Research Lab
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The Research Lab (also referred to as the Research Center) is the primary building in Whiteout Survival where players conduct research to unlock and upgrade technologies that improve every aspect of their city and military.
Overview
The Research Lab is one of the most important buildings in your city. Upgrading it unlocks access to higher-tier research technologies and reduces research time. Every major gameplay system — from troop power to construction speed to resource production — can be enhanced through research.
Research Trees
The Research Lab provides access to three main research branches:
Battle Research
Focuses on military power, including troop attack, defense, HP, and combat-specific enhancements. See Battle Research for details.
Growth Research
Covers construction speed, research speed, march capacity, and city development enhancements. See Growth Research for details.
Economy Research
Improves resource production rates, gathering speed, and training efficiency. See Economy Research for details.
Upgrading
Each upgrade to the Research Lab:
- Increases the maximum tier of available technologies
- May reduce research completion time
- Requires meeting Furnace level prerequisites
- Consumes resources (Wood, Coal, and sometimes Iron)
| Research Lab Level | Max Research Tier Unlocked | Furnace Requirement |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Tier 1 | Furnace 1 |
| 5 | Tier 2 | Furnace 5 |
| 10 | Tier 3 | Furnace 10 |
| 15 | Tier 4 | Furnace 15 |
| 20 | Tier 5 | Furnace 20 |
| 25 | Tier 6 | Furnace 25 |
Note: Exact unlock thresholds may vary by game version.
Research Mechanics
- Only one research can be active at a time (unless a second research queue is unlocked).
- Completing research awards experience and may trigger milestone rewards.
- Research cannot be cancelled without losing some or all invested resources.
- Speedups can be applied to reduce remaining research time.
Hero Bonuses
Certain Heroes provide bonuses to research speed when assigned to the Research Lab:
- Cloris — Specializes in reducing research time, making her the top priority for research development.
- Eugene — Primarily a construction hero but provides secondary benefits to development.
Assigning high-star versions of these heroes dramatically accelerates your research progress.
Tips
- Upgrade the Research Lab early: Higher Lab levels unlock better technologies that compound over time.
- Assign Cloris: Always keep Cloris assigned to your Research Lab for maximum speed.
- Queue research before logging off: Start long research jobs when you won't be online to minimize idle time.
- Prioritize Battle Research for combat: If you participate in PvP events, Battle Research pays the most dividends.
- Use research speedups wisely: Save them for expensive, high-tier research rather than cheap early techs.