At A Glance
- Prioritize Economy research early to accelerate every aspect of your kingdom.
- Shift your focus to Military research as PvP and alliance events become more important.
- Keep your Academy researching around the clock for maximum efficiency.
Rise of Castles: Ice and Fire Research Guide
Research is one of the most valuable long-term investments you can make in Rise of Castles: Ice and Fire. Unlike troops that can be defeated or resources that can be spent, research provides permanent bonuses that strengthen your kingdom for the rest of the game.
Choosing the right research order can dramatically speed up your progress, while poor decisions can leave your kingdom underpowered for weeks.
Here’s the best way to approach research throughout every stage of the game.
Why Research Is So Important
Every completed technology improves your kingdom in some way.
Benefits include:
- Faster construction
- Better resource gathering
- Stronger troops
- Increased march capacity
- Improved healing
- Faster troop training
- Higher production rates
Even small percentage increases become incredibly valuable over time.
Start With Economy Research
During the early game, Economy research provides the biggest overall benefit.
Prioritize technologies that improve:
- Construction speed
- Research speed
- Resource production
- Gathering speed
- March speed for gathering
- Food and wood efficiency
These upgrades help every other area of the game progress more quickly.
Move Into Military Research
Once your economy is stable, begin investing heavily in military technologies.
Focus on:
- Troop Attack
- Troop Defense
- Troop Health
- March Capacity
- Training Speed
Increasing these stats benefits every battle, whether you’re fighting monsters or other players.
Research That Benefits Your Preferred Troop Type
Most successful players eventually specialize.
If you primarily use infantry, prioritize infantry technologies first.
The same applies to cavalry or archers.
Specializing gives you stronger bonuses than spreading research evenly across every troop type.
Never Let the Academy Sit Idle
One of the easiest ways to lose progress is allowing the Academy to stop researching.
Before logging off:
- Queue another technology.
- Check resource requirements.
- Gather missing materials if necessary.
Research timers become extremely long later in the game, so every hour counts.
Use Speed-Ups Wisely
Research speed-ups should generally be reserved for:
- Kingdom events
- Alliance competitions
- Important military upgrades
- Castle requirement technologies
Completing research during events often rewards additional resources and speed-ups, improving overall efficiency.
Research and Hero Development Work Together
Research becomes even more powerful when paired with properly upgraded heroes.
For example:
- Military research boosts troop effectiveness.
- Hero skills improve combat performance.
- Equipment adds further bonuses.
These systems multiply each other’s effectiveness rather than simply adding together.
Join an Active Alliance
Alliance technology and Alliance Help significantly reduce research times.
Active alliances provide:
- Timer reductions
- Extra rewards
- Research-related events
- Faster overall progression
Joining an inactive alliance can noticeably slow your account growth.
Common Research Mistakes
Avoid these frequent errors:
- Ignoring Economy research.
- Researching every branch equally.
- Letting the Academy remain idle.
- Spending speed-ups immediately.
- Forgetting troop specialization.
- Chasing low-value technologies before important upgrades.
A clear research plan is far more effective than unlocking technologies randomly.
Research Priorities by Stage
Early Game
- Construction Speed
- Resource Production
- Gathering Speed
- Research Speed
Mid Game
- Troop Attack
- Troop Defense
- March Capacity
- Training Speed
Late Game
- Advanced Military Technologies
- Troop-Type Specialization
- End-game Combat Bonuses
- Event-specific Technologies
Following this progression ensures your kingdom remains competitive throughout every stage of development.
Final Thoughts
Research is one of the few systems in Rise of Castles: Ice and Fire that permanently strengthens your kingdom. Every completed technology makes future upgrades easier, battles more manageable, and resource gathering more efficient.
Prioritize Economy research first, transition into Military upgrades as your account develops, and never allow your Academy to remain idle. Over weeks and months of play, these small improvements add up to one of the biggest advantages you can have.