Solarpunk Research Tech Tree (Full Order)
The Solarpunk research tree has 60+ nodes across 5 tiers. Most players waste hours on the wrong ones. This guide shows every Tier 1-5 node, ranked by weight(a 1-10 score of how often the unlock is used), and the order you should research them in.
The Full Tree (Weighted)
| Tier | Node | Cost | Weight | Unlocks |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Survival Basics | 5 pts | 10/10 | Sewing Kit, Fire & Shelter |
| 1 | Tool Maintenance | 8 pts | 9/10 | 2x tool durability |
| 1 | Fire & Shelter | 5 pts | 8/10 | Bed, Chest, Campfire |
| 1 | Basic Farming | 10 pts | 7/10 | Sprinkler, Tilled Soil |
| 2 | Sewing Kit | 12 pts | 10/10 | Cloth, Bandages, Sails |
| 2 | Tier-1 Drone | 20 pts | 9/10 | Harvester, Carrier drones |
| 2 | Solar Panel | 15 pts | 8/10 | Cheapest power source |
| 2 | Basic Sprinkler | 10 pts | 7/10 | Auto-watering |
| 3 | Heavy Cable | 20 pts | 10/10 | 100W power lines |
| 3 | Wind Turbine | 25 pts | 9/10 | 24/7 power |
| 3 | Battery Bank | 30 pts | 8/10 | Night power storage |
| 3 | Auto-Irrigation | 30 pts | 7/10 | Hands-off farming |
| 3 | Forecast Module | 25 pts | 6/10 | Weather Stations |
| 4 | Airship | 45 pts | 10/10 | Fast island travel |
| 4 | Advanced Drone | 60 pts | 10/10 | 2-job drones |
| 4 | Power Grid | 40 pts | 8/10 | Multi-source grids |
| 4 | Rare Alloys | 35 pts | 7/10 | Tier-3 tools + weapons |
| 5 | Mega-Factory | 90 pts | 6/10 | 20+ machine production |
| 5 | Weather Predictor | 90 pts | 3/10 | 1-day weather warning |
| 5 | Trading Network | 80 pts | 7/10 | Remote trader access |
| 5 | Cloud Storage | 60 pts | 1/10 | Decorative chest (joke item) |
Research Order (Solo Save)
- Survival Basics (weight 10) — 5 min, mandatory.
- Sewing Kit (weight 10) — 12 min, unlocks cloth.
- Tier-1 Drone (weight 9) — 20 min, unlocks the harvester.
- Tool Maintenance (weight 9) — 8 min, doubles durability.
- Wind Turbine (weight 9) — 25 min, 24/7 power.
- Heavy Cable (weight 10) — 20 min, 100W lines.
- Airship (weight 10) — 45 min, fast travel.
- Advanced Drone (weight 10) — 60 min, the single biggest mid-game unlock.
- Rare Alloys (weight 7) — 35 min, tier-3 tools.
- Mega-Factory (weight 6) — 90 min, only for end-game co-op.
Co-op Save: Specialize the Team
In co-op, split the research. One player maxes farming + drones, another maxes power + weather, and the third focuses on the airship + trade. The fourth (if present) is free.
What NOT to Research
- Cloud Storage (weight 1) — A joke item. Skip.
- Weather Predictor (weight 3) — A 1-day warning is not worth 90 min of research.
- Trading Network (weight 7) — Tempting, but co-op players can just fly to the trader.
Next Steps
Research done? Read the full Tech Tree walkthrough or jump to the Drone guide.