Choose a branch
- Dominion supports construction, production, training, and economic efficiency.
- War supports troop strength, march capacity and speed, formation offense, and rallies.
- Bloodcraft and Shadow paths support specialized combat, recovery, tactics, and world activity.
Begin research
Open the Shadow Archive
Select a category and inspect the connected nodes.
Read prerequisites
A useful target may require earlier nodes, so plan the route rather than choosing isolated short timers.
Compare the immediate benefit
Choose the research that affects what you are about to build, train, gather, or fight.
Start the timer
Keep the research slot active when resources and prerequisites allow.
Use speedups at breakpoints
Apply research speedups from the active research timer. Accelerate a meaningful unlock or prerequisite chain rather than shortening a node with no immediate follow-up.
Research branch reference
| Branch | Early foundation | Main progression | Capstone |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dominion | Construction, production, and training speed | Building cost, resource output, training capacity and cost | Eternal Dominion |
| War | Troop Attack, Defense, Health, and march capacity | Formation damage, march speed, rally size and assembly | Nightborn Empire Warfare |
| Bloodcraft | Troop health, healing speed, and ritual power | Wounded capacity, healing cost, night and ritual combat | Sovereign Bloodcraft |
| Shadow | March concealment, recon, ambush, and evasion | March speed, counter-intelligence, critical pressure and field control | Sovereign of Shadows |
How to read a node
A node shows its maximum level, benefit per level, total branch cost and time allocation, and every prerequisite connection. A requirement such as “Foundations 3” means the earlier node must reach that level before the next node can begin. Split nodes often reconnect later, so inspect the desired capstone backward before committing to a side path.
The node’s base time is reduced by eligible Research-speed effects and Coven landmark bonuses. Research speedups then reduce the active timer in fixed 1-minute, 5-minute, 10-minute, 30-minute, 1-hour, 3-hour, or 8-hour amounts.
Choose a path by current objective
Faster empire growth
Follow Dominion Foundations into Construction Orders, Masonry Logistics, and later Grand Infrastructure. Production branches help when resources—not builder time—are the bottleneck.
Larger field marches
Use War’s Military Foundations and March Size path, then add March Speed or Rally research based on how you fight.
Lower casualty pressure
Bloodcraft’s vitality, wounded-capacity, healing-speed, and healing-cost paths reduce recovery strain.
World-map control
Shadow paths improve movement, recon, concealment, ambush, and counter-intelligence.
Research planning rules
- Trace prerequisites backward from the benefit you actually want.
- Do not finish a cheap side node if it delays the prerequisite chain for your current goal.
- Start long Research after all available speed modifiers are active.
- Request Coven help before applying speedups.
- Keep enough Influence reserved for the next connected node; late nodes use it heavily.
- Reassess after a major unlock—your next bottleneck may move from construction to training, healing, or marching.