Tech Center Research — Season 1 (The Crimson Plague) Priority Order
Season 1 in One Sentence
Season 1 — The Crimson Plague — is where the end-game systems arrive: T10 troops (via Unit X in the Special Forces tree), Exclusive Weapons, and the RA Virus / Virus Resistance system. Your HQ caps at level 30 for the whole season. Your Tech Center job: finish Unit X for T10, keep your two research labs compounding, then convert your economy into raw squad power.
Oil, Oil Wells and "The Age of Oil" do NOT exist in Season 1. They arrive in the Age of Oil phase after Season 2 (which lifts HQ past 30 to HQ 35, adds the 3rd research lab and the Parts Workshop) — see the Season 2 guide. In Season 1 you run on Food / Iron / Coin plus the seasonal virus resources, and HQ stays at 30. Core node names below are confirmed from our research data; cross-tree priority is our recommended strategy.
Season 1 Priority Order
1. Finish Special Forces → Unit X (priority #1)
T10 needs Tech Center 30 and HQ 30 — the final T10 nodes won't unlock at Tech Center 29. Close out the tree: HP Boost III · Attack Boost III · Defense Boost III, the final Advanced Protection, then Unit X → unlocks T10 troop training. This is the power spike the whole season is built around — nothing else competes until it's done.
2. Keep Development + Economy compounding
In Season 1 you have only two research queues (the third lab comes with the Age of Oil after Season 2), so throughput is precious. Finish Development — Fast Builder I–IV, Research Enhancement I–IV, Extra Barracks, Efficient Healing — and any Economy output you skipped. Why: these fund and speed everything, including the resources and training time you need to actually field T10.
3. Convert to squad power — your ONE troop type
With Unit X done, turn badges into combat for your strongest squad:
- Type Mastery (Tank / Missile / Aircraft Mastery): Synergy HP/Attack/Defense I → Synergy Damage I → March Size I → direct HP/Attack/Defense I → Damage I → Ultimate Defense I, then the tier II rows.
- Start Tactical Weapon: the Support: Hero HP/Attack/Defense line, the Enhancement: Drone HP/Attack/Defense line, and Limit Break: Skill Star I.
- Hero tree: push your squad's line to its end nodes — Firepower Boost → Weapons Upgrade / Armor Enhancement → Endurance Upgrade.
Never split across troop types — commit to one.
4. Seasonal: Virus Resistance + your first Exclusive Weapon
Season 1's seasonal must is Virus Resistance — build and upgrade the Virus Research Institute so your troops aren't infected when attacking RA-virus zombies. It's seasonal building progress rather than a core Tech Center tree, but it's a Season 1 priority. Season 1 also launches Exclusive Weapons via the battle pass — focus one core hero's weapon rather than spreading shards.
5. Cheap value — Siege to Seize + first Defense Fortifications node
Take Siege to Seize (Power Boost I → Final Stand / Fierce Assault / Vigilant Formation) and the first Defense Fortifications node (Extra Hospitals — more recovery capacity). High value per badge.
6. Units — event filler
Keep the Units tree as filler between badge-heavy event cycles.
What to Skip in Season 1
| Skip / defer | Reason |
|---|---|
| The Age of Oil / Oil Wells | Not available yet — unlocks after Season 2 (HQ 31–35) |
| Intercity Truck | Minor payoff |
| Off-type Mastery / Hero lines | One squad type only |
The Season 1 Arc
Unit X for T10 first → keep Development/Economy compounding (only 2 labs) → convert to squad power (Mastery + Tactical Weapon + Hero) → Virus Resistance + one Exclusive Weapon → cheap defensive picks. HQ stays at 30 all season; the oil economy and HQ 31–35 come after Season 2.
➡️ Previous: Pre-Season · Next: Season 2 — Polar Storm + The Age of Oil · Plan costs with the Research Calculator and Unit X (T10) Calculator.