The Carcass Research Paths Tier List

Research in The Carcass splits into combat, production, diplomacy, and forbidden arts. Projects consume neurons and advance on Pulse ticks. This tier list recommends branch priority by game phase—not individual tech names, which vary by procedural events.

Early game (Pulses 1–20)

S-tier: Production — Nutrient Vats, Bone Quarries, bile efficiency. Fixes famine and construction stalls (buildings).

A-tier: Diplomacy — Trade treaties if neighbors spawn early; skip if isolated.

B-tier: Combat — Only if forced by parasite events.

C-tier: Forbidden arts — Too risky before biomass buffer.

Mid game

A-tier: Diplomacy — Multi-species trade web (factions).

A-tier: Production — Forge and altar chains for neurons.

B-tier: Combat — Pre-war before faction conflicts.

B-tier: Forbidden arts — Start partial if targeting Awakening/Transcendence (endings).

Late game

S-tier: Forbidden arts — Required for Transcendence and several secrets.

S-tier: Combat — Dominion push and parasite swarms on Extinction.

A-tier: Diplomacy — Symbiosis ending stabilization.

Branch profiles

Branch	Best for	Weakness
Combat	Dominion, Awakening wars	Starves if over-prioritized early
Production	Escape, economic stability	Slow win conquest
Diplomacy	Symbiosis, trade empires	Collapses on betrayal
Forbidden arts	Transcendence, secrets	Event backlash

Decision framework

Ask each Pulse: What kills me next? Food → production. Invasion → combat. Isolation → diplomacy. Endgame clock → forbidden.

Cross mutations tier list when research unlocks gene slots.

Ironman note

Wrong branch lock-in hurts permanently. Scout on Normal save first.

Research is hope measured in neurons—spend them on your next catastrophe, not the last one.

Branch lock warning

Diplomacy and forbidden arts compete for neuron income late. Splitting evenly without plan yields mediocre wars and weak rituals.

Deep dive: research order

Production first for food. Diplomacy when neighbors appear. Combat when parasites force your hand. Forbidden arts when endings demand occult paths.

Neuron starvation slows everything—fix harvest or trade before deep forbidden trees.

Closing tips for scientists

Splitting research branches evenly yields mediocre wars and weak rituals.

Player notes on Research Paths Tier List

Veterans recommend revisiting this topic after the 2.0 patch because Pulse labels and harvest menus changed beginner muscle memory. Pair this page with the guides hub when planning multi-run completion. Ironman players should read related controls pages before committing single-save attempts. Document event choices with Pulse numbers when chasing secret endings or NG+ memory flags. Trade reliance fails after betrayal—internal Nutrient Vats remain the reliable backbone on Normal and Hard. Extinction difficulty punishes sloppy turn reports; scan biomass every Pulse without exception. Large populations above five hundred citizens require recommended PC specs listed on release info.

Continued study of Research Paths Tier List inside The Carcass: cross-link tier list hub, colony hub, and updates hub so patch changes never invalidate your plan mid-run.

Continued study of Research Paths Tier List inside The Carcass: cross-link tier list hub, colony hub, and updates hub so patch changes never invalidate your plan mid-run.

Continued study of Research Paths Tier List inside The Carcass: cross-link tier list hub, colony hub, and updates hub so patch changes never invalidate your plan mid-run.

Continued study of Research Paths Tier List inside The Carcass: cross-link tier list hub, colony hub, and updates hub so patch changes never invalidate your plan mid-run.

Closing tips for scientists

even splits between diplomacy and forbidden arts yield weak mid-game. Pick a primary branch per run.