Complete Science and Technology Unlock Guide

Science Points are the currency of progress in Timberborn. Every building, upgrade, and advanced technology beyond your starting kit must be unlocked with Science Points (SP), making your research strategy one of the most important long-term decisions in the game. This guide covers every aspect of the science system: how SP are generated, the costs of key buildings, recommended unlock orders for both Folktails and Iron Teeth, and how to plan your research path from the opening minutes through monument construction and bot technology.

Science Point Generation: Buildings and Rates

Science Points are produced by specialized buildings that employ beavers (or bots) as researchers. The four primary SP-generating buildings are the Inventor, Observatory, Numbercruncher, and Mine. Each has different requirements, costs, and output rates, and understanding these differences is essential for optimizing your research timeline.

The Inventor is the universal starting science building, available to both factions from the beginning of the game with no unlock cost. It employs 1 beaver and generates 1 Science Point per game hour. On a standard 14-hour workday, a single Inventor produces 14 SP per day. The Inventor requires no power and is built from basic logs, making it the most accessible science building. Its simplicity is its strength: you can build and staff one within the first few days of any playthrough.

The Observatory is a Folktails-exclusive advanced science building. It costs 1,000 SP to unlock and requires 200 horsepower (hp) of mechanical power to operate. Construction requires 80 Planks, 30 Gears, and 10 Pine Resin. The Observatory generates SP at a significantly higher rate than the Inventor, making it the backbone of mid-to-late-game Folktails research. The power requirement means you need a robust Windmill or Power Wheel setup before the Observatory becomes operational. Because Folktails have access to free wind power via Windmills, the ongoing power cost is manageable once your energy infrastructure is established.

The Numbercruncher is the Iron Teeth equivalent of the Observatory. It costs 1,500 SP to unlock and requires 500 hp of mechanical power. The higher power requirement reflects the Iron Teeth philosophy of industrial-scale production. The Numbercruncher produces SP faster than the Observatory but demands substantially more power, requiring multiple Engines or a large Power Wheel array to operate. Iron Teeth players must balance the Numbercruncher's power draw against other industrial buildings competing for the same power supply.

Mines also generate a small amount of SP as a secondary output when beavers extract resources. While not a primary science source, the passive SP income from Mines adds up over time and should be factored into your overall research calculations. In a large colony with 3 to 4 active Mines, this passive income can contribute 10 to 15 percent of your total SP generation.

Science Point Costs for Key Buildings

Timberborn does not have a traditional tech tree with prerequisites. Instead, all unlockable buildings are available in the building menu from the start, and you simply need enough SP to purchase any unlock you want. This open system gives you total freedom in prioritizing your research, but it also means you must plan carefully to avoid wasting SP on buildings you will not use for many cycles.

Early-game buildings (essential infrastructure) typically cost 250 SP each. This category includes basic production buildings, storage upgrades, simple water management structures like the Floodgate, and early food processing buildings. At 14 SP per day from a single Inventor, each 250 SP unlock takes approximately 18 days. Building 2 Inventors doubles your rate to 28 SP per day, cutting the time to 9 days per unlock.

Mid-game buildings cost between 400 and 1,500 SP. This range includes the Engine (400 SP for Iron Teeth), advanced housing, the Observatory (1,000 SP for Folktails), the Numbercruncher (1,500 SP for Iron Teeth), advanced food processing, and specialized water infrastructure. These unlocks typically become affordable once you have 2 to 3 Inventors running or your first advanced science building online.

Late-game buildings and technologies cost 2,000 to 5,000 SP. This includes advanced power systems, specialized production chains, and high-tier decorations and comfort buildings. At this stage, you should have at least one Observatory or Numbercruncher generating SP alongside multiple Inventors.

Endgame unlocks represent the highest SP investments. Monuments cost between 3,000 and 12,000 SP to unlock, with the most elaborate monuments requiring enormous research investment on top of their massive construction material costs. The Bot Assembler, the gateway to automated bot workers, costs a staggering 10,000 SP to unlock. Bot-related workplace unlocks (allowing bots to operate specific buildings) can cost up to 7,500 SP each, such as the bot-operated Observatory variant.

Recommended Early Game Unlock Order (Both Factions)

The first 500 to 750 SP you earn should go toward survival essentials. These unlocks keep your colony alive through the first few droughts and establish the foundation for mid-game growth. Priority 1: Large Water Tank (approximately 250 SP). The Small Water Tank from your starting buildings holds a limited amount. The Large Water Tank stores significantly more water per building footprint, and you will need several to survive droughts beyond day 20.

Priority 2: Floodgate (approximately 250 SP). Floodgates are essential for controlling water flow. They let you seal reservoirs before droughts, divert water during badtides, and manage water levels in your irrigation systems. Without Floodgates, your water management options are severely limited. Priority 3: Lumber Mill (approximately 250 SP). Planks are required for most mid-tier buildings. The sooner you can produce Planks, the sooner you can build advanced structures. The Lumber Mill requires power, so pair this unlock with a power source.

After these three core unlocks, your next priorities depend on your faction and map situation. If water is scarce, unlock additional water infrastructure. If food is the bottleneck, unlock food processing buildings. If power is limiting your growth, unlock your faction's power generation building. The key principle is to unlock what solves your most pressing problem right now, not what looks interesting for later.

Folktails Mid-Game Science Priorities

Once your Folktails colony has survived the first 2 to 3 droughts and has stable food, water, and wood production, shift your science investment toward efficiency and scaling. The Observatory (1,000 SP) should be your top mid-game priority. It produces SP much faster than the Inventor and runs on wind power, which Folktails generate for free. Getting an Observatory online by day 40 to 50 dramatically accelerates all subsequent research.

The Irrigation Tower (varies by version, approximately 500 to 750 SP) extends water reach to farmland that is not directly adjacent to rivers or reservoirs. This unlock is critical for expanding your food production to areas that were previously unfarmable. Pair it with additional farming infrastructure like the Bakery (for Bread production from Wheat) to maximize food output per tile.

The Windmill upgrade path should also be a priority. Additional Windmills provide power for your Observatory, Lumber Mill, and other powered buildings without consuming any fuel. Folktails' free wind power is their greatest economic advantage, and scaling it up in the mid-game enables rapid industrial expansion. Aim for 3 to 4 Windmills by mid-game, positioned in open areas for maximum wind exposure.

The Tapper's Shack (for Pine Resin harvesting) is a prerequisite for constructing the Observatory, so plan to unlock and build it before you have the SP for the Observatory itself. This avoids the frustrating situation of having 1,000 SP for the Observatory unlock but lacking the Pine Resin to build it.

Iron Teeth Mid-Game Science Priorities

Iron Teeth mid-game science follows a different path that emphasizes industrial power and metal production. The Engine (400 SP) should be an early-to-mid-game unlock if you have not already grabbed it. Engines burn logs to generate reliable mechanical power, unlike Folktails' wind-dependent Windmills. The trade-off is fuel consumption, so ensure your lumber production can support both construction and Engine fuel needs.

The Mine (approximately 500 SP) opens up metal ore extraction, which is essential for Iron Teeth progression. Many mid-and-late-game Iron Teeth buildings require metal in addition to wood and planks. Without an active Mine and Smelter chain, you will hit a resource wall that blocks further advancement. Prioritize the Mine unlock once your basic survival infrastructure is secure.

The Numbercruncher (1,500 SP) is your primary advanced science building. At 500 hp power requirement, it demands a significant power investment, typically 2 to 3 Engines dedicated to powering it. However, its SP output is the highest in the game, making it essential for reaching endgame technologies within a reasonable timeframe. Aim to have a Numbercruncher operational by day 50 to 60.

The Deep Water Pump upgrade and advanced storage buildings help Iron Teeth manage water more efficiently. Since Iron Teeth already start with the basic Deep Water Pump, focus on unlocking larger storage solutions and Floodgate upgrades to handle the increasing drought lengths. The Smelter (for processing metal ore into usable metal) is another critical mid-game unlock that gates your access to metal-requiring buildings.

Late-Game Science Investments

Late-game science spending shifts from survival necessities to power projection and quality of life. Advanced leisure buildings (Carousel, Mud Bath, Shrine) cost 500 to 1,500 SP each and provide significant well-being boosts that drive population growth and productivity. While not strictly necessary for survival, these buildings make your colony more resilient by increasing the well-being buffer you can draw down during droughts.

District-related unlocks become important as your colony expands beyond a single district. The District Gate, advanced hauling routes, and inter-district logistics buildings help manage multi-district colonies efficiently. These unlocks typically cost 750 to 1,500 SP and become essential once you have 3 or more districts operating.

Advanced water engineering buildings, including larger Floodgates, Contamination Barriers, and water treatment facilities, cost 1,000 to 3,000 SP. These are critical for hard mode survival but also valuable on normal difficulty for optimizing water management. Contamination Barriers in particular are worth their SP cost for any colony that faces regular badtide events.

Zipline infrastructure (Folktails) and Tubeway infrastructure (Iron Teeth) unlock at various SP costs and dramatically improve inter-district travel times. Ziplines provide 2.5 times movement speed (effective path distance reduction to 40 percent), while Tubeways provide 4 times movement speed (effective path distance reduction to 25 percent). These transit systems pay for themselves quickly in large colonies where beavers waste significant time walking between distant districts.

Monument Construction and Science Sinks

Monuments are Timberborn's endgame prestige structures. They serve no practical gameplay function but represent the pinnacle of your colony's achievement. Monument unlock costs range from approximately 3,000 SP for the simplest monuments to 12,000 SP for the most elaborate ones. Beyond the SP unlock cost, monuments require massive quantities of construction materials: thousands of logs, planks, metal, and processed goods.

Building a monument is a colony-wide project that can take dozens of in-game days even with a large workforce. The construction process itself is a test of your logistics: can your hauling network deliver the required materials to the construction site fast enough? Do you have enough builders assigned? Is your production chain able to supply materials without starving other critical buildings?

Monuments function as effective science sinks in the late game when you have exhausted all practical unlocks. Once every useful building has been researched, SP accumulation becomes meaningless unless you channel it into monuments. This gives your Observatory or Numbercruncher a continued purpose and your research beavers continued employment. Some players view monument completion as the true "victory condition" of a Timberborn playthrough.

Plan your monument strategy around your faction's strengths. Folktails, with their free wind power and efficient Observatory, can accumulate SP faster in the mid-game and may reach monument unlocks sooner. Iron Teeth, with their higher raw Numbercruncher output, catch up in the late game and can power through the 10,000-plus SP unlocks more quickly once their industrial base is fully online.

Bot Technology Tree

The bot technology represents Timberborn's most advanced and expensive research path. Bots are mechanical workers that operate without food, water, or sleep, making them invaluable during droughts and badtides when beaver workers are most vulnerable. The path to bot automation requires massive SP investment and a sophisticated industrial production chain.

The Bot Assembler is the gateway building, costing 10,000 SP to unlock. This single unlock is more expensive than any other building in the game and represents a commitment that requires weeks of dedicated SP generation. With 2 Inventors (28 SP per day), reaching 10,000 SP takes approximately 357 days. With an Observatory or Numbercruncher supplementing your Inventors, the timeline shortens dramatically: a Folktails colony generating 80 SP per day reaches 10,000 SP in 125 days.

Once the Bot Assembler is unlocked, you must build it and supply it with Bot Parts produced at the Bot Part Factory. The production chain requires metal, planks, and gears, creating significant industrial demand. Each bot takes time to assemble, so plan for a gradual buildup of your bot workforce rather than an instant army of mechanical workers.

Individual bot workplace unlocks allow bots to staff specific buildings. These unlocks cost varying amounts of SP, with some reaching up to 7,500 SP. You do not need to unlock every bot workplace at once. Prioritize bot operation for your most critical drought-survival buildings: Water Pumps, food distribution, and power generation. A bot staffing a Water Pump continues pumping throughout a drought without consuming any water itself, which is enormously valuable.

The full bot technology path, from Bot Assembler through all workplace unlocks, can cost 30,000 to 50,000 SP in total. This represents months of in-game research time and is truly the endgame of endgames. Colonies that fully automate their critical infrastructure with bots become nearly drought-proof, able to survive even the longest hard mode droughts with minimal beaver casualties.

Optimizing Your Science Output

Maximizing SP generation requires attention to several factors. First, keep your science buildings staffed at all times. An unstaffed Inventor produces zero SP. Ensure that your science workers have housing, food, and water access so they never leave their post due to unmet needs. Place Inventors near housing and water sources for the most reliable uptime.

Second, scale up science production proactively. Do not wait until you need SP to build more science infrastructure. By the time you realize you need 1,500 SP for the Numbercruncher, you are already behind. Build your second Inventor by day 10, your third by day 20, and transition to Observatory or Numbercruncher as soon as you can afford and power it.

Third, maintain science production during droughts. Many players shut down Inventors during droughts to redirect workers to survival tasks. While this is sometimes necessary, every day without SP generation sets back your research timeline. If possible, keep at least 1 Inventor running through droughts. The SP generated during droughts can be the difference between unlocking a critical building before the next drought or after it.

Fourth, use bots in science buildings once available. A bot staffing an Inventor or Observatory produces SP around the clock (24 hours per day instead of 14), does not need breaks for food, water, or leisure, and never calls in sick. A bot-operated Inventor produces approximately 24 SP per day compared to a beaver-operated Inventor's 14 SP. This 70 percent increase in output per building is significant across multiple science buildings.

Finally, consider the opportunity cost of each unlock. Every 250 SP spent on a building you will not use for 30 days is 250 SP that could have gone toward a building you need right now. In the early game especially, discipline in your unlock choices accelerates your overall progression far more than raw SP generation speed. Focus your research on unlocks that solve immediate problems or enable the next phase of your colony's development.