Lands of Jail Research Guide: Priorities, Speedups and Long-Term Progression

🔬 Complete Research Strategy Guide

Research is one of the most important ways to strengthen your account in Lands of Jail, but it is also one of the systems that requires the most planning.

As your account advances, research times become longer, resource costs increase and more speedups are required to complete each technology.

Simply researching everything in the order it appears can consume a large number of resources while providing little immediate value.

The research tree should be treated as a long-term development plan.

In this guide, you will learn how to define priorities, balance combat and development, use research speedups efficiently, prepare complete technology paths and avoid spending days on upgrades that do not support your current objective.

🎯 Every research needs a purpose

Whenever a technology finishes, the game presents several new options.

It is tempting to choose any available research just to keep the Research Center active. However, different technologies can:

• Improve combat performance
• Increase troop capacity
• Strengthen a specific troop type
• Accelerate account development
• Improve resource production or gathering
• Unlock advanced technologies
• Prepare the path toward stronger troops

All these categories can be useful.

The important question is:

Before beginning another technology, identify the problem you are trying to solve.

Ask yourself:

• Am I currently weak in combat?
• Is my general development too slow?
• Do my troops need better attributes?
• Am I pursuing a specific unlock?
• Am I preparing for PvP?
• Do I want better performance in an event?
• Is this technology a prerequisite for something more important?

Without a clear answer, you can spend several days researching something that barely improves your current situation.

🗂️ Understand the main research groups

A simple way to organize the research tree is to divide technologies into broad strategic groups.

These groups make it easier to understand what each research contributes and where your current resources should go.

🏗️ Development research creates long-term value

During the early and middle stages of progression, technologies that improve account efficiency can provide value for a very long time.

A technology that improves only one battle can be useful. A technology that increases your efficiency for several months can generate value repeatedly.

For this reason, focusing exclusively on combat from the beginning is not always the best strategy.

Development research may help you:

• Complete future technologies faster
• Use resources more efficiently
• Maintain continuous progression
• Reach important prerequisites sooner
• Reduce the long-term cost of growing the account

The earlier a permanent efficiency benefit is obtained, the more opportunities you may have to use it.

⚖️ Know when combat must catch up

There is also an opposite mistake: investing everything in development and economy.

An account may grow quickly in displayed numbers while beginning to struggle in battles, alliance events and competitive content.

At some point, military research must catch up.

A general progression pattern may look like this:

Early progression

Development and efficiency can receive greater attention.

↓

Growing account

Development and combat begin moving closer together.

↓

Competitive stages

Military research becomes increasingly important.

There is no exact account level where this transition must happen. It depends on your server, season, role, available troops and current performance.

⚔️ Understand the main combat attributes

Combat research commonly improves attributes such as:

• ⚔️ ATK
• 🛡️ DEF
• ❤️ HP
• 🩸 Lethality

Do not ask only:

Ask:

If your formation is defeated too quickly, defensive technologies may provide a better result.

If your troops survive but cannot deal enough damage, offensive research may become the priority.

The best attribute is the one that addresses the current limitation of the formation.

🪖 Research should follow your troop strategy

Shieldbearers, Bombers and Shooters can receive troop-specific improvements.

This allows you to develop the performance of each troop type individually.

If your main formation contains a high proportion of Shooters, Shooter research may deserve greater priority.

If you frequently defend structures, Shieldbearer durability and defensive attributes may become more valuable.

If your heroes and formation strongly favor Bombers, Bomber technologies should not be ignored.

Your research strategy should follow the troops you actually use.

⚠️ Specialization should not create a massive weakness

Prioritizing one troop type does not mean leaving the others completely undeveloped.

A Shooter-focused formation may justify additional Shooter research, but that does not mean Shieldbearers should remain at the lowest possible level or Bombers should be completely ignored.

You will continue using different troop types in:

• PvP
• Defense
• Secondary formations
• Alliance operations
• Different events
• Reinforcements
• Alternative troop ratios

The objective is to specialize without creating a major weakness in the rest of the account.

🔓 Small technologies can lead to major unlocks

The best technology is not always the one with the largest immediate bonus.

A small research may be required to unlock something far more important.

Before committing several days to a parallel technology, ask:

A technology can have limited value by itself while still being essential to the path you actually want to complete.

The full route may look like:

Requirement technology

↓

Intermediate technology

↓

Advanced prerequisite

↓

Final prerequisite

↓

Desired unlock

If you calculate only the cost of the final technology, you may run out of resources or speedups before reaching it.

Always consider the entire path.

🧭 Calculate the complete research path

When planning a major unlock, identify:

• Every prerequisite
• The order of required technologies
• The resource cost of each stage
• The research time for each stage
• The speedups required
• Any building or account requirements
• The resources that must remain available afterward

Do not prepare only for the last button in the chain.

The goal is to avoid reaching most of the path and becoming stuck because one intermediate requirement was forgotten.

⏳ Keep the Research Center active

One of the simplest forms of lost progression is leaving the Research Center inactive.

If you have the required resources and are not intentionally waiting for a specific objective, try to keep a useful research running.

Time that passes without an active technology cannot be recovered.

Check regularly:

• Is a research currently active?
• If not, is there a useful technology I can begin?
• Do I have enough resources for the next priority?
• Will I be away long enough to start a longer research?

A few inactive hours every day can become many lost days over several months.

🌙 Use long research while you are away

Going to sleep, starting work or remaining away from the game for several hours creates a good opportunity to begin longer technologies.

The principle is simple:

This reduces the temptation to spend speedups simply because you do not want to wait.

When you expect to remain active, you can complete shorter technologies that allow you to return and begin the next one.

A practical routine is:

• Short research while actively playing
• Long research before sleeping or leaving
• Important unlocks when resources are prepared
• Major speedup sessions during planned opportunities

You do not need to follow this routine rigidly, but it can improve time efficiency.

⚡ Speedups are stored progression

Research speedups should not be treated only as a way to avoid waiting.

They are a reserve of future progression.

If you have 300 hours of research speedups, you possess the ability to compress approximately 300 hours of development into a much shorter period.

That reserve can be extremely valuable during:

• A relevant event
• An urgent alliance objective
• An important technology unlock
• A competitive opportunity
• A planned sequence of prerequisites

Avoid converting hundreds of stored hours into many unrelated small upgrades without a clear objective.

🤔 Ask what finishing now will provide

Before using speedups, ask:

If the only answer is:

Allowing the timer to finish naturally may be better.

Using speedups makes more sense when completing the technology now will:

• Unlock an important follow-up technology
• Complete a planned development route
• Improve an urgent alliance formation
• Reach an event milestone
• Unlock a stronger troop tier
• Solve a current account limitation

This transforms speedups from an impulse resource into a strategic reserve.

🎁 Combine research with events

If you already intend to complete a sequence of technologies, doing so during an activity that rewards research Power can increase the total return.

Instead of receiving only:

Completed research

You may receive:

Completed research + event points + additional rewards

The research cost does not necessarily change, but the value extracted from the decision increases.

Use events primarily for large research sequences that can wait without harming your progression.

Do not leave your account frozen for weeks if an essential technology is already preventing you from advancing.

⚔️ Military research matters in competitive content

If you participate seriously in PvP or alliance events, military technologies become increasingly important.

Two accounts can have:

• Similar troops
• Comparable heroes
• Similar equipment
• Close displayed Power

Yet their results may be very different because of research.

Research bonuses are less visually obvious than obtaining a new hero, but they influence battle performance continuously.

The research tree works in the background while its bonuses appear in every relevant battle.

🌐 Permanent bonuses can benefit multiple formations

Many military technologies are not tied to only one hero.

When you improve the attributes of a troop class, the benefit can affect multiple formations using that troop type.

This gives military research strong long-term value.

Heroes may be replaced, formations may change and new seasons may arrive, but useful permanent troop technologies can continue contributing to the account.

📈 Useful Power is more important than displayed Power

Some technologies provide attractive amounts of displayed Power.

This can be useful during events, but it should not be the only reason for selecting them.

Imagine two technologies:

• One provides more Power but has little impact on your role.
• Another provides less Power but strengthens your main troop type.

The second technology may be far more valuable.

Do not confuse:

Power gained

with:

Useful strength gained

Your objective should be increasing Power that improves how the account actually performs.

📊 Use battle reports to define research priorities

Battle reports can reveal where your formation is losing efficiency.

If the frontline is defeated too early, you may need:

• HP
• DEF
• Shieldbearer technologies
• Additional capacity
• Other survivability improvements

If the formation remains alive but loses because it cannot deal enough damage, you may need:

• ATK
• Lethality
• Shooter or Bomber improvements
• Offensive capacity
• Better synergy with the selected heroes

There is no perfect research order for every account.

There is an order that solves your account's current problem.

🔥 Research for offensive players

Players focused on attacking may give greater attention to technologies that increase damage potential.

This can be valuable for:

• Rally attacks
• Solo attacks
• Damage events
• Offensive PvP
• Trial Cage
• Other PvE damage activities

However, playing offensively does not mean completely ignoring defense.

If your formation cannot survive long enough, its full damage potential will never be used.

An effective offensive formation needs enough durability to reach its decisive attacks.

🛡️ Research for defensive players

Players who frequently defend structures or absorb attacks may receive more value from:

• HP
• DEF
• Shieldbearer development
• Survivability attributes
• Troop capacity
• Technologies supporting sustained combat

A defensive formation must remain active under pressure.

Do not automatically copy the research priorities of an offensive Rally Leader. Your responsibilities may be completely different.

👥 Troop capacity can create major gains

Do not evaluate only percentage attributes.

Technologies that increase troop or march capacity can also have a major impact.

A larger march allows more units to enter combat. Depending on the system and formation, this can significantly increase total battle potential.

When an important capacity technology becomes available for your progression stage, consider how much practical value it may provide.

🔓 Prepare for stronger troop tiers

Advanced technologies may be part of the path toward unlocking higher troop tiers.

When you approach an important troop unlock, your strategy should change.

Instead of spending speedups randomly on secondary technologies, concentrating them on the required path may be more valuable.

Confirm:

• Which technologies are prerequisites
• How many resources the complete route requires
• How much research time remains
• How many speedups are available
• Whether a building upgrade is also required
• What resources are needed to train the new troops

Avoid reaching 90% of the route and stopping because the final requirements were not included in the plan.

⚖️ Balance speedups and resources

Speedups alone cannot complete a research route.

Resources alone cannot eliminate the required time.

Imagine having 1,000 hours of speedups but almost no resources. You cannot transform all those stored hours into progression.

The opposite is also true: enormous resource reserves with no speedups still leave progression limited by time.

Major research sessions require a balance between:

• ⏳ Research time
• ⚡ Speedups
• 🌾 Resources
• 🔓 Prerequisites
• 🏗️ Required buildings

Before starting a long sequence, verify both the resource cost and the total time.

💎 Use Diamonds carefully

The game may allow Diamonds to replace missing time or resources.

Use this flexibility carefully.

If only a few minutes remain, waiting may be more efficient.

If a missing resource can be obtained through gathering, rewards or normal gameplay, evaluate those alternatives before spending Diamonds.

Diamonds provide flexibility. Avoid using that flexibility only to compensate for poor preparation.

🌱 Research planning for F2P accounts

Recovering resources and speedups can take considerable time for F2P players.

A good practice is always knowing:

• Which technology is active
• Which technology comes next
• What the final objective is
• Which resources must be preserved
• How many speedups can be spent safely

Even without calculating everything perfectly, having a route creates direction.

For example:

Development

↓

Troop capacity

↓

Main troop type

↓

Required prerequisite

↓

Desired unlock

Now every technology serves a purpose.

🧠 Copy the logic, not the exact order

A strong player may recommend an advanced technology that is excellent for their account but inappropriate for yours.

Research priorities change according to:

• Account level
• Server development
• Current season
• Available troops
• Heroes
• Alliance role
• Resources
• Competitive objectives

Learn why the player selected that research.

Copying the reasoning is often more useful than copying the exact order.

👑 Research for Rally Leaders

If you regularly open important rallies for your alliance, your combat technologies may affect the performance of the entire group.

This can justify stronger offensive specialization.

A Rally Leader may prioritize:

• The primary damage-dealing troop
• Offensive attributes
• Troop capacity
• Important combat prerequisites
• Technologies that improve the rally formation

Players who usually join another leader's rally may have different priorities.

Your position inside the alliance should influence your research plan.

🏰 Research for structure defense

If your main responsibility is holding structures during events such as Crystal Clash or Sandsea Conquest, a purely offensive tree may not be ideal.

Your formation needs to:

• Survive enemy pressure
• Delay opponents
• Maintain control of positions
• Sustain longer battles
• Protect the frontline
• Preserve enough damage to punish attackers

In this role, HP, DEF, capacity and troop survivability may become more important.

🦍 Research for Trial Cage and damage events

Trial Cage and similar content focus on maximizing damage.

Evaluate which technologies directly strengthen the troops used by your damage formation.

If your composition is strongly based on Shooters, Shooter technologies may provide relevant gains.

If your strongest heroes and bonuses favor Bombers, the correct priority may be different.

Remember:

Heroes + troops + equipment + research

must work together.

Research cannot reach its full value when the rest of the formation is not aligned.

🔄 Maintain strategic flexibility

Even if the main formation favors one troop class, avoid leaving every other class completely abandoned.

Other troop types may still be required for:

• Defensive formations
• PvP
• Secondary marches
• Different event mechanics
• Alliance strategies
• Future heroes
• Seasonal changes

A specialized account should still preserve enough flexibility to respond to different situations.

💰 The cheapest technology is not always the best

Choosing the cheapest available research keeps the Research Center active, but it may not move the account toward an important objective.

Sometimes it is better to gather resources for a few hours and begin a relevant technology than to fill the tree with random inexpensive upgrades.

However, the opposite is also true.

A long and expensive research is not automatically more valuable.

Small technologies can:

• Unlock another stage
• Complete a prerequisite
• Provide an efficient bonus
• Correct a specific weakness

Evaluate strategic value rather than only cost or timer length.

🧭 Build a personal priority route

A practical priority structure can contain:

This order can change as your account evolves. The important part is knowing which objective comes first.

🎯 Example route for a Shooter formation

If the main formation uses a large proportion of Shooters, a possible logic is:

• Complete essential prerequisites.
• Develop Shooter ATK and relevant offensive attributes.
• Improve troop capacity and general performance.
• Maintain Bombers and Shieldbearers at usable levels.
• Correct frontline survivability when necessary.

This is a strategic example, not a universal order.

If Shieldbearers are currently too fragile, addressing that weakness may be more important than adding another Shooter bonus.

🛡️ Example route for a defender

A player responsible for defense could prioritize:

• Essential prerequisites
• HP and DEF
• Shieldbearer technologies
• Troop capacity
• General survivability
• Enough offensive research to punish attackers

Again, the account's objective defines the order.

🌿 Example route for a developing account

An account that is still growing and does not participate heavily in competitive PvP could focus on:

• Development and efficiency
• Important prerequisites
• Troop capacity
• Balanced military research
• Preparation for the next major unlock

This can create more sustainable long-term progression.

📦 Accumulate for planned research sessions

An effective strategy is accumulating resources, speedups and required items over several days.

When a good opportunity arrives, you can complete a planned sequence and create a significant progression jump.

This also makes the effect of the upgrades easier to evaluate.

You do not need to spend the entire stockpile at once.

If you have 500 hours of speedups, you might decide to use a maximum of 300 hours during the current event.

The remaining 200 hours become a reserve for another opportunity.

Setting a limit before beginning helps prevent an impulsive research session from consuming everything.

🛑 Know when to stop during an event

Suppose you begin spending speedups to reach an event reward.

After reaching the planned milestone, the next reward requires considerably more resources.

Ask:

Do not continue automatically simply because you already started.

If the main objective was achieved, preserving the remaining stock may be the better decision.

📉 Avoid Power without purpose

In some competitive environments, increasing total account Power without improving real performance may not strengthen your strategic position.

The objective should be gaining useful Power:

A larger number is not automatically a better account.

🧱 Do not allow military research to fall too far behind

Some accounts have:

• Many heroes
• Large troop numbers
• Strong equipment
• High displayed Power

But their military research remains underdeveloped.

This creates a weak foundation.

The account may possess excellent individual pieces without the permanent bonuses necessary to support them.

As the server advances, this research gap can become increasingly visible.

⚙️ Balance research with other systems

Investing everything exclusively in research can leave other systems behind:

• Buildings
• Troops
• Heroes
• Equipment
• Resource production

The objective is not to maximize one research tree while neglecting the rest of the account.

The objective is building a coherent account.

A balanced progression cycle may look like:

Development

↓

Troops

↓

Military research

↓

Heroes and equipment

↓

New unlock

↓

Review priorities and repeat

This prevents one important system from remaining abandoned for too long.

🔄 Review research after major account changes

Review your priorities whenever you obtain:

• A new troop tier
• A new main hero
• Important equipment
• A new seasonal formation
• A different alliance responsibility
• A major building unlock

The previous research plan may no longer be the best one.

A strong strategy changes together with the account.

🎯 Use measurable objectives

Do not define your goal only as:

Choose something measurable, such as:

• Unlock the next Shooter tier
• Complete the offensive research for the current stage
• Improve march capacity
• Correct frontline survivability
• Finish the prerequisites for a specific technology
• Reach a selected event milestone without using the full reserve

Concrete objectives make each decision easier.

🧪 Same speedups, different results

Two players can receive the same quantity of research speedups.

One spends them as they arrive:

• 20 hours on a random technology
• 15 hours on another
• 50 hours because they became impatient
• 25 hours on a secondary improvement

The stock eventually disappears, but the account has no clear direction.

The second player defines an important unlock, calculates its prerequisites, preserves resources and waits for a useful opportunity.

The same total amount of speedups completes an entire strategic route.

The difference is not the quantity received.

The difference is planning.

✅ Research planning checklist

• Do I know my final objective?
• Have I identified every prerequisite?
• Do I have enough resources?
• Do I have enough speedups?
• Does this research improve something I actually use?
• Can an event increase the return?
• Do I genuinely need to complete it now?
• Will I keep an emergency reserve afterward?
• Does this technology support my main formation?
• Have I considered the complete route rather than only the final research?

If you cannot answer several of these questions, the research plan may not be ready yet.

❓ Frequently asked questions

🏁 Final research strategy

If you remember only one idea from this guide, remember:

The ideal process is:

Define the objective

↓

Find every prerequisite

↓

Calculate resources and time

↓

Choose the right moment

↓

Complete the research

↓

Evaluate the result

↓

Define the next objective

When you begin thinking this way, the research tree stops being a list of available buttons.

It becomes a real account development plan.