid with Research Data, so it ranks second in the Research Data order after Alliance Competition. The troops page covers the tiers.