Welcome to the intricate world of Research in Realm Grinder! If you’ve just reached Reincarnation 16 (R16), you’ve likely encountered the advisor’s prompt about unlocking Research Facilities. This guide will walk you through everything you need to know to effectively navigate this game-changing feature and power up your realm.
This comprehensive Realm Grinder Research Guide is designed to provide you with a clear, step-by-step approach to unlock and utilize the Research system. We’ll break down the initial complexities, explain Unique Buildings, Research Facilities, and Research Points, and provide a practical walkthrough to get you started on the right foot. Let’s dive in and unlock the true potential of your R16 realm!
Understanding Unique Buildings (UBs)
Unique Buildings, often referred to as UBs, are upgraded versions of your existing buildings that provide significant bonuses and, crucially, unlock access to Research Facilities for each faction.
What are Unique Buildings?
Each Vanilla faction (Fairy, Elf, Angel, Goblin, Undead, Demon) has a Unique Building associated with one of their base buildings. Upgrading to a UB provides two key benefits:
- Enhanced Building Production: UBs significantly boost the production of their base building, scaling with specific stats.
- Research Facility Access: Unlocking the UB is a prerequisite for unlocking the corresponding Research Facility for that faction.
You can find a detailed list of Unique Buildings, their requirements, and upgrade formulas on the Realm Grinder Wiki.
Unlocking Unique Buildings
To unlock a Unique Building, you need to meet two requirements:
- Building Quantity: Own a specific number of the base building associated with the UB.
- Coin Cost: Have 1e100 (10 Dtg) coins.
Currently, only Vanilla factions have Unique Buildings available. You can unlock them by completing a quest for each faction, which becomes available once you reach R16 and meet the building requirements.
Upgrading Unique Buildings
After unlocking a UB, you need to upgrade it each reincarnation (abdication). This upgrade costs 1e103 (10 Ttg) coins for Vanilla and Neutral factions. This cost means you’ll need to build up your economy before you can afford UBs at the very start of each reincarnation.
Once you have unlocked the UB for a faction, the next step is to unlock its Research Facility. Vanilla factions require this additional step after UB unlock (while Vanilla factions skip a separate research unlock step).
Unlocking Research Facilities
Research Facilities are the gateway to the Research Tree. Each Vanilla faction has a corresponding Research Facility, and unlocking these facilities is essential to begin investing in research.
To unlock a Research Facility, you must first have the Unique Building for that faction unlocked and upgraded. Then, you need to pay:
- 1e121 (10 Notg) coins
- 1e6 (1 M) Faction Coins (FCs) of the corresponding faction
This unlock only needs to be done once per faction.
Recommendation for Fast Unlocks:
To speed up the process of collecting Faction Coins for unlocking Research Facilities, consider using excavations. However, be mindful of your excavation count, as you’ll need them later.
Recommended Faction and Bloodline Combinations for Facility Unlocks:
- Elf-Elfline: Strong production and Faction Coin generation.
- Fairy-Elfline: Good production with Elfline providing necessary Faction Coins.
- Angel-Druidline: Balanced production and mana regeneration.
- Undead/Demon/Goblin-Titanline: These factions have weaker early-game production or FC generation, Titan Bloodline helps boost production, and excavations can supplement FCs. Goblin also benefits from spell-based FC generation.
By following these combinations, you can efficiently unlock all six Research Facilities and prepare for the next phase: Research Points and Researches.
Research Points (RPs) and Researches
Now that you’ve unlocked your Research Facilities, it’s time to understand Research Points (RPs) and how they unlock powerful Researches.
Understanding Research Points (RPs)
Each Research Facility has a level, represented by Research Points (RPs). Increasing the RP level of a facility unlocks access to new researches within that facility’s branch.
How to Gain RPs:
To increase RP levels, you need to invest Faction Coins of the corresponding faction and regular coins. The cost increases with each RP level. RPs are persistent through soft resets (abdications) and have a cap that increases with each reincarnation, reaching 5000 at R100 (capped at 4950 in practice).
RP Progression:
You gain a base amount of RP each reincarnation, starting at 136 RP per facility at R16. This base amount increases with each reincarnation level (e.g., R17 grants 17 RP more, R18 grants 18 RP more, and so on).
Researches and Slots
At specific RP thresholds within each branch, you unlock Researches. These are powerful upgrades that you can select to enhance your realm, similar to Mercenary upgrades.
Research Slots:
Each Research Facility branch has a limited number of slots. You can choose which unlocked researches you want to activate and place them in these slots. The number of slots per branch can be increased later in the game, but initially, you’ll have a limited number. Research slots and selected researches reset each abdication, similar to Mercenary templates.
Research Interface:
In the game’s Research Tab, you’ll see blocks representing each facility branch. The larger blocks show your current RP level and available slots. The smaller blocks to the right are the individual researches.
- Red ❌: Research is unlocked but cannot be used with your current faction.
- Yellow ?: Research cannot be unlocked with your current faction.
- Green ✔: Research is unlocked and currently selected for this abdication.
Research Blocks Interface
Research Requirements
One of the challenging aspects of the Research system is understanding the unlock requirements for each research. While the game provides a progress indicator, deciphering the exact requirements in-game can be time-consuming.
Fortunately, resources like the Realm Grinder Research Tree Page provide a comprehensive list of research requirements, allowing you to plan your runs effectively. For those who prefer a guided approach, we’ve compiled a step-by-step guide below to unlock essential early researches.
Step-by-Step Research Unlock Guide (R16)
This guide is designed to help you unlock a set of foundational researches at R16, based on game version v4.0.1, without relying on Prestige factions or premium upgrades (Sunforce can significantly speed up the process).
Important Notes Before Starting:
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Vanilla Flavor Juice: Aim to obtain the Vanilla Flavor Juice artifact before starting your research unlocks.
Vanilla Flavor Juice
Description: An essence from extremely savory vanilla beans.
Rewards: Increase the production of all buildings by 2,500% for the first 25 minutes of the game (this game) for all Vanilla factions. Doesn’t work while offline.
Requirement: R16+
Chance: 20% in the first 5 minutes of a game
Cost: 1 coin
Note: Does not work while offline and is canceled if you use a Prestige faction.
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Gem Count: Reach at least 1e75 (1 Qavg) gems before starting research unlocks for efficient progress.
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Offline Play: If you plan to go offline during R16, switch to Undead, as you’ll need 5 hours of offline time as Undead to unlock a research later.
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Excavations: Maximize your excavations before beginning the research unlock process.
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Auto Casting: Set Spiritual Surge to Silver autocasting, and all other spells to Gold autocasting unless specified otherwise.
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Faction Restrictions: Do not buy Dwarf or Drow factions while following this research unlock guide.
Step 1: Unlocking Unique Buildings and Research Facilities
Follow these steps to unlock the Unique Building and Research Facility for each Vanilla faction:
1.1: Fairy – Spellcraft Research Facility (Elf Bloodline)
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Faction: Fairy
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Bloodline: Elf
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Unlock Fairy Unique Building:
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Quest: Enchanted Field Quest
Requirement: Fairy, R16+, 2250 Farms
Cost: 1e100 (10 Dtg) coins
Effect: Unlocks Enchanted Field -
Unique Building: Enchanted Field
Cost: 1e103 (10 Ttg) coins
Effect: Upgrade Farms to Enchanted Fields
Effect: Allows access to the Research Facilities. -
Unlock Spellcraft Facility: Spellweavery
Requirement: Enchanted Field
Cost: 1e121 (10 Notg) coins, 1e6 (1 M) Fairy coins
Effect: Unlocks Spellcraft Research Facility
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1.2: Elf – Craftsmanship Research Facility (Elf Bloodline)
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Faction: Elf
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Bloodline: Elf
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Unlock Elf Unique Building:
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Quest: Training Grounds Quest
Requirement: Elf, R16+, 1750 Warrior Barracks
Cost: 1e100 (10 Dtg) coins
Effect: Unlocks Training Grounds -
Unique Building: Elven Training Grounds
Requirement: Training Grounds Quest
Cost: 1e103 (10 Ttg) coins
Effect: Upgrade Warrior Barracks To Elven Training Grounds
Effect: Allows access to the Research Facilities. -
Unlock Craftsmanship Facility: Carpentry
Requirement: Elven Training Grounds
Cost: 1e121 (10 Notg) coins, 1e6 (1 M) Elven coins
Effect: Unlocks Craftsmanship Research Facility
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1.3: Angel – Divine Research Facility (Elf Bloodline)
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Faction: Angel
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Bloodline: Elf
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Unlock Angel Unique Building:
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Quest: Heaven’s Domain Quest
Requirement: Angel, R16+, 1500 Heaven’s Gates
Cost: 1e100 (10 Dtg) coins
Effect: Unlocks Heaven’s Domain -
Unique Building: Heaven’s Domain
Requirement: Buy “Heaven’s Domain Quest”
Cost: 1e103 (10 Ttg) coins
Effect: Upgrade Heaven’s Gate To Heaven’s Domains
Effect: Allows access to the Research Facilities. -
Unlock Divine Facility: Pantheon
Requirement: Heaven’s Domain
Cost: 1e121 (10 Notg) coins, 1e6 (1 M) Angel coins
Effect: Unlocks Divine Research Facility
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1.4: Goblin – Economics Research Facility (Elf Bloodline)
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Faction: Goblin
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Bloodline: Elf
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Unlock Goblin Unique Building:
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Quest: Goblin Banks Quest
Requirement: Goblin, R16+, 1750 Witch Conclaves
Cost: 1e100 (10 Dtg) coins
Effect: Unlocks Goblin Bank -
Unique Building: Goblin Bank
Requirement: Buy “Goblin Banks Quest”
Cost: 1e103 (10 Ttg) coins
Effect: Upgrade Witch Conclaves To Goblin Bank
Effect: Allows access to the Research Facilities. -
Unlock Economics Facility: Exchequer
Requirement: Goblin Bank
Cost: 1e121 (10 Notg) coins, 1e6 (1 M) Goblin coins
Effect: Unlocks Economics Research Facility
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1.5: Undead – Alchemy Research Facility (Elf Bloodline)
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Faction: Undead
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Bloodline: Elf
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Unlock Undead Unique Building:
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Quest: Undercities Quest
Requirement: Undead, R16+, 1750 Necropolises
Cost: 1e100 (10 Dtg) coins
Effect: Unlocks Undercities -
Unique Building: Undercities
Requirement: Undercities Quest
Cost: 1e103 (10 Ttg) coins
Effect: Upgrade Necropolises To Undercities
Effect: Allows access to the Research Facilities. -
Unlock Alchemy Facility: Laboratory
Requirement: Undercities
Cost: 1e121 (10 Notg) coins, 1e6 (1 M) Undead coins
Effect: Unlocks Alchemy Research Facility
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1.6: Demon – Warfare Research Facility (Elf Bloodline)
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Faction: Demon
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Bloodline: Elf
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Unlock Demon Unique Building:
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Quest: Infernal Realm Quest
Requirement: Demon, R16+, 1500 Hell Portals
Cost: 1e100 (10 Dtg) coins
Effect: Unlocks Infernal Realm -
Unique Building: Infernal Realm
Requirement: Infernal Realm Quest
Cost: 1e103 (10 Ttg) coins
Effect: Upgrade Hell Portals To Infernal Realm
Effect: Allows access to the Research Facilities. -
Unlock Warfare Facility: Strategy Room
Requirement: All Demon faction upgrades bought, Infernal Realm
Cost: 1e121 (10 Notg) coins, 1e6 (1 M) Demon coins
Effect: Unlocks Warfare Research Facilities
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Research Facilities Summary:
Once unlocked, you will find these facilities in the Research tab. Hovering over them in-game will display your current Research Points and available slots.
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Spellcraft
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Craftsmanship
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Divine
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Economics
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Alchemy
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Warfare
Step 2: Unlocking Initial Researches
Now that you have all Research Facilities unlocked, it’s time to start investing Research Points and unlocking your first researches.
Auto Casting: Spiritual Surge on Silver, everything else on Gold unless stated otherwise.
2.1: Buy Research Points (RP)
- Invest in each branch to reach at least 80 Research Points.
- Faction/Bloodline: Goblin with Druid Bloodline (or Titan Bloodline for coin boost if needed).
2.2: Unlock S30, E30, E50, W25
- Researches to Unlock:
- S30: 4000 Max Mana
- E30: 1000 Royal Exchanges this game
- E50: 1000 Royal Exchanges as Goblin
- W25: 1 Tqag (1e132) coins this game
- Faction/Bloodline: Goblin with Druid Bloodline.
2.3: Unlock C25
- Research to Unlock:
- C25: 12,000 Spells cast this Reincarnation.
- Faction/Bloodline: Mercenary (for fast spell casting), then switch to Angel to unlock.
- Mercenary Build:
- Alignment: Good
- Bloodline: Druid
- Code:
FR3,AN1,AN5,GB1,GB5,GB7,UD7,TT7,DD6,DN2,DN4,DW7,SP:Goblin's Greed,SP:Fairy Chanting - Instructions: Buy all available upgrades, then autocast Fairy Chanting and Tax Collection (2-5 minutes run should be sufficient). Once spell count is reached, switch to Angel to unlock the research.
2.4: Unlock S10, D50
- Researches to Unlock:
- S10: 2000 Heaven’s Gates this game
- D50: 15,000 Good Buildings as Angels
- Faction/Bloodline: Angel with Goblin Bloodline.
2.5: Unlock D10
- Research to Unlock:
- D10: 2000 Infernal Realms
- Faction/Bloodline: Demon with Goblin Bloodline.
2.6: Unlock E10
- Research to Unlock:
- E10: 2000 Undercities
- Faction/Bloodline: Undead with Goblin Bloodline.
2.7: Unlock S30, S50, C10, C80, E80
- Researches to Unlock:
- S30: 4000 Mana (If not already unlocked)
- S50: 6000 Max Mana
- C10: 2500 Farms
- C80: 16,000 Good and Evil Buildings (Total, this game)
- E80: 9000 Neutral Buildings
- Faction/Bloodline: Fairy with Goblin Bloodline.
Step 3: Buy RP to 105 and Unlock Researches
- Increase RP in each branch to at least 105.
- Faction/Bloodline: Goblin with Druid or Titan Bloodline.
3.1: Unlock A105
- Research to Unlock:
- A105: 2750 Blacksmiths
- Faction/Bloodline: Fairy with Goblin Bloodline.
3.2: Unlock D55, A55
- Researches to Unlock:
- D55: 3 M (3e6) Mana produced this game
- A55: 25,000 Spells cast this game
- Faction/Bloodline: Angel with Druid Bloodline. (Run for approximately 30 minutes). Set autocasting to Gold for everything and Tax Collection last until all available researches are bought, then only Gold autocast Tax Collection.
Step 4: Buy RP to 136 and Unlock Researches
- Increase RP in each branch to at least 136 (starting RP at R16).
- Faction/Bloodline: Goblin with Druid or Titan Bloodline.
4.1: Unlock A120, W120
- Researches to Unlock:
- A120: 6500 Max Mana
- W120: 250 Base Assistants
- Faction/Bloodline: Goblin with Druid Bloodline.
4.2: Unlock C50, C105, C120, C135, E25, W10
- Researches to Unlock:
- C50: 1 B (1e9) Faction Coins
- C105: 25,000 Clicks
- C120: 200,000 Clicks
- C135: 250,000 Clicks this game as Elf
- E25: 100 M (1e8) Faction Coins found this game
- W10: 2000 Warrior Barracks
- Faction/Bloodline: Elf with Elf Bloodline. After purchasing all upgrades and research, autocast Moon Blessing and Call to Arms.
4.3: Unlock D135
- Research to Unlock:
- D135: 250 m/s Mana Regen (as Angel)
- Faction/Bloodline: Angel with Druid Bloodline.
4.4: Unlock E135
- Research to Unlock:
- E135: 28,000 Total Buildings (as Goblin)
- Faction/Bloodline: Goblin with Goblin Bloodline.
4.5: Unlock S135
- Research to Unlock:
- S135: 4000 Unique Buildings this game as Fairy
- Faction/Bloodline: Fairy with Goblin Bloodline.
4.6: Unlock A25, A30
- Researches to Unlock:
- A25: 666 Hellfire Blast casts
- A30: 750 Fairy Chanting casts this Reincarnation
- Faction/Bloodline: Mercenary (for fast spell casting), then switch to Demon and Fairy to unlock both.
- Mercenary Build:
- Alignment: Good
- Bloodline: Druid
- Code:
FR3,AN1,AN5,GB1,GB5,GB7,UD7,TT7,DD6,DN2,DN4,DW7,SP:Fairy Chanting,SP:Hellfire Blast - Instructions: Cast Hellfire Blast and Fairy Chanting on Bronze autocasting, everything else on Gold, and disable Tax Collection. (Run for just under 4 hours).
4.7: Unlock W135
- Research to Unlock:
- W135: 580 Trophies
- Faction/Bloodline: Demon with Elf Bloodline.
4.8: Unlock D25, A50, A135, W50
- Researches to Unlock:
- D25: 5 hours offline as Undead
- A50: 120 m/s Mana Regen (as Undead)
- A135: 1 Day Playtime this Reincarnation
- W50: 12 hours Evil Playtime this Reincarnation
- Faction/Bloodline: Undead with Druid Bloodline. (After 12 hours of evil playtime, switch to Demon to unlock W50).
Note: D25 and W50 can be deferred until after R18 when you tackle Vanilla Challenges, but they will eventually need to be completed.
Conclusion
Congratulations! By following this Realm Grinder Research Guide, you’ve successfully unlocked the Research Facilities and a solid set of starting researches in Realm Grinder. This is a significant step in progressing through R16 and beyond. Experiment with different research combinations and continue to explore the depths of the Research Tree to optimize your realm’s power. Happy grinding!
