Research | Empire management Endless Legend Guide

Last update: 25 April 2017

Technologies have been divided into six eras. Reaching the next era requires you to discover a specific number of technologies from the previous one. The number of lines around the digit of the next era informs you of how many technologies there are still to develop. So, if there are few of them, and you need quick technological advancement, develop technologies of the first and the second eras, which you would not even touch, otherwise.

In each era:

• You gain access to new weapons and armors.
• Newly manufactured units start at a higher level and are more expensive to produce.
• You gain access to a new development plan for the empire.

After you advance to eras I, III and IV new sources of luxury resources and strategic resources appear on the map. You cannot exploit them without appropriate technologies. Additionally, in the second era, there appear foundations for watchtowers on the map, which you also need to develop beforehand.

The order of development of new technologies depends, mainly on the strategy that you have adopted. If you want to wage war, develop better units, industrial buildings and weapons. If you want to produce Dust, focus on the development of mints and buildings that allow for trading. I each era, there are, at least, several technologies fitting the adopted playing style.

A much more important thing, while determining the order of development, is the situation on the map. If you see that the enemy has more units, focus on the technologies that increase industrial production. If they are better than yours, consider developing new weapons, or on the development of units of higher level. At the same time, pay attention to what is available to you. Each race has unique units that you can deem useless. Do not perceive the selected research path as the ultimate one. If you decide that the current one does not live up to your expectations, or does not provide you with the means to surpass your opponents, change it.

However, regardless of the situation, in the first place, try to develop technologies that increase the rate of research. The reason is simple - thanks to this, you will have more science points. With more science points, you will develop the rest of the technologies faster. High industrial production is useless if there is nothing for you to produce and this is what you need research for. Apart from that, you gain access to the successive eras and, which follows, to some bonuses, only after you have developed a specific number of technologies of the previous eras. The more science points, the faster you develop.

Also, try to develop technologies that raise the support of subjects, as quickly as possible. High support ensures bonuses to production, allows you to found more cities and limits the effects of overpopulation. Therefore, it is useful in each situation.

In each era, there are several specific technologies that are worthy of a wider explafaction. Below, I have ignored the inventions that raise the rate of production of the basic materials and/or which do not require strategic resources. You only need to see what bonuses they offer, and in which situations, to decide if they are worth developing.

the first era

Economy and population

Open Pit Mine. Virtually, in each region, there is a luxury resource, sometimes, there even are two sources. This is why you should develop this technology if you want to take advantage of the bonuses that they offer, and you cannot afford regular purchases from the market.

Advanced Filigree. You can find quite a few useful items in the accessories. Develop this technology if you have access to strategic resources (for accessories of the first era titanium and glasstell) and you want to improve on the quality of your units. Otherwise, you can ignore it. The same goes for the similar technologies of the second and the fourth eras.

Army

Rookery. This technology allows you to hire heroes. These are very useful, but expensive units so, you can ignore it, if your production of Dust is low, or you do not need the back up from the heroes.

Stronghold Architecture. this technology is useful, if there are many neutral bands in your regions, or you are at war with a stronger opponent. Especially additional units of militia will be helpful. For the players that prefer playing a peaceful game, or the ones that can defend themselves using their army, this technology is useless.

Science and industry

Alchemist's Furnace is moderately important, because there are no buildings, in the first era, which would require titanium and glasstell. Such buildings appear as late as in the second era. Useful only if you want to build them, or arm your units with weapons and accessories that use these resources. If your answer was "No" in both cases, and you do not plan on selling resource in the market, you can ignore this technology.

Advanced Alloys and Advanced Armor. Both of these technologies are useful if you strive for the high quality of your armies. Otherwise, you can ignore them. Skip them also n the situation, in which you are not going to research into the Alchemist's Furnace and/or buy strategic resources in the market. The same goes for the similar technologies of the second and the fourth eras.

Empire and expansion

Sewer System. In itself, this technology does not require any long introduction, with the exception of one thing. It yields 1 income point, if citizens are, at least, pleased, which is a high value at the beginning of the game. That is why, if you are going to make use of imperial plans, the sewers become increasingly more important to you.

Search Party. In theory, this technology is useful for searching through ruins. In reality, treasures in ruins are random, to a large extent, and they are small, in the scale of the entire empire, especially later into the game. So, you can develop this one if you want to find several units of various resources or single items, but this is not necessary.

Language Square. Develop this technology if you want to bribe minor factions or negotiate with them. For players that prefer forceful solutions, this technology is useless and very useful for the remaining ones. the second era

Economy and population

Fish Farm. This technology provides two buildings that produce food. Both of them require glassteel. Do not invent it if you do not have access to a mine of the market. Otherwise, there will be no way for you to build either of these structures.

Prisoners, Slaves and Volunteers. You can buy units and buildings for 75% of their price. It is compulsory for the factions that focus on the production of Dust For the rest of the factions, not too useful or completely useless.

Tailor's Guild. Invent only if you are using accessories.

Imperial Coinage. This technology is indispensable for the factions that produce lots of Dust and want to spend it on resources and units. The remaining ones may use it for selling surplus but, it is not required for that. In general, this technology is not a priority, but it is better to have it, as opposed to not having it. You never know when it becomes useful.

Still houses. Food provisions may always be useful, especially in winter. Therefore, if there is nothing more urging to invent, you can develop this technology. After all, you can sell the provisions on the market. The same goes for the improved version of the fourth era.

Army

Meritocratic promotion. Be default, the army and a garrison are four units strong. Most usually, this is enough to win the majority of battles. However, if you feel that four units is not enough, you can take along two or three armies, to your expeditions. There are four situations, in which it is profitable to have this technology developed.:

Commander. The hero ensures the units in his army with a bonus, but not in the remaining armies. If you care for them and you do not want to buy a separate hero for each army, develop this technology.

City defense. There is a limited number of soldiers in each garrison. Develop this technology if you want to increase them in size, or you do not want to maintain several independent armies in each city (an army stationed in a city is not included into the garrison). Also, develop it if you want to produce large amounts of units and you do not want to pull them away for the whole time (the game does not allow you to produce units in the cities with full garrisons, or halts the previously planned production, in wait for the units of the garrison are formed into a new army. This is not difficult to do, but is time consuming and distracts you, in the case of bigger number of cities).

Action points. Each costs one action point. So does support from the fighting unit. If the opponent has a bigger number of armies, it may be more reasonable to attack with several larger groups, rather than with a dozen-or-so of smaller ones.

Game time. Later into the game, when villages are defended by twenty units, an army of four does not impress that much and it can be easily obliterated.

Conscription center. There is little difference between a unit of the 1st and the 2nd level. You can discern the difference between units of the 1st and the 3rd level and between the ones of the 1st and the 4th. In spite of that, it is always a good idea to have some spare experience points left, because it will then be easier for an unit to advance to the higher level. This technology is not a compulsory one. Develop it if you feel that you need to.

Science and industry

Lumber mill. Do not develop it if you do not have the Alchemist's Furnace or titanium that you bought in the market.

Alchemy Workshop. Just like above.

Industrial storage. This technology is useful if there is nothing to produce currently and you want to get prepared for the incoming war. It is also useful when you are founding a new city and you want to build all the necessary buildings in it really quickly, without spending money. You can also buy supplies in the market, with Dust, but in the current version of the game this option has been disabled. Therefore, you can ignore this technology if you are not planning on founding new cities, if you are capable of achieving high industrial production fast, or you can afford buying new units and buildings, instead of producing them. This also goes for the improved version of the fourth era.

Empire and expansion

Central Market. +25 to citizen support is really a lot, just like increased production of food and Dust. A must have for each faction.

Watchtowers. A must have. Develop it even if your regions are being patrolled by high numbers of units, because it increases the healing rate in the immediate proximity.

Sea Travel. An unnecessary technology if the majority of your areas are deep into the mainland. in the case of islands or several continents, it is indispensable. Also, it is important for the players that want to trade with the use of harbors.

Diplomat's manse. Useless if you want to focus on waging wars uninterrupted with times of peace. In the game, there is a division into war and cold war, which allows you to call truce, which is insufficient for belligerent factions that do not consider trading with neighbors.

The third era

Economy and population

Uncommon Filigree. If you want accessories, I recommend that you choose these here. The reason is simple - accessories of the first and the second eras are weaker than the ones of the third era, and you will not have enough time to enjoy the ones from the fourth era for too long. So, if you have invented the technology of mining adamantian and palladian, you can also develop the accessories that are produced from these materials.

Reaping Station. Identical as in the case of the Open Pit Mine of the first era.

Caravanserai. A technology compulsory for a faction with harbors or roads, i.e. a trading one. Also, useful for the ones, for whom trade is only a supplementary source of income. You can skip it, if you do not need too much Dust.

Dust Refinery. Useful for each faction with a glasstell mine, or which can afford buying appropriate amounts.

Army

Medical Center. Useless for the Broken Lords. The cost of healing their units, in Dust is so low that it simply does not pay off to wait. Useful in the case of factions that need to defend cities and for the players that prefer defense strategy. Do not buy this technology if you have not invented the smelting station or you cannot afford buying palladian.

Mercenary Market. A good choice for factions with lots of Dust and that are willing to reinforce their armies with units of the minor factions. For example, with crossbowmen, in the case of Necrophages or with cavalry, in the case of Wild Walkers. When it comes to the rest of factions, it is unnecessary.

Imperial Kennels and Materials Hoard. Useful if you are made to defend your cities, or you prefer to. Skip it if you prefer an aggressive strategy and attacking the enemy cities. Both buildings require titanium to be built.

Science and industry

Smelting Station. This technology is useful, if you manage to advance to the fourth era and use the best strategic resources. Otherwise, it can be ignored.

Uncommon alloys and Uncommon Armor. Develop if you have invented the smelting station and you want to equip your armies with better gear.

Royal Institute. Develop this technology if you have a surplus of industrial production, an empty building queue and few science points. Thanks to this technology, you can use industrial production to speed up research. Otherwise, there is no point in developing it.

Empire and expansion

Native District. A very useful technology. Bonuses from minor factions are low, but they grow at the scale of the entire empire. If you have pacified another race, which you want to assimilate, develop this technology. Otherwise, you can do that but it is not necessary.

Lookout Towers. Develop them if you have invented watchtowers in the second era and you actively use them. Otherwise, skip it.

Bread and Circuses. A must have. At this stage of the game, you should already have several cities and, which follows, you will have to face the reluctance of citizens towards expansion. This technology may not bring it down to zero, but will limit it considerably. It may even provide you with bonuses that result from high support of subjects.

Right of Way. Skip it if the majority of your cities are in coastal areas and will have, or already have, a harbor. You can develop if you want to move troops between cities, over the mainland, considerably faster, and for the cities that are too far away from sea to be able to build a harbor. Also, it may be useful if you want to trade with the other players, but you need to keep in mind that the computer is not always prepared for that.

Cargo Docs. Thanks to this technology you can use naval trading routes. It requires the technology of Sea Travel. Develop this technology if the majority of your cities are located in coastal regions. Ignore, if you are rather going to use the Right of Way. Developing both of them is only useful if you have an equal amount of coastal and mainland cities, or some of your cities are founded on distant islands, with the rest of them on the continent.

Glory of Empire and National Museum. Very important technologies for the factions that use diplomacy and Empire Plan. Especially, if they use both of them simultaneously. The National Museum requires strategic resources (adamantian and palladian), so you could develop them only if you have already developed the Smelting Station.

The fourth era

Economy and population

Refrigeration Plant and Fertilizer Plant. Both of these technologies require the Alchemist's Furnace and the Smelting Station.

Smokehouse. An upgraded Still House of the second Era. If you have not used it, you are not going to use the Smokehouse either. Otherwise, you can develop it.

Rare Filigree. Requires the Rare Metal Foundry. Skip it if you do not have and you cannot purchase the resources (mithrite and hyperium) and you are not going to improve the equipment of your units.

Advanced Harvester. Requires glassteel, and therefore the Alchemist's Furnace or access to the market. This technology becomes available quite late into the game, but it may help you mine for more luxury resources. At this point of the game, it is not necessary, but it is a good thing to have one.

Army

Brigade System. Raises defensive capabilities of units. For the warlike factions, it is a must.

Signal Corps. The situation is identical with the Meritocratic promotion.

Army Manual. Building increases experience of the newly-trained units, but it requires mithrite. Useful, especially in combination with the Recruitment Center.

Mercenary Corps. Develop it, if your army is made up, largely, of mercenaries. Especially if you play as the Roving Clans. Otherwise, it is negligible. .

Science and industry

Automated Production and Production Line. Both of them require titanium and adamantian, i.e. either the market or the Alchemist's Furnace and the Smelting Station.

Rare Metal Foundry. Requires titanium. If you want to make use of mithrite and hyperium, and you cannot afford buying them in the market, you should definitely develop it. Otherwise, you can ignore it.

Warehouse. An upgraded version of the Industrial storage of the second era. If you use it, develop this technology. Otherwise, ignore it.

Rare Alloys and Rare Armor. The situation is identical with the one in the case of the previous technologies of this type. Plus you may run out of time to use it, to their fullest, later into the game. Additionally, the equipment that uses strategic resources is good enough and you do not need to give up on it.

Empire and expansion

Highways Agency. Develop if you have the Right of Way, and your armies rely mainly on roads for movement.

The Historical Society. Moderately useful. The rewards from ruins are random, to a large extent, and the 150 units of Dust is a modest amount. develop it, if there is nothing more urging to invent.

Hospitality Den. At the lower difficulty levels, the computer has certain difficulties with recognizing alliances and the technology becomes available so late that you may have nobody to enter an alliance with. Develop it only if you feel the need to, or there are no inventions that are more urgent. Otherwise,, or if you are planning on fighting your neighbors, ignore it.