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.

Synergy with mutations

Research unlocks mutation slots listed in mutations tier list. Production research without mutation planning still wins Escape runs; Transcendence runs need both forbidden arts research and gene picks aligned before mid-game wars distract you.

Demo branch limits

Demo exposes one or two branches deeply enough to learn queueing—not the full forbidden tree. Treat demo research as tutorial, not completionist prep.

Branch lock warning

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

Phase-by-phase investment table

Phase	Primary branch	Secondary	Avoid
Pulses 1–10	Production	Diplomacy if trade appears	Forbidden arts
Pulses 11–30	Production + diplomacy	Combat if raided	Deep forbidden
Mid game	Branch matching ending	Combat OR forbidden partial	Even splits
Late game	Forbidden + combat	Diplomacy for Symbiosis	Neglecting food

Use this table with research guide mechanics and endings guide targets.

Neuron famine signals

If projects stall for five or more Pulses, you are harvest-poor or over-queued. Fix resource management before blaming tier ranks.

Ironman branch commitment

On Ironman, pick one primary branch per third of the run. Changing focus without neuron buffer causes death spirals on Extinction—see difficulty tier list.

FAQ alignment

When the tier list disagrees with your crisis, trust the crisis—food beats theory every time until biomass stabilizes.

Cross-links

Pair this tier list with research guide for queue mechanics and mutations tier list once gene slots unlock mid-run. Revisit ranks after each major Steam patch.