Terra Invicta Tech Tree Guide
The Terra Invicta tech tree is massive, spanning over 300 global technologies and thousands of faction-specific projects. Research choices made in 2023 ripple through the entire campaign. A wrong research priority can leave you defenseless when alien scouts arrive, while a good research plan turns Earth into a fortress. This guide tells you what to research, what to skip, and when.
Last updated: July 2, 2026
How the Research System Works
Research in Terra Invicta is a two-tier system. Tier one is the global research pool: 3 slots where all factions collectively invest research points. These global techs are semi-random from weighted decks based on the current game state. When a global tech finishes, everyone unlocks it. Tier two is faction projects: each global tech unlocks 3-5 faction-specific projects that only your faction can research. These projects are where the actual game benefits live. Having a global tech without its faction projects is like owning a factory with no workers.
The global slots are competitive. Each faction can invest in any global slot, and the faction that contributes the most research points to a slot gets influence over the next tech in that slot. This means you can shape the global research agenda by out-researching rival factions. The Academy and the Resistance generate the most research per councilor action and can dominate the global slots if they invest heavily in science output from controlled nations.
Your faction projects consume research separately from global slots through your own research infrastructure. Space-based science labs, science-focused councilors on Advise duty, and high-education nations all contribute to project research speed. The bottleneck in most campaigns is not global tech speed but completing your faction projects before the next global tech unlocks. Do not let your project queue get backed up.
Research Priority by Category
Each tech category has must-research, nice-to-have, and skip technologies. Use this table to triage your research queue.
| Tech Category | Must-Research | Nice-to-Have | Skip |
|---|---|---|---|
| Military Science | Railguns, Coilguns, Point Defense Arrays, Advanced Laser Systems, Nuclear Torpedoes, Adamantane Armor. | Plasma Weapons, Particle Beams, Advanced Missile Guidance, ECCM Systems. | Chemical Propelled Guns (obsolete by the time you research them), Infantry Equipment (Earth combat is done through councilors, not armies). |
| Space Engineering | Space Stations, Orbital Shipyards, Advanced Rocketry, Nuclear Thermal Rockets, Fusion Drives, Orbital Construction. | Space Hotels (minor income boost), Deep Space Habitats, Orbital Defense Platforms, Solar Power Satellites. | Rotating Habitats in LEO (put them at Lagrange points instead), Early Solar Sails (too slow to be useful). |
| Information Science | Alien Threat Detection, Xeno-Communications, Cybernetic Augmentation, Advanced AI Assistants, Quantum Computing. | Social Media Manipulation, Mass Surveillance, Neural Interfaces, Blockchain Logistics. | Cryptocurrency (economic bonuses are negligible compared to direct investment), VR Training (councilor XP is better gained through missions). |
| Social Science | Arrival Governance, Global Crisis Management, United Nations Reform, International Cooperation Frameworks. | Cultural Outreach Programs, Media Consolidation, Religious Reconciliation, Youth Indoctrination. | Post-Scarcity Economics (only relevant if you are already winning), Historical Revisionism (costs too much public opinion for too little gain). |
| Life Science | Xenobiology, Alien Physiology, Human Augmentation, Medical Nanotechnology, Neural-Interface Surgery. | Longevity Treatments, Genetic Engineering, Ecosystem Restoration, Colony Biology. | Cosmetic Augmentation (no combat benefit), Terraforming Theory (too early to invest in climate manipulation before you have secured the solar system). |
| Energy Technology | Nuclear Fission Reactors, Fusion Power, Antimatter Production, High-Temperature Superconductors. | Solar Panel Efficiency Upgrades, Geothermal Extraction, Helium-3 Mining, Zero-Point Energy (late game). | Coal-to-Liquid (fossil fuel tech is a waste of research), Wave Power (too niche for the investment). |
| Materials Science | Adamantane Armor, Composite Armor, Exotic Materials, Carbon Nanotubes, High-Entropy Alloys. | Self-Healing Materials, Radiation-Resistant Composites, Graphene Production. | Steel Alloys (basic materials are not worth research slots), Concrete Improvements (you are not building bunkers, you are building spaceships). |
Key Progression Milestones
These milestones define your campaign's progression. Missing a milestone on schedule means you are falling behind.
| Milestone | Required Techs | What It Unlocks |
|---|---|---|
| First Space Station | Space Stations, Orbital Construction | Science labs in orbit generate research points. Shipyards enable fleet construction. Resource depots store mined materials. This is the foundation of your entire space economy. |
| Lunar Mining Outpost | Advanced Rocketry, Lunar Probes, Resource Extraction | Local resource income reduces boost dependency. Lunar mines provide water and metals for orbital construction. Establishes your claim on the Moon before rival factions. |
| Mars Colony | Mars Probes, Deep Space Propulsion, Colonization Modules | Mars has the richest resource deposits in the inner solar system. A Mars colony generates more resources than 10 asteroid mines combined. Whoever controls Mars controls the space economy. |
| First Combat Fleet | Railguns, Nuclear Thermal Rockets, Orbital Shipyards, Adamantane Armor | Ability to contest alien scout ships and defend your stations. Without a combat fleet, your space assets are defenseless. This is the minimum tech threshold for surviving alien hostility. |
| Jupiter System Expansion | Fusion Drives, Deep Space Habitats, Advanced Probes | Access to Jupiter's massive resource deposits, particularly volatiles and fissiles. Jovian moons have unique resource types not available in the inner system. Essential for antimatter production. |
| Alien Wormhole Detection | Deep Space Sensors, Advanced Physics, Xeno-Astronomy | Reveals the location of the alien wormhole gate in the outer solar system. This is the prerequisite for the endgame: you cannot destroy what you cannot find. Triggers the endgame alien response. |
| Antimatter Weapons | Antimatter Production, Exotic Materials, Weapons Miniaturization | The most powerful weapons in the game. Antimatter spinal cannons can destroy alien motherships in a single salvo. The cost is extreme: each antimatter warhead requires enormous infrastructure. |
| Wormhole Assault Capability | Antimatter Weapons, Fusion Drives, Fleet Coordination, Alien Psychology | Final endgame capability. Your fleet can now attack and destroy the alien wormhole gate, cutting off alien reinforcements and achieving the military victory condition for pro-human factions. |
Frequently Asked Questions
How does the shared tech tree work?
Terra Invicta uses a semi-random global research system. All factions contribute to 3 global research slots. When a global tech completes, every faction receives it. However, global techs only unlock the ability to research faction-specific projects, which is where the actual game benefits come from. You must complete your faction projects after unlocking the global prerequisite. Rival factions can also research your discovered global techs, so you cannot hoard knowledge.
What is the most important tech to rush early?
Advanced Rocketry is the single most important early tech because it unlocks the space program. Without it, you cannot launch probes, build stations, or mine resources. Following that, railguns and point defense are critical because the first alien scouts arrive around 2025-2026 and will destroy undefended stations. After that, fusion drives unlock outer solar system expansion.
Can I skip technologies and still win?
You can skip many techs but not the military tree. Railguns, coilguns, point defense, armor materials, and fusion drives are mandatory for any faction that fights aliens. The Academy and Protectorate can skip some military techs if they negotiate early enough, but the timeline is unpredictable. Plan to fight because diplomacy is never guaranteed.