Tech Center Research — Season 4 (Evernight Isle) Priority Order
Season 4 in One Sentence
Season 4 — Evernight Isle — is the T11 season: it introduces T11 troops via the new Armament Institute, the Tactics Cards system, Dark Essence, faction warfare and the Copper War, with the Lighthouse as a central objective. Your Tech Center / research job is dominated by one thing: the climb to T11.
T11 is unlocked in the separate Armament Institute building (it needs Barracks 35 plus its four Armament researches), not in the standard Tech Center trees — that's where the new Lethality stat comes from. Core‑tree names below are confirmed; the Armament Institute and Tactics Cards are confirmed at the mechanic level (confirm node details in‑game). Catch up via Season 1.
Season 4 Priority Order
1. The Armament Institute → T11 (the season's headline)
By now you should be at HQ 35 (reached via the Age of Oil after Season 2). Work the four Armament researches in the Armament Institute to unlock and strengthen T11 troops (and the Lethality bonus at higher Armament star levels). This is the biggest single power jump of the season — prioritise it the way you prioritised Unit X in Season 1, and your oil economy (built in the Age of Oil) is what pays for it.
Sources differ on T11's precise unlock — some tie it to reaching HQ 35 (via the Age of Oil after Season 2), others to the Armament Institute in Season 4. In practice you need both the HQ 35 ceiling and the Armament researches; confirm the exact sequence on your server.
2. Tactics Cards (seasonal system)
Invest in the Tactics Cards system as it opens — it's a core S4 combat layer for the faction warfare and Copper War. Prioritise it alongside the T11 push.
3. Max your Type Mastery (if not already complete)
Finish any remaining nodes in your one Tank / Missile / Aircraft Mastery tree — a fully maxed Mastery tree plus T11 troops is a large compound spike for your specialised squad.
4. Tactical Weapon: push the Limit Break tiers
Drive Tactical Weapon into its high end: Support: Hero IV, Enhancement: Drone III, Assistance: Conversion III, and the Limit Break nodes — Skill Star → Level Cap → Chip Skill Boost. Why: these raise hero and drone caps/skills, scaling your whole lineup as troop tiers climb.
5. Finish Hero + competitive trees
Complete your Hero squad line, and round out Defense Fortifications / Siege to Seize and Alliance Duel incentives for the season's heavy PvP.
What to Skip in Season 4
| Skip / defer | Reason |
|---|---|
| Intercity Truck, off-type lines | Focus the T11 climb |
| Pure resource economy | Output is in by now; convert to T11/combat |
➡️ Prev: Season 3 · Next: Season 5 — Wild West · Plan costs with the Research Calculator and Unit X (T10) Calculator.