Tech Center Research — Season 5 (Wild West) Priority Order
Season 5 in One Sentence
Season 5 — Wild West / Golden Wasteland — centres on Bank Strongholds, a CrystalGold economy, the Caffeine Institute, and the Trade Train. By now your account is mature, so the Tech Center shifts from "what's next" to finishing the big scalers and running the season economy — there's less brand‑new tech and more completing trees you've been building since Season 1.
Core‑tree node names are confirmed; the CrystalGold economy and Caffeine Institute are confirmed at the mechanic level — confirm exact research nodes in‑game. If you skipped ahead, the heavy lifting was in Season 1 and Season 4 (T11).
Season 5 Priority Order
1. Seasonal economy: CrystalGold + Caffeine Institute
Prioritise the Caffeine Institute research and the CrystalGold economy as they open — they drive your S5 income and the Bank Stronghold / Trade Train loop. As with every season's resource tree, this is time‑limited, so bank progress while it's available.
2. Finish T11 (Armament Institute) if Season 4 didn't complete it
Close out the Armament researches for full T11 strength and Lethality — a maxed Armament set is core power that carries forward.
3. Fully max your Type Mastery
If anything remains in your Tank / Missile / Aircraft Mastery, complete it. A 100% Mastery tree is permanent, account‑wide power for your squad.
4. Complete Tactical Weapon — the long scaler
Finish Tactical Weapon end‑to‑end: max Support: Hero and Enhancement: Drone to their top tiers, all Assistance: Conversion nodes, and every Limit Break node (Skill Star, Level Cap, Chip Skill Boost). Why: this is the deepest hero + drone multiplier in the Tech Center — it's the single most valuable thing to fully complete by mid/late game.
5. Finish Hero, Alliance Duel, and defensive trees
Complete your Hero line, the Alliance Duel incentive tree (for VS points), and the rest of Defense Fortifications / Siege to Seize.
What to Skip in Season 5
| Skip / defer | Reason |
|---|---|
| Intercity Truck | Still minor |
| Off-type Mastery / Hero lines | One squad type only |
➡️ Prev: Season 4 · Next: Season 6 — Lost Rainforest · Plan costs with the Research Calculator and Drone Skill Chips Calculator.