Victoria 3: Technologies - Technology Tree, Innovations Victoria 3 guide
The development of your country depends on the technologies you learn, which you will then be able to put into practice. This page of the Victoria 3 game guide contains information on Innovation and a number of tips on how to develop new technologies.
Last update: 25 October 2022
This page contains advice on researching new technologies and gathering Innovation. We also advise which technologies to develop to fulfill specific roles.
Researching technologies
To enter the Technology Tree click the light bulb icon in the left side panel.
The tech tree is divided into three sections: Production, Military and Society. Click the technology you're interested in to start researching it.
Pause the game before you decide which technology to research (Spacebar), in order to review all potential possibilities without any pressure.
Innovation
You need Innovation to research new technologies. You start off with a base Innovation value and can generate more by building Universities. Your state's Literacy also affects how much Innovation research costs.
To the right of the tech tree you can check your country's weekly Innovation income.
Technology Spread
There's a chance your country will learn a technology researched by another state, even if you haven't been working on it. This is due to Technology Spread. Each week the system assigns a random number of points to one of the currently unresearched technologies. The exact number of points depends on your state's Literacy.
Technology types
The Technology Tree is divided into three sections:
- Production - here you'll find techs related to agriculture, resource gathering, production and processing. You'll also develop new tools and devices. This section is especially important if you wish to increase your GDP and become an economic powerhouse.
- Military - here you'll find techs related to the army. You'll create harbors, increase your squads' defensive capabilities, construct warships and train your soldiers and commanders. This section is especially important if you wish to be aggressive, conquer new territories and defend yourself against invasions.
- Society - here you'll find techs related to your country's living standard - your population's health, well-being and happiness. Some research here increases Authority you need to make new regulations. This section is especially important if you wish to make your citizens happy.
Never focus solely on one section out of these three. A powerful army won't help much against food shortages, while general discontent can tear your state apart from the inside.