Technology & Unit Upgrades

Navigate Humankind technology trees and unit upgrade options. See how research unlocks powerful new units and enhances existing ones.

Mastering technology and unit upgrades is fundamental to achieving victory in Humankind. The technology tree is a sprawling network of advancements, each unlocking new units, buildings, districts, and empire-wide bonuses. Prioritizing your research path based on your chosen civilization, your current strategic situation, and your long-term goals is crucial. Early game technologies often focus on resource exploitation and basic military units, while later eras introduce powerful new ways to wage war, manage your empire, and achieve victory conditions.

The Technology Tree: A Strategic Overview

The technology tree is divided into distinct Eras, with each Era offering a set of new technologies to research. Progressing through Eras is tied to earning Era Stars, which are awarded for achieving specific milestones within each Era. These milestones can include:

• Population growth
• Territorial expansion
• Technological advancements
• Cultural achievements
• Military prowess
• Economic prosperity

Players must carefully balance their research efforts to unlock the most impactful technologies at the right time. For example, researching early military technologies can give you an edge in territorial disputes, while focusing on economic or civic technologies can accelerate your empire's growth and stability.

Key Technology Paths and Their Impact

While the optimal research path is highly situational, several key technology areas consistently offer significant advantages:

• Military Technologies: These are vital for defense and offense. Advancements in this tree unlock new unit types, improve existing units, and provide access to siege weapons and fortifications. Early military tech can secure your borders and allow for aggressive expansion, while later-era advancements like artillery or aircraft can devastate enemy armies and cities.
• Economic Technologies: These technologies focus on improving resource extraction, trade, and production. Investing in economic tech early can lead to a powerful resource engine, allowing you to fund larger armies, more ambitious building projects, and faster research. Look for advancements that boost production in your cities or unlock new trade opportunities.
• Civic and Cultural Technologies: These technologies often provide empire-wide bonuses, improve stability, and unlock new ways to interact with other civilizations. They can also be crucial for achieving specific victory conditions, such as accumulating enough culture or influence.
• Exploration and Expansion Technologies: Technologies that improve movement speed, unlock new movement types (like naval or air), or increase the effectiveness of outposts and cities are essential for expanding your empire and securing valuable territory.

Unit Upgrades: The Evolution of Your Military

As you research new technologies, your existing units can often be upgraded to their more advanced counterparts. This is a critical mechanic that allows you to maintain a competitive military without having to constantly build entirely new armies. Upgrading units typically costs a certain amount of production and sometimes other resources. The benefits of upgrading are substantial:

• Increased Combat Strength: Upgraded units generally have higher attack and defense values, making them more effective in combat.
• New Abilities: Some upgrades grant units new special abilities, such as ranged attacks, healing capabilities, or improved movement.
• Reduced Maintenance: In some cases, upgraded units may have lower maintenance costs than their predecessors, freeing up resources.

Strategic Tip: Always check the unit upgrade paths when you research a new technology. Prioritize upgrading your core combat units to ensure they remain effective throughout the game. Neglecting upgrades can leave your army vulnerable to even slightly more advanced enemy forces.

The Role of Districts and Buildings

Many technologies unlock new districts and buildings. These are vital for specializing your cities and further enhancing your empire's capabilities:

• Military Encampments: These districts are crucial for training units, providing defensive bonuses, and unlocking military-specific technologies.
• Commercial Hubs: Essential for trade and generating gold.
• Research Labs: Boost your science output, accelerating your progress through the technology tree.
• Harbors: Necessary for naval units and trade routes across water.

Each technology you research should ideally be paired with the construction of relevant districts and buildings to maximize its benefit. For example, researching a new naval unit technology is only truly effective if you also build harbors and naval production facilities.

Common Pitfalls to Avoid

• Researching out of order: Focusing on late-game technologies before securing basic infrastructure or military strength can leave you vulnerable.
• Neglecting upgrades: Allowing your units to become obsolete is a fast track to military defeat.
• Ignoring synergy: Researching technologies without building the corresponding districts or units to utilize them is inefficient.
• Not adapting: Sticking to a rigid research path regardless of your opponents' actions or the game's evolving situation.

By understanding the interconnectedness of technology, unit upgrades, districts, and buildings, You can forge a path to victory in Humankind, leveraging the power of innovation to outmaneuver and overcome their rivals.