Hearth and Hamlet Research Tree: 306 Upgrades Explained
Hearth and Hamlet research tree guide: all 306 upgrades, the 61 build-enabled options, each building branch, and the Advisor quality-of-life research.
Hearth and Hamlet’s research tree contains 306 upgrades, of which the build 0.80 catalogue marks 61 as build-enabled and the rest as later-game data. Research is the game’s permanent progression layer: it turns gathered resources into technologies that unlock new buildings, policies, magic, and production boosts.
The short answer
- 306 research records total in the build 0.80 catalogue
- 61 build-enabled and the remainder flagged as later-game data
- Branches are tied to buildings — the Library, Keep, Farm, Church, Blacksmith, Market, Docks, and more each host a series
- Advisor research is quality-of-life, unlocked through the Leader’s Hut / Manor (added in Demo v1.0.46)
- Every upgrade is permanent — the store page says each feeds a tree that permanently unlocks new technologies
How the research tree works
The store page describes a research tree where every upgrade permanently unlocks new technologies, from more advanced buildings and new policies to stronger magic to experiment with. That permanence is the defining trait: research changes the kingdom for good, while a building purchase or a worker move is temporary and can be undone. It is the bridge between simple resource gathering and a more complex settlement.
In practice, research nodes are organized by branch, and each branch hangs off a specific building. A node has an unlock requirement — usually that the host building, and sometimes a second building, has reached a certain level — plus a cost in Wood, Food, Stone, or Gold. The build 0.80 data records those requirements and costs for every one of the 306 entries.
The 306 records at a glance
The catalogue lists 306 research records with 306 illustrated entries. Only 61 are marked build-enabled in build 0.80; the remaining 245 are later-game data that is embedded in the package but not claimed as enabled or final at release. That heavy later-game share makes sense, because most of the tree’s depth sits behind advanced building tiers and the magic systems.
A large portion of the tree is repetitive in a good way: storage upgrades, worker-cap boosts, and production multipliers repeat across the resource buildings at increasing tiers. For example, “Extra Wood Storage I” at the Lumber camp and “Skilled Labour I” at the Farm each scale through five tiers. The individual names repeat, but each tier sits at a different building level and cost.
Research branches by building
Every major building carries its own branch of research. The table below summarizes what each series tends to unlock.
| Building branch | What its research typically grants |
|---|---|
| Keep (Leader’s Hut / Manor) | Personal gathering, critical success, inspiration, and Advisor quality-of-life |
| Library | Education multipliers and blueprint design unlocks |
| Farm / Fishing harbour / Hunting lodge | Food storage, worker caps, production multipliers, and scouting |
| Quarry / Lumber camp / Gold mine / Iron mine | Storage, worker caps, and tool-based production multipliers |
| Blacksmith | Weapon, armour, and tool forging plus gathering boosts |
| Town guard | Soldier training, weapons, and armour for combat |
| Church | Birth-rate, happiness, and policy unlocks such as Soup Kitchen and Tithes |
| Market | Trade caravans, caravan speed, and production bonuses |
| Docks | Ship upgrades, ship speed, and trade storage |
| Tavern | Population capacity, happiness, and travellers |
| Alchemist | Potions, elixirs, and transmutation such as converting Iron to Gold |
| Leather workshop | Leather goods and happiness bonuses |
| Mage tower / Magic swamp | Magic production, enchantments, and portals |
The resource branches follow a consistent pattern. Sturdy, Iron, and Steel tools raise production at the Farm, Fishing harbour, Hunting lodge, Quarry, Lumber camp, Gold mine, and Iron mine as their tiers climb, while “Improved Work Area” lines add extra worker slots to each of those buildings.
The Advisor research
Advisor research is a quality-of-life category that the developer added in Demo v1.0.46. The official patch notes describe it as extra quality-of-life improvements unlocked in the Leader’s Hut or Manor. In the build 0.80 data, two Advisor nodes are build-enabled: Construction Advisor, which notifies you when you can afford a building upgrade, and Research Advisor, which notifies you when new research is available at a location.
Construction Advisor requires a level 1 Keep and level 1 Carpenter, while Research Advisor requires a level 2 Keep and level 1 Library. Their job is to reduce the mental overhead of scanning the settlement, not to add raw production. That is a useful contrast with the rest of the tree, which mostly trades resources for permanent output.
Choosing research by outcome
A permanent benefit can still be badly timed. The best pick depends on what is currently limiting the kingdom, not on where a node sits in the tree. Production research matters most when a specific resource is the bottleneck, while capacity research matters when stockpiles keep hitting their cap.
Policy unlocks matter when population and happiness need active governance, and building unlocks only help if the settlement can afford and staff the new structure afterward. Defense and magic choices can become urgent when raids or later systems approach. Two saves at similar progression can therefore want different research, which is why the beginner guide recommends reading each node against your present constraint rather than following a fixed order.
Demo v1.0.46 vs build 0.80 data
The two versions behind this page describe different snapshots. Demo v1.0.46 expanded the available options and added the Advisor research, and its patch notes also mention that many research rewards were rebalanced. Exact node costs, prerequisites, and effects from that build should still be read from the current build rather than reconstructed from old screenshots.
Build 0.80 is a separate later static data package, and it is the source of the 306-record total and the 61 build-enabled count. Its later-game entries are not verified release-build data, so any specific cost or multiplier on this page should be treated as To be confirmed until checked against the current game or official patch notes.
Frequently asked questions
How many research upgrades are in Hearth and Hamlet? The build 0.80 catalogue lists 306 research records, with 61 marked build-enabled.
Is research permanent? Yes. The store page says every upgrade feeds into a research tree that permanently unlocks new technologies.
What is Advisor research? A quality-of-life category added in Demo v1.0.46 and unlocked in the Leader’s Hut / Manor. It includes Construction Advisor and Research Advisor notifications.
Which building hosts the most research? The tree spreads across many buildings — the Library, Keep, Farm, Church, Blacksmith, Market, Docks, Alchemist, and Mage tower all carry branches. There is no single research building.
Does research unlock buildings? Yes. The store page confirms research permanently unlocks new buildings, magic, and upgrades. See the buildings guide.
Continue with the buildings guide to see what the tree unlocks, or the policies guide to understand how research feeds laws and taxation.