Alien tech tree

This table is generated from the alien tech tree in the game code (AlienTeam.lua) and the costs in Balance.lua, with SBM applied.

How alien tech works#

• Hives come first: every hive gives biomass, and each one can be turned into a Crag, Shade or Shift hive.
• Hive type → chamber → upgrades: a Crag Hive allows Shells (Carapace / Regeneration / Vampirism), a Shade Hive allows Veils (Focus / Camouflage / Aura), a Shift Hive allows Spurs (Crush / Celerity / Adrenaline). See Upgrade chambers.
• Biomass → ability research: lifeform abilities need a biomass level, then a research at the hive. See Biomass for the full list by level.
• Upgrades and abilities only work while their requirement still stands: lose the Shells and Carapace stops working; lose biomass and abilities above it switch off.

Biomass unlocks#

Biomass	Unlocks	Type	Cost	Time
2	Bile Bomb	Research	15 res	40 s
2	Gorge Egg	Egg upgrade	20 res	45 s
2	Rupture	Commander ability	3 res	–
3	Bone Wall	Commander ability	3 res	–
3	Metabolize	Research	20 res	40 s
4	Leap	Research	15 res	40 s
4	Lerk Egg	Egg upgrade	40 res	45 s
5	Advanced Metabolize	Research	20 res	45 s
6	Bone Shield	Research	25 res	40 s
6	Spores	Research	20 res	60 s
6	Umbra	Research	30 res	75 s
7	Stab	Research	25 res	60 s
8	Fade Egg	Egg upgrade	80 res	45 s
8	Stomp	Research	35 res	90 s
9	Onos Egg	Egg upgrade	100 res	45 s
9	Xenocide	Research	25 res	60 s
12	Contamination	Commander ability	5 res	–

Full tree#

Tech	Type	Cost	Time	Requires
Cyst	Build	1 res	3.33 s	–
Nutrient Mist	Build	2 res	–	–
Rupture	Build	3 res	–	Biomass 2
Bone Wall	Build	3 res	–	Biomass 3
Contamination	Build	5 res	–	Biomass 12
Enzyme	Ability	2 res	–	Shift Hive
Hallucination Cloud	Ability	2 res	–	Shade Hive
Mucous Membrane	Ability	2 res	–	Crag Hive
Cyst Camouflage	Passive	–	–	Shade Hive
Cyst Celerity	Passive	–	–	Shift Hive
Cyst Carapace	Passive	–	–	Crag Hive
Drifter Camouflage	Passive	–	–	Shade Hive
Drifter Celerity	Passive	–	–	Shift Hive
Drifter Regeneration	Passive	–	–	Crag Hive
Hive	Build	40 res	180 s	–
Biomass research (hive to 2)	Upgrade	15 res	25 s	–
Biomass research (hive to 3)	Upgrade	20 res	40 s	–
Biomass research (hive to 4)	Upgrade	40 res	60 s	–
Crag Hive upgrade	Upgrade	10 res	20 s	Hive
Shade Hive upgrade	Upgrade	10 res	20 s	Hive
Shift Hive upgrade	Upgrade	10 res	20 s	Hive
Harvester	Build	8 res	38 s	–
Drifter	Build	8 res	7 s	–
Whip	Build	13 res	20 s	–
Bombard	Upgrade	5 res	15 s	–
Gorge Egg	Upgrade	20 res	45 s	Biomass 2
Lerk Egg	Upgrade	40 res	45 s	Biomass 4
Fade Egg	Upgrade	80 res	45 s	Biomass 8
Onos Egg	Upgrade	100 res	45 s	Biomass 9
Crag	Build	13 res	25 s	Hive
Shift	Build	13 res	18 s	Hive
Shade	Build	13 res	18 s	Hive
Shell	Build	15 res	18 s	Crag Hive
Veil	Build	15 res	14 s	Shade Hive
Spur	Build	15 res	16 s	Shift Hive
Vampirism	Buy	–	–	Shell
Carapace	Buy	0 res	–	Shell
Regeneration	Buy	0 res	–	Shell
Focus	Buy	0 res	–	Veil
Aura	Buy	0 res	–	Veil
Camouflage	Buy	0 res	–	Veil
Crush	Buy	0 res	–	Spur
Celerity	Buy	0 res	–	Spur
Adrenaline	Buy	0 res	–	Spur
Heal Wave	Ability	3 res	–	Crag Hive
Hatch Eggs	Ability	5 res	–	–
Ink	Ability	3 res	–	Shade Hive
Leap	Research	15 res	40 s	Biomass 4
Xenocide	Research	25 res	60 s	Biomass 9
Babblers	Buy	–	–	–
Webs	Passive	–	–	–
Web	Buy	0 res	–	–
Babbler Egg	Buy	0 res	4 s	–
Bile Bomb	Research	15 res	40 s	Biomass 2
Umbra	Research	30 res	75 s	Biomass 6
Spores	Research	20 res	60 s	Biomass 6
Metabolize	Research	20 res	40 s	Biomass 3
Advanced Metabolize	Research	20 res	45 s	Biomass 5, Metabolize
Stab	Research	25 res	60 s	Biomass 7
Charge	Passive	15 res	40 s	–
Bone Shield	Research	25 res	40 s	Biomass 6
Stomp	Research	35 res	90 s	Biomass 8
Hydra	Build	0 res	8 s	–
Clog	Build	0 res	–	–

See also#

Marine tech tree · Alien commander